Grass To Grow In Concrete Plant Park

Later this year, a 2.7 acre plot of land in the Bronx will be transformed from a deserted concrete plant to beautiful parkland along the Western shore of the Bronx River. The land has been abandoned since 1987. This is great news for the residents of the area and worth the $10 million to make it happen. Now, the city also has 7,600 acres of contaminated land scattered throughout the five boroughs. Mayor Bloomberg has asked Albany for financial aid to clean it up. No surprise, it’s been slow in coming. To speed things along, the mayor wants developers to be responsible for cleanup on sites and most significantly, released from any liability. Say what? Problems may arise down the road. Albany should think twice before granting carte-blanche approval to cart toxic waste. NYC acreage should not be reclaimed without responsibility.

Central Park Eagles Safe Thanks To Stool Pigeon

After more than 30 years, two bronze eagles stolen from a Central Park war memorial were seized by the Feds. Back in the 1970’s, a drug dealer used the “birdie banks” to conceal cash and drugs. Deciding that he would like the statues more at home, rather than at his place of business, he absconded with them. In the 1990’s, with a desire to redecorate his place no doubt, he sold them to an addict, later identified as jewelry dealer Brad Lempert, for only $200. The birds were confiscated at Lempert's office but he was not charged. Though replaced by replicas in 2003, these eagles will soon be remounted. Ornithology lovers take heart; but not the birds!

The Writing Is On The Wall

Archaeologists have found “graffiti” in ancient Rome and in other cultures around the world. Perhaps cave drawings done by our ancient ancestors, was nothing more than graffiti in it’s day. Throughout history, graffiti has been “expression” to some; an attack on society and personal property to others. 2007 in New York City saw just 773 arrests for graffiti, yet only 31 of 392 convicted wall painters spent time in jail. Usually, graffiti is considered a misdemeanor but taggers who do extensive damage (Or paint poorly?) may be charged with felony criminal mischief. Law enforcement and the courts will probably choose not to look at graffiti as a serious crime; the mayor’s “quality of life” campaign, be damned. If true, they’ll be expressing the wrong message to thousands of city taggers. They’ll soon believe that every can of spray paint is the tool to make their mark on society; every brick wall a canvas to get their message seen. Then things will get real colorful around here!

Coney Island “Funny-Money” Home

Dick Zigun, 55, is referred to as the “Mayor of Coney Island.” He’s been in Coney most of his life. He owns “Zigun’s Coney Island USA” which runs a popular circus sideshow and museum. Zigun also organizes the annual "Mermaid Parade" in Brooklyn and manages a nonprofit organization he founded in 1980. He’s also been a member of New York City’s Coney Island Development Corporation for three years. Zigun has lived and operated his not-for-profit business for ten years at 1208 Surf Avenue in a modest two room apartment. Coincidentally, the CIDC approved a $3.6 million dollar sweetheart-deal for Zigun to buy the building where he resides using public grant money to do so. This is where the story begins. You see the building is supposed to be used only for public entertainment; not for residential use. Though he never hid his home address, Zigun may now face an investigation for inappropriate use of the millions he received. Could it be that this is coming to light now because a city watchdog alertly spotted the illegality here? Unlikely. Could it be that this is coming to light now because Zigun has been opposed to recent CIDC building plans which sacrifice amusement space for retail locations and motels? More likely. Perhaps his vocal objections kicked some sand in a financial bully's face. Hopefully this story won’t get swept, under the boardwalk. If Mr. Zigun inappropriately received public funds, the law should be upheld regardless of where the sand castles may fall. If however, Mr. Zigun's points about the public losing out to private interests are substantiated, he, and his modest two room apartment should be protected.

Big Apple Bus-Busters Are A Bust

There are times when getting stuck in a bus might be a good thing. That’s what Homeland Security and some officials here in New York City think anyway. What they're planning for is to reduce the threat of a hostile takeover of a bus by terrorists. They intend to combat terrorists with technology. Here’s how their device works. In the event of trouble, the bus driver hits a panic switch which alerts both the bus company and the device’s manufacturer in Pennsylvania. A device connected to the bus’s computer system automatically relays details about the bus’ location, speed and direction. The dispatcher notifies authorities. Then, they have the option to slow the bus to 5 miles per hour or to turn the engine off without the ability to restart it. Great idea, right? Many private bus companies have already received millions of dollars to install this new, high-tech gadget. Many have. However, NYC Transit is still testing GPS on 155 of their 4,500 bus fleet. They’ve yet to install any of these potentially disaster-saving devices. I guess Transit officials there aren’t too concerned about a terror attack in New York City. Perhaps they were out of town on a bus trip the morning of 9/11. Maybe they haven’t gotten the news headlines from that day yet. High-tech security in buses requires vision. Some had vision of sorts in the 1930's (see picture below). Some have it now. Others don't. Let’s speed things up, Transit guys!

Cops Can Be Stunning Too

Thousands of NYPD sergeants are now being issued Tasers. They’ll wear them on the opposite side on which they carry their gun. These newer model guns are lighter and easier to handle (not shown). Police believe these stun guns can be an effective tool and remedy when dealing with an emotionally disturbed person. Cops received 80,000 calls to deal with that type of situation last year. With that many calls, it’s very likely that these stun guns will be used. It's likely too that they will prevent serious injury and probably save the lives of several menacing, mentally troubled citizens who might otherwise have been shot with a bullet. More than likely too, somewhere along the way, a neighborhood activist will complain about stun gun "use and abuse." It wouldn't shock me at all.

NYC Charity CEO’s Do Real Good

A recent study showed that CEO’s of New York City registered charities make more in salary than charity bosses anywhere else in the country. The median salary here is $169,000 … $15,000 more than second-place execs in San Diego. However, NYC based charities only ranked 5th out of 30 cities in annual fund-raising. So, more pay but fewer dollars collected. Maybe it’s the competition. NYC does have 575 large charities. Maybe it’s the cost of living. Things do cost more here. Or, maybe “our guys” just aren’t as benevolent or as good at their jobs as "their guys.." To learn more, visit http://www.CharityNavigator.com.