Police News Roundup.
A Traffic Enforcement agent has won the first round in a battle to be reinstated. He is a Sikh and refused to wear his uniform hat and instead opted for his turban. The Times reports that he agreed to refrain from wearing the turban while the Department considered his request for accommodation. The Times seems to indicate this action was initiated by the Department with such quotes as the "department continued to insist that he not wear a turban." If you extrapolate from the story, he requested the accommodation and then began to wear the turban anyway. On a lighter note, the Post referred to it as "Turban Renewal."

The Post also reports that the NYPD overtime bill is skyrocketing. Overtime accounts for 10% of the total police budget.

The Post also reports that the City Council was surprised that the VIPER video surveillance cameras were being manned by some of the more unsavory members of the Department like those on modified assignment or otherwise under investigation. I would like to know which neighborhood they would remove a full-duty cop from in order to watch the cameras. More on this as it relates to press credentials below.

Another detective has pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the ever widening Narcotics Division scandal. The problem with this scandal is that it doesn't have a good corruption nickname like the "Morgue Boys" or the "Dirty 30."

Speaking of the Morgue Boys, The Daily News reports that Michael Dowd was released from prison yesterday after serving ten years of a fourteen year sentence for corruption charges. In a story that got surprisingly little media attention, Dowd reportedly stated he "wasn't looking for any sympathy." Happy to oblige here!

Newsday's erstwhile Police Beat reporter Lenny Levitt reports that the Department seems to be ruthlessly yanking press credentials. First threatening the reporter who obtained the video tape of the Staten Island VIPER Unit office and then for NY1's Gary Ramsay.

And finally, in the "but where did he hide his weapon" department, the AP reports a naked man tried to hijack a private school bus in Georgia. Police would not comment on the man's mental state, but Base10 suspects the man comes from somewhere in the state of inebriation.
- posted by Base10 @ 11:49 AM  1 comments

 
Base10 Theater Review
Base10 does not frequent the theater, but on the occasion of Base10's wedding anniversary, he made the foray into the world of the Broadway musical production. The show in question was "Mamma Mia!" and Base10 does admit he enjoyed himself just a little bit.

In the most bizarre event of the evening, just as the show was starting, two Japanese women, perhaps mid-twenties but it's so hard to tell, were seated next to us. Not so unusual in midtown, you say? But they were dressed up in full traditional Japanese attire. Kimonos, tabi socks, sandals, that big bow-like thing in the back, the whole nine yards. During intermission they took innumerable pictures of each other with some very high tech looking digital cameras. What's going on here? Geisha convention? Who are these people? I guess this is one of New York's little mysteries.

Getting back to the evening's extravaganza, the thing that is most amazing about this show is the concept. It is a story based on the songs of 70's girl band ABBA. I won't even go into the plot, but this is a staggering concept. The producers actually managed to derive a coherent narrative storyline from the insipid lyrics of ABBA. Now Base10 is not getting up on some high intellectual horse (at least not yet), after all, everyone of my age and aspect knows all the lyrics. We grew up on this music. I must admit that it was even clever how they incorporated some of the songs in the context of the show. I particularly liked the way they used the song "Chiquitita" (admit it, you know the song, you might even have it as an MP3). I have to say the story was moderately interesting in spite of the fact that ABBA songs sound pretty much identical to one another.

I'm not complaining. Theater is about entertainment, and if the blue haired tourist crowd that is spending money like mad in our fair city finds this entertaining, I'll belt out a tune myself. I am the first to admit that the show was entertaining, but in much the same way that Bob Hope was entertaining. Nothing controversial. Weighty issues handled in a trivial manner. And always a happy ending. It's sort of like the Budweiser beer of theater. It's flavor is designed to offend the fewest possible people.

I'm not singling out "Mamma Mia!" either. This is just the way things are. As I thumb through the Playbill, most of the successful shows share this approach: Hairspray, 42nd Street, Chicago, The Lion King, etc. But Base10 knows there is drama out there somewhere.

Base10 remembers as a teenager going to see "Equus" on Broadway. The play was shocking (it still is). This is at least theater. What would Bertolt Brecht, one of the seminal theater intellectuals, say about "Mamma Mia!"? Brecht's description of theater was filled with concepts like the "alienation effect" where the audience is to disengage themselves from the play's action. Brecht also championed the idea of theater as a forum for examining weighty social issues. Read his play "The Caucasian Chalk Circle." It was in many ways groundbreaking. For example, it uses the play-within-a-play concept, but never goes back to the original context. This is the television equivalent of going into a squiggly-line dream sequence and never leaving it.

One does not leave a theater of today's Broadway in a state of healthy intellectual confusion. One leaves with a vaguely gooey, happy sensation. Maybe followed up by a visit to T.G.I. Friday's.
- posted by Base10 @ 11:10 AM  0 comments

 
Easterblogg RIP.
Base10 was surprised to read of the demise of Easterblogg, Gregg Easterbrook's excellent blog at the New Republic. Well at least we still have his alter ego, Tuesday Morning Quarterback, to keep us going during the upcoming football season. Base10 will miss Easterblogg. It contained much thoughtful commentary, particularly on environmental issues which Base10 would not ordinarily follow very closely.
- posted by Base10 @ 11:00 AM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup (Abbreviated Edition)
Base10 is taking Mrs. Base10 to a show tonight, so must hurry. Base10 is off tomorrow and promises a full day of blogging fun.

The Police Commissioner has announced a plan to have every train arriving into Penn Station checked by bomb-sniffing dogs during the upcoming Republican National Convention in August. He pledged the City would remain open for business, but left open the possibility that the station would be closed when the President in Madison Square Garden.

In more RNC news, the Mayor was unsurprisingly opposed to a rally during the convention by police and fire unions protesting the current situation in contract talks.

Chinatown residents are complaining about police and other law enforcement officials parking on the street. Base10 questions the sincerity of this complaint after area residents sued to get vehicles removed from the triangle at Pearl and Madison Streets.

In another announcement, Commissioner Kelly said he would no longer allow the accrual of large amounts of compensatory time by high-ranking police officials.

And in the "no pun today" department, a memorandum from City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez blasting the Mayor's policy against social promotion of third-graders was found to be rife with spelling mistakes. It's not even necessary to make a wry comment here. It speaks for itself.
- posted by Base10 @ 6:03 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup.
The NY Times has a pretty good piece about use of the NYPD's COMPSTAT techniques by other police department's around the country.

The Post reports a little police activity today as well. In one case, Port Authority and NYPD Emergency Service Officers rescued a despondent man trying to jump off the George Washington Bridge. In another, Narcotics Officer arrested an NYU freshman dealing drugs out of her dorm room. There are also reports that she is from a very wealthy family. Let's hope they aren't involved in pharmaceuticals. At least now there's a vacancy for the guy living in the NYU library.

The Post also reports that Police brass have stopped parking freebies at Shea Stadium. Base10 suspects that rule will not apply to those self same brass.

Newday reports that a federal judge called the NYPD and the FDNY "competing cults" in his decision to dismiss a suit by a disgruntled firefighter arrested after a barfight with cops following St. Patrick's Day revelries.

NY1 reports that Rep. Charles Rangel has introduced a bill in Congress that would allow nine family members of Amadou Diallo to remain in the US as permanent residents inspite of the fact that they have overstayed their visas. Even Mayor Bloomberg joined in and wrote a letter of support. Base10 doesn't think he agrees with this. The death of Amadou Diallo was a tragic accident which the city ultimately came to a multimillion dollar civil settlement. This should not automatically secure green card status to his relatives. What about all the other people waiting to get resident alien status? Is it fair to them?

And finally, in the "there will be no laughter at the FCC" department, two Miami-based morning radio hosts actually managed to crank call Fidel Castro pretending to be aides to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. They got him to agree to look for a missing Chavez suitcase before they finally revealed their identity leading to a profanity laden Castro tirade. FCC enforcement officials fined the pair $4,000 for the stunt. Please! I tell you what, Cuban authorities can give a play to any diskjockeys that manage to crank Bush and we'll call it square.
- posted by Base10 @ 5:37 PM  0 comments

 
NFL Draft.
The NFL draft snuck up on Base10 this year unfortunately he could not stay glued to the TV to watch the first day. Base10 had a family commitment on Saturday. Why must the catholic Church schedule first communions on Draft Day? Is nothing sacred? First, no football since January. And now the only spring lifeline for football thrown to us during the off-season shot because of some Papist Conspiracy. Is John Paul II a baseball fan? Is it mere coincidence that the device used to burn incense in church strongly resembles a small soccer ball? (OK, that's a reach). The Church may have met its match in today's NFL. (There's a mental image here somewhere of Al Davis doing battle with the Archangel Gabriel and being cast down, but maybe I'm overdoing a metaphor).

There is some sanity coming out of this draft--the sideshow of Maurice Clarett appears to be over. (Base10 is not sure how he feels about Mike Williams, but more on that in a moment). The Supreme Court announced that it would not overturn the reversal of the District Courts decision to allow Maurice Clarett in the draft. For the non-lawyer, the trial court issued an injunction in Clarett's favor directing the NFL to let him in the Draft. The NFL appealed. The first level appellate court sided with the NFL--not on the merits specifically--but instead vacating the injunction. Part of this calculus is a consideration of whether Clarett was likely to be successful on the merits. So the Circuit Court sided with the NFL. The Supreme Court decided it would not hear the injunction issue. The ruling is somewhat limited. It is possible but unlikely that the Clarett was correct in his antitrust allegations and he would then be place in a supplemental draft. But the present ruling makes this outcome unlikely. (One of Base10's law professors once pointed out that judges often refuse to completely foreclose a claim and often use language that seems to allow a claimant to go forward under a different theory. But in Clarett's case, fully litigating the issue might cause him to hit retirement before his first game).

Base10 does not feel the same way about Mike Williams. Mike Williams may be the sophomore phenom that could make it in the NFL. Base10 doesn't like the fact that Clarett tried to change the rules for his own benefit after his other disciplinary problems kept him off the NCAA field, but Williams is a different case. He only did what he did because the law at the time said he could declare. Now you could argue that he must have known this might happen, but I still don't feel he should be penalized. Williams (and maybe even Clarett) should be allowed to regain their NCAA eligibility.

The Jets seemed to do okay. They picked up a linebacker in the first round, Jonathan Vilma, who seems to get good grades. They had no second round pick, and took Derrick Strait, a CB in the third. The fourth round selection was a WR, Jericho Cotchery. I was glad they stockpiled some defensive help.

Nothing the Jets could do though could possible match the major move made by the Giants in acquiring Eli Manning. Base10 didn't really care for the Archie Manning soap opera that was going on all week. There was no reason to expect that San Diego was not going to pick him without some major compensation. But in the end, the Giants were willing to fork it over. The Giants drafted Philip Rivers, a promising QB then traded him and a third-round pick this year, in addition to a first and fifth-rounders in 2005 for Manning. I suspect that San Diego made out better on this deal.

This also means that Kerry Collins career with the Giants is over. Press reports indicate that Collins will likely be released today after Collins refused to restructure his contract. This will be especially troubling if Manning struggles this year. Collins is on the tail end of his career and should realize he may not have many starting years left, and it would have nice if the Giants could have made some kind of deal to keep Collins and let Manning sit his first year.

Base10 will miss Collins. He was a good example of a player who made some mistakes but proved that he could still play the game. Base10 is a Jets fan but likes the Giants, too. At the very least, New York football will be fun to watch.
- posted by Base10 @ 6:50 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup
The Post reports that firefighters will be subject to random drug testing just like their police cousins. What remains to be seen in what will happen once a firefighter tests positive. In the NYPD, there is a zero-tolerance police for drug use. Any positive test is grounds for dismissal--no pension, no early retirement, nothing. Base10 does not dispute the wisdom of this policy but suspects firefighters will not be subject to such strict penalties.

A Brooklyn cop was charged with perjury after falsely testifying on behalf of a friend in Traffic Court in order to get him out of a ticket.

The Daily News reports a break in the case of the slaying of Police Officer Vito Chiaramonte's murder in 1977. Base10 has seen the information posters about this case, but never knew any of the details. Apparently, an informant recently extradited from Germany is trying to cooperate with authorities to get time off his sentence for new child abuse charges. It would be great to solve an old case like this, but remember, Chiaramonte was no angel and was involved in thefts from drug dealers.

Newsday reports that a judge has awarded Mollen Commission witness James Baird a three-quarters disability pension. Baird claims that he suffered debilitating stress as a result of shabby treatment he received at the hands of fellow officers after his identity became public. Without regard to whether Baird was harassed by his co-workers, the judge made a foolish decision. The city cannot allow disability pensions to be awarded for such loosely defined psychological condition as "stress." Psychological problems can become grounds for disability, but the three-quarters pension (3/4 of your salary tax free for the rest of your life) in this case is the equivalent of finding the promised land. Psychological conditions are largely diagnosed through self-reported information. A policy easily allowing them to result in three-quarters pensions would literally open the floodgates.

Newsday also has an update on Sgt. John Marchisotto, the self-styled corruption warrior fighting laziness in Staten Island's Viper Units. Apparently, Marchisotto testified at Manhattan BP C. Virginia Fields video surveillance hearings last week. The article also notes that the sergeant may not have all his oars in the water.

In a very interesting case, the Medical Examiner has determined that a nearly year-old death of a Rikers Island inmate was in fact a homicide. The homeless prisoner contracted pneumonia and died while in custody. He died largely from the fact that he had no spleen, and it took this long for investigators to determine why his spleen was missing. Apparently, the prisoner had been mugged and severely beaten in early 2002. When he was treated doctors discovered a severely bruised spleen which they removed. I find in interesting that Newsday ran the headline, "Prisoner's Death Ruled a Homicide," the inference being that Police or Corrections were to blame. The homicide was committed by the guy that hit him in the spleen.

And finally, in "the species is better off without him" department, last week's New York Press reports the following incident which is--but for its senseless tragedy--terribly funny. It's just too good not to quote fully,

Ignoring the rules of logic, common sense and irony a few weekends ago, Thomas Woods, 59, set fire to a rug in his Fire Island home. Then he made a wager with his roommate that he could stay inside the burning house longer. Woods won the bet after his roommate fled to a neighbor's house to call 911. Sadly, he wasn't able to savor his victory for long, given that he died in the blaze. Local police suspect that alcohol might have been involved.

Base10 wonders if this was to be followed by a round of Russian roulette with an automatic, or a car explosion followed by burnt lips.
- posted by Base10 @ 6:50 PM  0 comments

 
A True American Hero.
Base10 got caught up in the NFL draft on Saturday and plans to comment, but any talk of football today needs to mention Pat Tillman. Base10 remembers being surprised when Tillman left the NFL to join the Army. There are links here, here and here.

Base10 likes sports and admires athletes. Tillman was not the greatest NFL player, he was a seventh round draft pick, a special teamer and was pretty undersized to be a full-time linebacker. But by all accounts, he made up for these things with dedication and hard work and earned himself a $3.6 million contract with the Cards. He was also no dope, earning a degree in marketing and a 3.8 GPA. He gave up everything to join the army and go overseas to Afghanistan and fight the war on terror.

Tillman was the type of player that fans admire, the kind of guy that consistently plays a little bit above himself. As a fitting memorial, from now on when you hear sportscaster talk about how an athlete is a "team player," or a "hero," or is "brave," or is willing to "sacrifice," think of Pat Tillman. We often criticize athletes today for having feet of clay and not being appropriate role models for kids. Base10 has never been blessed with children, but if he had been he would surely point to Pat Tillman and say that this is an athlete to admire.

Unfortunately, there are detractors. Today's WSJ's Best of the Web reports the existence of a Left-Hate web site called Indymedia that is spitting out such vitriolic speech about Tillman's death, I almost wasn't going to link to it. I shudder when I think Tillman died to protect the freedoms of people like this.
- posted by Base10 @ 3:19 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup (the Sequel)
On Friday, a 32-year-old transsexual and his (her?) 17-year-old lover were stuck up a tree in Central Park and refused to come down. They climbed the tree for an unexplained reasons, engaged in sex acts and refused entreaties by the police to come down instead continually taunting responding officers. It was well into the night by the time they climbed down and were arrested. You know sometimes you just can't make this stuff up. What is even more interesting is that the Mayor used this incident to answer critics that the new safe NYC has lost some of its charm.

Also in the Times, a story about a high-tech pilot project in the 115 Precinct that lets cops use cell phones to translate for foreign complainants. It's an interesting concept.

While not strictly police related, on Wednesday, the City came to a tentative agreement with the largest municipal union, DC 37. The pact calls for a $1000 cash bonus (in lieu of retroactive raises), a 3% raise in the second year and a 2% raise in the third year that is negotiable up to 3% for further productivity increases. In exchange, the union agreed to starting salaries for new employees to be set 15% lower than tenured employees for their first two years. This pact has tremendous impact on the uniform unions particularly the police, since it sets the pattern for future settlements with other unions. The problem for the police is that recruiting is already very difficult since rookie police officers already have a significantly lower starting salary and this kind of deal would not work. The best analysis is in the Times here, here, and here. See PD, FD and Teacher union response here.

The Post reports that off-duty cops, firemen and other municipal employees are parking for free in Flushing Meadow park. Better bring in the State Special Prosecutor on this one! In a somewhat related story, the Post also reports that self-styled whistleblower Sgt. John Marchisotto is claiming that officers assigned to the Viper Units (the video surveillance units that came under controversy a few weeks ago) were engaging in such nefarious acts of misconduct as watching Housing project residents having sex (apparently in public), watching rented movies, and fabricating logbooks. Remember when Police corruption involved graft? Let's hope the Police are better at catching criminals than they are at committing corruption.

Then again, maybe the Police Department hasn't completely forgotten how to do corruption. The Daily News reports grand jury testimony by three confidential informants against ex-detectives Julio Vasquez and Thomas Rachko in an expanding federal inquiry. The informants didn't know the information they passed on was used not to catch drug dealers but to steal from them.

The Post also has an interesting piece on DNA evidence and the occurrence of "cold hits" that lead to the identification of sex crime suspects. Many civil libertarians oppose this technology, but here is a guy that would have never been caught without the DNA database.

The News reports the NYPD made large scale arrests of thirty-six people for a string of burglaries in Queens of possibly up to 300 homes. Known as the Codwise Gang, the bad guys, mostly illegals from Cali, Colombia, targeted Asian families and stole an estimated $1.5 million dollars. A rape occurred during one of the crimes.

Congratulations to Michael Palladino, the newly elected president of the Detectives' Endowment Association. He has his work cut out for him given the current contract situation.

FDNY brass has ordered firefighters to be extra careful when going on Housing project rooftops after a group of firemen where startled by two cops with exposed handguns when the firemen responded to a stuck elevator in the building. I wonder if the cops were frightened by the big axes?

Lenny Levitt reports that the city has changed its vote in the controversial award of a disability pension to former Chief of Personnel Michael Markman. Litigation is apparently in the works.

In a story that hasn't caught on in the mainstream, the NYPD is engaged in a pilot project using high tech wireless computers to write traffic summonses. For more on this interesting story check here.

And finally, in the "there ought to be a law" department, a Louisiana legislator has proposed a law banning low-slung pants. The proposed statute would criminalize pants that exposed skin or intimate clothing like g-strings or boxers and subject their wearer's to fines of up to $500 and possible jail time. While local civil libertarians are skeptical of the proposed legislation, Base10 believes this would be a boom to law enforcement nationwide. Picture this conversation during a car stop:
"Officer why are you pulling me over?"
"Just the slacks, ma'am."
- posted by Base10 @ 12:28 PM  0 comments

 
A Note.
Base10 is feeling pretty lousy today. He must have gotten the flu bug over the weekend. So fair warning, Base10 has been taking some flu medicine so he feels as if his head is floating a couple of feet above his body. Anything he says (or blogs) is therefore suspect.

On a serious note, Base10 has been getting away from the Police News and more into thought pieces. Going forward, I want to continue to do both. I have to say, I have a new found respect for columnists. It is significant work to produce something worth reading.

Base10 has also realized that he needs an editor. Mrs. Base10 has sometimes taken up this duty, but I need fresh eyes. So this is my promise: more thought pieces, better editing, and more continuation of police news.
- posted by Base10 @ 12:21 PM  0 comments

 
Chinatown is Base10's favorite neighborhood.
He does not say this because he works nearby. But rather because it has retained its character through major changes to the rest of the city.

Many neighborhoods are "hip" but usually the hipness is soon replaced by this trendoid immigration of young urban professionals trying to be cool. Think most recently of Williamsburg. The area used to be ratty. For a brief instant it became an "artist" community, but soon thereafter the followers came. Now while Williamsburg has not quite yet become a Disneyfi'ed Times Square, it is well on its way. When neighborhood businesses and families are being priced out, that tells you something. Think about when you were a kid. Greenwich Village, especially the East Village used to be cool. Years pass and now your lawyer lives there.

Base10 is not one of these NIMBY people that refuse to accept and actively protests even the slightest change in their neighborhoods. These New Yorkers cling to some idealized recollection of what the neighborhood "used to be." How many times have you seen a self-styled community activist on morning TV claiming the proposed Wallmart/Staples/condo-conversion/highrise would positively destroy the "character" of their neighborhood. It's as if they think it's possible to preserve some childhood snapshot of a NYC neighborhood in amber. Face it, this city changes every day. Base10's neighborhood has changed dramatically in recent years. Some of the changes he liked, some he didn't, but change was always the one constant.

This is not to say that there is no such thing as neighborhood "character." Otherwise we couldn't distinguish hip neighborhoods from others. But how does a neighborhood change? It seems to me that most cool neighborhoods are at least a little seedy. The loss of the seediness leads directly to Disney.

Disney is not always a bad thing. Base10 prefers the Disneyfi'ed Times Square much more than the Crack-and Heroin Square of a few short years ago. Maybe it's not the same, but hey, ESPN Zone is pretty cool! Base10 remembers Bryant Park in the early eighties. Even the staunchest of liberals must give credit to both the Police Department and Rudy Giuliani for the sea change. Remember, this was the City's red light district one hundred years ago! If only Nixon could go to China, only Rudy could have cleaned up Times Square.

Why do neighborhoods change? It's probably a combination of gentrification and simple supply and demand. Cool neighborhoods start out poor and affordable. Then they become creative hives for artists and students. Then come the hipsters, who still can't afford anything. But now of course the neighborhood is desirable and people with some money want to move in. And of course, real estate agents will create some bogus acronym for the neighborhood as a selling point like JUNOBA (JUst NOrth Of a Bad Area). Picture it, "You know you're priced out of JUNOBA, but there's a hot area nearby called JUSOBA that's really up and coming!"

Why isn't Chinatown gentrifying? Good question. Base10 thinks it is in fact gentrifying to a certain extent, but its largely commercial composition prevents complete yuppification. There is also a cultural thing--westerners still feel a little uncomfortable here. (Mrs. Base10 recently related an incident where she was about to go in to a shopping center under the Manhattan Bridge, but did not do so because she felt like an outsider. Mr. Base10 assured her that Asians are more than happy to accept money from Westerners). There is certainly an undercurrent of "ancient Chinese secrets" throughout the area. Indeed there are some: brothels, gambling dens, gang activity (not so much of that lately) to name a few. But what urban neighborhood doesn't have these things? It's just in Chinatown they're a little better hidden.

It's not surprising then that Chinatown has kept its slightly seedy feel. It is vibrant. It's fun to walk around. Columbus Park is the perfect example. A mix of old and new. Older folk play dominos and elderly ladies practice tai chi in the mornings. But youngsters play basketball and even touch football on the other side. (Base10 will never forget witnessing a touch football game among Chinese youth in the park where plays were being called in their native language. Base10 would love to know what "10 Mississippi" translates to in Mandarin). In the area there are stores that sell dried meat and herbs. There are others that sell the freshest fish in the city outside of the Fulton Fish Market (experts warn against shopping late in the day). Other stores sell produce that Base10, who is an experienced chowhound, simply cannot identify

Chinatown is still the only place in the city where you can get lunch for a dollar. (Now this still does take a bit of intestinal fortitude. Try the stand at Madison and Catherine Streets). Pork buns for $.60! How about soup with noodles and shrimp dumplings for $3? Unbelievable. When he retires, Base10 wants to write the exhaustive Chinatown restaurant guide.

Chinatown's food deserves extra special praise. Now if you cling to this suburban or outer borough view of Chinese food being sold from a storefront shop in a strip mall, Chinatown is not for you. Interestingly, the experience is not limited to Mott Street. Flushing has a larger Asian population, but Base10 simply does not know the area that well--perhaps this calls for a gastronomic research trip! Another vibrant neighborhood for cuisine is Elmhurst--there is probably more food diversity per block than anywhere else--hey, another trip!

But Chinatown is the progenitor. If you've had the thick egg rolls and the doughy dumplings of the storefront, the true cuisine will blow your mind. Soup dumplings, a Shanghai thing, are unlike anything you've ever had. How about congee porridge and a sweet roll for breakfast. Dim Sum--more a style of dining than a type food is common for lunch. Waiters bring around carts with small portions and the diner selects what he wants and eats until full. When the bill comes, the waiters count up the plates.

Not all Chinatown cuisine is so inviting. Base10 has heard horror stories about some popular Mott Street establishments and frankly, he has seen some items in restaurant windows he would have preferred not to have recognized. On the whole however, the good far outweighs the bad.

The strange thing about Chinatown is that it seems to be growing. The traditional border between Chinatown and Little Italy is Canal Street. But Little Italy is really gone but for a short stretch on Mullberry Street and Chinatown is expanding. While the area ends abruptly at the municipal center on Chambers Street to the south , its northern border is not so well defined. There are tendrils up north as far as Grand Street and even beyond.

Maybe there is a lesson here for urban planners. Why did Chinatown grow? Why has it retained its essential character for so long? Base10 does not pretend to have the sociological answer but merely suggests you go downtown for a visit (and spend a little money since downtown businesses are still hurting). Oh, and make sure you try the dumplings!
- posted by Base10 @ 11:05 AM  0 comments

 
He's Still Alive But Obviously Not Sane.
Edward Conlon 's new book about life as a Detective in the NYPD has come out and gotten mostly favorable reviews. However, yesterday's AP wire reported that Frank Serpico--yes, that Frank Serpico--didn't think much of it. Conlon came out and said that the problem in the Department was not widespread corruption but rather "corrosion," a slow wearing away of one's moral compass after constant exposure to society's less savory elements. It is an intriguing concept, but Base10 will withhold further comments until he reads the book. In any event Serpico would have none of it. He claimed that corruption is still pervasive in the Department and cited some unnamed "cops he knows," and described it as "business as usual." Now considering Serpico lives in Switzerland and is now 68 years old, I wonder how much contact these "cops he knows" actually have with the Department. Apparently, he doesn't care for the Ivy League either. Serpico said, "Corrosion must be the Harvard word for corruption. ... Where the hell do you get the truth?" (Conlon is Harvard educated). Serpico has once again illustrated his fall into some time warp constantly replaying the sixties. You can't help but feel sorry for him. I remember the last time he gave testimony before the City Council (I think in the wake of the Diallo shooting) and his comments were pathetic. He blamed police brutality on the fact that cops were killers originally trained in Vietnam and were now patrolling the streets of the city. Apparently no one told him that the generation of cops he was referring to retired about ten years prior to his testimony. The passage of time has not been kind to Frank Serpico.
- posted by Base10 @ 10:17 AM  0 comments

 
Springtime, Baseball and the Mets.
Base10 watched the Mets game last night and was naturally disappointed by the Mets loss to the worst team in baseball. Baseball is fun, especially around this time of the year when anything is possible. It's not like July when your team is in a slide and all you have to look forward to is next year or pray for the slim possibility of a miraculous comeback. Of course by that time Base10 will have become occupied with other things. August is the month of pre-season football and research for the fantasy league. Unless the Mets are in contention, interest quickly fades.

Base10 wasn't always a sports fan. As a child he never liked sports, didn't know much about baseball and certainly didn't play. Except, of course, for a couple of abortive attempts at Little League. Little League was surely created as an experiment in social Darwinism and is one in which the feminine qualities of Base10's throwing arm could not survive.

(Not to worry, Base10 doesn't harbor a grudge against those who called him names as a child. In fact, since Base10 joined the Police Department and got to carry a big firearm, he does not fret over these things at all. But perhaps this is a topic best reserved for Base10's therapist...)

But anyway, springtime is about baseball, and as painful as it can sometimes be, Base10 is a Mets fan. Now I actually took off last Monday to watch their home opener. It was a pretty good game and the Mets won decisively against their arch enemies, the Atlanta Braves. Now they won 10-6, but of course in the spirit of recently departed closer Armando Benitez, they loaded the bases and put the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. Although this does make for exciting baseball, it also symbolizes the worst aspects of the Mets. It also caused great consternation to the owner of the tavern where Base10 watched the game because prospective extra innings would have wiped out any profit in the all-you-can-eat-and-drink special he was running that afternoon.

In any event, they won the game and played a pretty good series against Atlanta. But then they were swept by Pittsburgh, the most humiliating game being the first of the series where Tom Glavine pitches an absolute gem and leaves the game with a 6-0 lead. Thanks to complete collapse of middle relief, the Mets lose this one 7-6. Never has Base10 seen their bullpen fail in such spectacular fashion. Not one, but every single pitcher stank. You expect at least one of them to have the "stuff," but no, not that night. It almost makes you think they were all smoking pot together in the parking lot before the game! (That last line wouldn't be funny if a similar incident didn't happen last season).

But anyway, in spite of the setbacks and notwithstanding last night's loss to the AAA Expos, the Mets aren't playing half bad. Their bats are alive, and we're getting some entertaining games. And to make things even better, the Yankees aren't doing very well.

Keep in mind that for a Mets fan, the Yankee's perfomance is often the consolation prize. If the Mets win, we're happy, if they lose we are sad. But if the Yankees also lose, we feel happy again. Base10 gives his best regards to our baseball cousins across town. As the year wears on, the All-Star nature of their team will surely come out and make the Yanks a post-season contender. But there is a degree of guilty pleasure seeing them struggle early on--like I said, it's spring and anything is possible.

Base10 does not hate the Yankees. It took a long time to figure out it is not the Yankees that are worthy of scorn. Instead, it is the Yankee fans that I hate. Picture a fair weather fan and he's wearing a Yankees cap. Base10 has met several persons calling themselves Yankee fans when they didn't even watch a game before October. And these fans have no grasp of history, expecting championship after championship as if it is a foregone conclusion. Such fans scoff at the fans of the Mets saying "How could you still be fan if they lose all the time?" This means that Yankee fans have erased the entire decade of the eighties from their memories. In that glorious time, the Mets ruled NY baseball and the Yanks were in the sewer. By Yankee fan logic, they should have switched sides then. The existential meaning of being a fan is following your team through thick and thin. In addition, George Steinbrenner's tactics are slowly destroying the sport. This is also a story for another time--maybe when July unfolds.

Base10 looks out his office window and surveys his kingdom. There is warm sunshine and baseball is in the air. It is the time of year when one's creativity is consumed not by work, but by thinking of ways to avoid going in to work. What is it about baseball? Let's not relentlessly intellectualize the sport like George Will. In fact, Base10 thinks football is by far the better sport by almost every metric. But there is something about baseball in the spring. There is just some visceral pleasure in a sunny day and the sound the bat makes when it strikes the ball for a base hit. For a time, however brief, one is young again. Play Ball!

RETRACTION: Montreal is not the worst team in baseball, merely the worst team in the National League. Base10 apologizes for flying off the handle.
- posted by Base10 @ 4:00 PM  0 comments

 
Please Excuse the Language
Base10 apologizes for the use of the word "bitch" in the last entry when referring to Spanish PM Zapatero. Use of this word in describing Mr. Zapatero is insulting to female dogs everywhere.
- posted by Base10 @ 10:44 AM  0 comments

 
Spain To Pull Out Troops Ahead of Schedule.
The AP reports that Spanish PM/coward Jose Luis Zapatero has announced that Spanish troops will pull out of Iraq in less than six weeks--nearly a month before the June 30 deadline he had set for withdrawal in his campaign. Just a reminder to the Prime Minister, bin Laden said you had ninety days to withdraw, he didn't say you get any extra credit for running away like a mad bitch.


- posted by Base10 @ 10:43 AM  0 comments

 
Sad, But Somehow Ironic...
The AP reports that McDonald's CEO Jim Cantalupo died this morning of a heart attack. Mr. Cantalupo was sixty years old. Now, Base10 sends his condolences to the family of Mr. Cantalupo, but the juxtaposition of events here unfortunately calls attention to the fact that fast food providers are peddling slow death to consumers much like cigarette manufacturers. An example:

A Big Mac has 33 grams of fat. A large french fries has 25 grams of fat. That makes the fat content of a typical McDonald's meal a whopping 58 grams of fat. But wait, let's top that off with a large chocolate shake, an additional 33 grams of fat. Now one single meal at McDonalds--and one which can hardly be called atypical--contains 91 grams of fat. This is 141% of the recommended daily allowace of fat consumption. That's the daily allowance.

McDonalds is not alone in such ridiculous nutritional content. Peruse Wendy's or Burger King's websites and you'll find equally appalling examples. I know the counter arguments: I should be free to eat what I want, you can't blame obesity on the food maker, etc. However, when a company like McDonalds relentlessly markets it products to children (and perhaps less educated urban adult populations that may not know better), this is called asymmetrical information. It is a breakdown of free market economics and justifies government intervention. What the American public has gotten from the industry so far is a half hearted and ultimately failed attempt by McDonalds to eliminate transfatty acids from its frying oil.
- posted by Base10 @ 11:58 AM  0 comments

 
Sunday Morning Shoutfest Preview
There are some great programs coming up on Sunday morning. Mrs. Base10 and I are resting our voices for the weekly shout at the television. On Meet the Press, Tim Russert spends the hour with John Kerry. On Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer interviews Condoleezza Rice. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace also interviews Condoleezza Rice and, in addition, interviews former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar. Finally, on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, interviews with British PM Tony Blair, Sen. Carl Levin, ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, and--amazingly--Condoleezza Rice. The administration seems to have the ability to instantaneously transport the National Security Advisor through time and space at will. This technology will sure come in handy in fighting the war in Iraq!
- posted by Base10 @ 5:47 PM  0 comments

 
I Wonder Who Gets the Job Monday?
Israel has once again diminished the ranks of the terrorist network Hamas. Israeli forces launched a rocket attack killing Abdel Aziz Rantisi. With the continued decapitation of Hamas leaders, Base10 wonders if it will be hard to fill the vacancy now. Base10 thinks he has a solution. With the success this week of Donald Trump's show, "The Apprentice," the Palestinians can follow a similar strategy. Think "The Yasser Arafat Show." Suicidal terrorists can compete among themselves for the right to lead one of the Palestinian "business enterprises." Each week, one of the "militants" will be booted from the show and given the honor of blowing themselves up. The networks will love this!
- posted by Base10 @ 5:42 PM  0 comments

 
You know, I really have to talk to my boss!
Base10 has been immensely busy this week. It's already Friday. What do these slave drivers at the NYPD want? You know, my official responsibilities are really starting to interfere with my blogging! To make matters worse, the Mets are playing well, and there's a lot of juicy news this week, both in NYC and internationally. Base10 promises to keep his nose to the grindstone and crunch something out today.
- posted by Base10 @ 11:08 AM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup (Special Easter Edition).
Hats off to the patrol cop responsible for breaking the case of the brutal rape of a thirteen-year old girl in Bellevue Hospital on Friday. While off-duty, PO George Wolfrom heard the description of the rapist on the radio. He remembered an incident the night before where he handled an aided case involving an emotionally disturbed woman that was sent to Bellevue. It turns out that the woman's husband appears to be the perpetrator, and this is what brought him to Bellevue to begin with. Officer Wolfram followed up with detectives who got their man. This is great police work and deserves a good deal of recognition. Story in the Times, Post, Daily News, and Newsday.

A firefighter and former twelve-year veteran of the NYPD was arrested for Manslaughter and DWI on Friday in Brooklyn after the vehicle he was driving struck another car, killing the occupant. Details also in the Times, Post, Daily News, and Newsday.

The Daily News has a story about the unsung Sanitation Police and their battle against illegal dumpers. Hey, somebody's got to do it.

WNBC reports another firefighter arrested for DWI and other charges in a road rage incident in Staten Island earlier today.

While it's not strictly a police item, Michael Daly in the Daily News has a nice story about the Good Friday procession in Brooklyn to the WTC. It's good reading.

And in the "is that an egg in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" department, a group of youngsters in Flint Michigan were involved in an Easter egg hunt when they found something a little less round and tasty. Police report that while looking for eggs on school grounds, the kids found two loaded handguns. Officials don't know who left the weapons on school grounds but Base10 doesn't think the Easter Bunny is going to be very happy with those responsible.

Have a Happy Easter!
- posted by Base10 @ 6:35 PM  0 comments

 
Support Kerry Fiasco.
Sometime over the weekend, the Kerry campaign attempted to use the internet to raise funds. They allowed persons to register at their website as "core supporters" and basically build a personalized web page explaining why they think Kerry should be president. Presumably, one could send a link to this page to friends to hook them into contributing to the campaign. Unfortunately for the Kerry campaign, the blogosphere discovered this as well. Base10's support page is here. This morning, they must have gotten wise, since you couldn't edit your page anymore, although the page itself is still up. (Hat tip to Allahpundit, follow some links for other examples far funnier than mine).

I have saved the page, just in case it is taken down and will post a link shortly. I just wish I could have edited it since it doesn't read quite as well as I would have liked.

UPDATE: Link is up.

UPDATE: The John Kerry servers are back up, and either I haven't been deleted yet or my post fell under the radar. Time will tell.
- posted by Base10 @ 8:43 AM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup.
The Post reports sad news that a cop was seriously injured last night in a car accident driving home from the Yankee home opener and is in currently in a coma.

In a much less serious injury, the Post also reports that an authcrime cop lost his pinkie opening the hood of a car during a stop in Brooklyn.

Also in the Post, a Vermont deputy sheriff was arraigned in federal court regarding the murder of a Bronx man over eight years ago. The killing was tied to a drug deal.

The Daily News reports a former member of the NYPD also had a court appearance and pleaded guilty to petit larceny and official misconduct regarding an incident where he stole drugs from a suspect in custody. The former officer resigned as a condition of the plea.

The NYCLU, self-styled protector of our civil liberties, has criticized the NYPD for sending undercover detectives to attend a meeting of the "Black Tea Society" in Boston back in February. Donna Lieberman, the NYCLU executive director noted that

The Police Department should not be causally [sic] adopting the tactics of bad old days of undercover spies in political organizations. It impacts the freedom of political debate, chills political activity and ought not be done unless there is strong evidence of criminal activity.

Lenny Levitt, the erstwhile Newsday Police Beat reporter also noted the incident in his Friday column, One Police Plaza. In both articles, Mr Levitt insisted that the Handschu guidelines--a set of rules designed to limit police ability to investigate political activity--were still in effect. Apparently Lenny Levitt didn't bother to read this story in the NYT back in August that Judge Haight's ruling expanding Handschu was still in effect. (Link to full text to follow). Or this article in NY1. The Handschu controversy deserves more detailed and thoughtful treatment and will be accorded such, but the guidelines are clearly too restrictive in a post-9/11 world. For example, no legal restriction would have prevented Lenny Levitt from attending that meeting and not revealing his identity. In fact, he could have published a transcript. But under Handschu, the Police Department could not, even if police officials were only gathering intelligence over criminal activity.

And in the "I feel dirty" department, an Atlanta man was convicted of burglary after being discovered taking a shower in the apartment of his victim and faces up to twenty years at his sentencing next month. While we deplore the crime of burglary, we also commend the defendant, Tyron Jones, for his commitment to personal hygiene. Mr Jones should stand as an example of cleanliness in the criminal community.

UPDATE: As promised, a link to the full text of the NYT piece about Judge Haight. Lenny Levitt isn't paying much attention these days. Text via Proquest, a great free resource from your local library.
- posted by Base10 @ 7:01 PM  0 comments

 
The Many Faces of Condi Rice.
The New York Post has a frontpage photo of Dr. Rice that makes her appear attractive and tough. The accompanying caption reads, "The Lady is a Champ." The Daily News on the other hand has a much less flattering photo of the good doctor and the accompanying caption reads, "How Could She Not Know?" Base10 admits he didn't watch much of the testimony, he read quite a bit about it and spoke to some who paid close attention. By all accounts, Ms. Rice did a phenomenal job and showed the process to be the political posturing everyone knows it is. This is pretty blatant bias in coverage, in my view.
- posted by Base10 @ 6:50 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup
The NYT has an interesting thought piece about the use of informants in Federal prosecutions after an Eastern District Judge overturned a murder conviction citing dishonesty by government informers. The story points out some of the potential abuses of the wide use of informants in the federal system and the unintended consequence of the federal sentencing guidelines on prisoners tailoring their testimony to reduce their jail time. The person in the federal prison system with the worst bargaining position is actually the non-professional criminal. If you can't generate a case against someone else, you end up serving your entire sentence.

In a very sad story today, the Post reports a recently retired NYPD sergeant who returned to the force two days ago, was found dead of a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide. Base10's deepest sympathies for the family.

Newsday reports the NYCLU, the self-styled protector of our civil liberties, has filed suit against the use of drug and explosive detectors in screening visitors to certain state prisons. Citing a large decrease in the percentage of prisoners testing positive for drugs, the policy seems to work.

Also in Newsday, federal authorities arrested thirteen Guyanese immigrants who are accused of smuggling 800 pounds of cocaine and generating more than $10 million in income. As I've noted before, this is an immigrant group not usually associated with the cocaine trade. Base10 wonders if this is a trend.

Newsday also cheerfully reports that the Bronx has had a complete week without one shooting, something that has not occurred in ten years. I'm just curious about what became of all those media reports declaring outrage at the fact that week after week, there are always shootings in the Bronx, as compared with other boroughs.

And in the "please stop me from making a bad pun" department, S.I. cops arrested a man for stealing $150 worth of frozen calamari (and some other food) from a S.I. pub. As the Post points out, there's certainly something "fishy" about this case. (Come on, like you weren't going to say it!)
- posted by Base10 @ 7:55 PM  0 comments

 
Spring is Here? Maybe!
You know, after a bitter winter and a spring that felt like it just wasn't starting, the Mets played their first game last night. Now I know the Yanks have assembled their own All-Star team and are likely to make a serious run at the championship, and I know the Mets are in rebuilding mode and probably not going anywhere. But still, a leadoff homer by our Matsui on his first pitch--against the Brave no less. There's magic in that. Tonight I left work and when I got home it was still light out. Not much mind you, but it's nice to have a little sun after work. And as I write this, the Mets are winning 5-0 against those self same Braves. Spring has started and life is good.

UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, it's now 14-6, and the Braves are winning after a disasterous 4th inning. Counting last night's game, the Mets have delivered 12 innings of joy, so far. Well, you can't win them all. Mrs. Base10 insists that it's not over until it's over, so perhaps we'll watch til the end.
- posted by Base10 @ 7:46 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup
In some good news on the crimefighting front, NY1 reports decades-low levels of crime in the subways. The Department attributed the continuing decline in subway crime to greater police presence in the subway system due to counterterrorism activity.

Also in NY1, Manhattan Borough President/Mayoral Wannabe C. Virginia Fields announced that she will hold hearings Thursday regarding the use of video surveillance in public housing projects. Thoughtfully, Ms. Fields has provided a toll-free number for people who think they've been negatively affected by cameras in public housing to call. However, no such number was provided for those positively affected, such as crime victims who's assailants have been apprehended because of the program. I'm glad to see the Manhattan BP is retaining an open mind on this issue.

In a related story, the Post followed up today on the potential scandal involving the suicide video captured by NYPD cops that was leaked to the internet. Apparently, IAB investigators are slowly backtracking the computer video file to its originator. This story has the potential to cause a bit of strife at the Department since the PD routinely assigns disciplinary problem cases to monitor the "viper" cameras.

Base10 usually doesn't comment on specific crimes unless they are particularly heinous or--as is the case here--particularly interesting. The Daily News reports at 4AM this morning a man used a sledge hammer to break into Tourneau's midtown store and made off with an estimated $200,000 worth of watches. This is definitely not your typical smash-and-grab robbery.

Today's Village Voice picked up the story of Derrick Parker, a member of the NYPD's controversial "hiphop squad." This unit apparently tracks crime among the performers in the rap community. Atypically for a Voice article, they actually allow the Detective to explain how investigations like this develop and is actually more reasonable that the shrill sounding objections of the opposing side represented by Benjamin Muhammad, the head of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (Come on, is this a real organization?). Base10's favorite quote in the article comes from another critic of NYPD monitoring:

We want our celebrities to be protected, but what about their communities that are not protected? Jam Master Jay's mural is surrounded by a whole lot of other dead people. Who killed those people?

Well, it wasn't the NYPD.

And in the "Catholic Church needs another scandal like it needs a whole in the head" department, a Roman Catholic priest in Ohio was sentenced to probation for growing marihuana at his church residence. While the defendant, Rev. Richard Arko, admitted that his career as a priest is now over, Base10 believes he will still remain a "holy roller."

- posted by Base10 @ 7:01 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup
NY1 reports Queens Blvd, Queens County's bulevar de la muerte, will continue to have safety improvements added. For the uninitiated, the bulevar de la muerte is the most dangerous roadway (at least for pedestrians) in the city. In a comforting quote, the mayor said, “We are not going to rest as long as New Yorkers keep dying on the streets of this city." Bravo!

Mayor Mike also believes in the reopening of the Statue of Liberty even if every tourist gets their own personal cop to escort them. Great idea, but the mayor has said in the past that the city cannot afford to pay for them.

Base10 has witnessed and heard of some pretty horiffic things, but few compare with this incident. A live steam pipe began to leak in the basement space beneath a ground floor apartment in the Bayview Houses in Brooklyn. This caused the disabled resident of said apartment to literally be cooked to death. The News story doesn't do it justice since TV reports have the apartment temperatures reaching 200 degrees. Base10 was considering making a satirical comment, but then thinks about his own fate as a future member of the elderly or infirm community and just can't do it.

And in the "it's really hard to find something amusing today" department, a Boston woman was forced to summon police after being wrapped about by her pet python "Moma." The victim had to beg police to refrain from putting the snake down and described it as a "member of the family." Base10 thinks a dangerous Python is more along the lines of "The Life of Brian," but will say no more.
- posted by Base10 @ 8:48 PM  0 comments

 
He Probably Wanted to Meet Allah.
AP (via Yahoo ) reports that the ringleader of the Madrid bombing is dead, presumably the victim of a suidcide blast before authorities raided the apartment he was holed up in. Oh well! Consider the bomb found under the Madrid Seville railway and the presence of bomb making equiptment and explosives in this apartment. Maybe this whole appeasement thing isn't going to work out as well as the socialists thought it would. Did it occur them that a victory would embolden the terrorists? Of course not, Bush is Hitler and America is Satan, that's the bleat of the European sheep.
- posted by Base10 @ 8:45 PM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup (Weekend Edition)
NY1 reports that the City Council is seeking to reinstate the commuter tax. Although not directly a police issue, the commuter tax may be critically important to the upcoming labor negotiations between the municipal unions and the city, since it provides a source of revenue. Like many others, I thought is was kind of lame when Mayor Mike said he'd like to give the cops a raise but he simply couldn't afford it. The City Council loves this tax since it doesn't directly take money out of the pocket of city residents.

The Police Department is very, very sorry that it mistakenly raided the apartment of an elderly couple in Brooklyn rather than intended apartment of a local drug dealer. Apparently members of the precinct sent Mr. Goldberg, 84, a fruit basket and sent an orchid to Mrs. Goldberg, 82, who is still recovering in the hospital from the scare. Base10 suspects that the city will be giving this couple much more than a fruit basket very soon.

The Times has a report that the murderer of Police Officer Edward Byrne will not be able to keep $237,500 he was awarded after suing the state for suffering mental distress after being wrongfully held in solitary confinement. (You know it's just shocking that a convicted cop killer might be put in solitary confinement. The poor thing!) But as the article points out, there is a recently amended Son of Sam law that prohibits him from collecting a cent. Oh well!

The Post reports the unfortunate demise of a customer at the Metro Lounge in Ridgewood. In the early morning hours on Saturday, he was shot in the back of the head after a group of patrons engaged in what was described as "celebratory gunfire." Base10 will pass on that party and suspects this place will be shut down in the very near future.

Newsday reports a demonstration in Queens in support of a recently suspended Queens detective in the 102 precinct in Richmond Hill. Basically the detective is accused of accepting gratuities for giving special treatment to members of the business community and apparently mishandling claims of destroyed passports (I don't get how), of course a no-no if true. The interesting thing about the story is the ethnic groups involved--members of the 102's Sihk, Muslim and Indian communities--are not usually seen in these kind of demonstrations.

On the fire beat, a firefighter is facing criminal charges for obstructing governmental administration and grand larceny after getting involved in an altercation with a PD Traffic Enforcement Agent. After his illegally parked car got a summons, he stole the agent's radio and threw it onto a nearby rooftop. There's no mention in the story about his suspension. I wonder why, since the conduct alleged is a felony.

On the subject of misconduct and criminal charges, the off-duty cop on trial in Brooklyn for criminally negligent homicide after striking a motorcycle rider with his car at a busy Bayridge intersection was found not guilty. While a Brooklyn jury acquitted the cop of criminal wrongdoing, this does not mean he will not have to face Department charges, and he will quite possibly lose his job. This case has some similarities to the Neri case. It happened after Grey, and the news reports revealed many discrepancies in the prosecution's version of events. But nobody from the Department or the press ever even suggested that a jury might agree with the cop.

The erstwhile Lenny Levitt reports that cops are not happy with the return of Charles DiRienzo to the PD after having served as superintendent of the Port Authority Police. He suggests that Commissioner Kelly came to a gentleman's agreement with DiRienzo to stop hiring NYPD cops after over three hundred of us defected to the PA after 9/11. (Hey, the pay and benefits are something like double that of NYPD). Levitt cites a seeming increase in rejections of NYPD members on medical or psychological grounds. Such an arrangement would of course violate the law.

And in the "that's not funny, that's sick" department, an Oswego man playing a practical joke on his ex-wife wound up being arrested on Thursday after he faked his own hanging. Apparently the man called his ex and asked her to come over and then hanged himself from a tree using a harness to prevent actual injury. The ex-wife called police, who were likely not as amused about the situation as the ex-wife was. I guess this is another example of a breaking "noose" story.

- posted by Base10 @ 4:58 PM  0 comments

 
Headquarters Bar Review (and not the legal kind).
I've decided to give my review of the bars and pubs in the vicinity of One Police Plaza. The list was obtained after significant amounts of scientific research during my lunch hours. I hope my boss understands how dedicated I am to the pursuit of a good bar. Sometimes you just have to make sacrifices... Well, in no particular order (links Citysearch page):

Metropolitan Improvement Co. (aka The Met). This is the physically closest bar to 1PP. As such it has both good and bad points. The good: the food is very good and is a nice place to go to lunch close by. The bad: unless you've memorized the faces of all the high ranking members of the Department and their drivers, you never know who you're sitting next to, so watch what you say. There was a time when the Met was very popular after work as well, but that ended after the Grey case. The do have a good happy hour and very good food. The after-work crowd is mostly Verizon workers from across the street. Can't really say what goes on at other times.

Nathan Hales. Located on Murray Street and Broadway, Hales is one of the area's best watering holes. It has a laid back bar scene but also boasts truly outstanding food, especially the daily specials where the chef really outdoes himself. The bar scene is a weird mix of blue collar construction workers, various law enforcement people, city workers, wall streeters and city hall staffers. They have specials every day, but it does get very crowded on Thursdays and Fridays. Outstanding bartenders and waitstaff. Another weird distinction, the owner is a soccer aficionado and this bar is home to the Metrostars Fan Club. They can be a little obnoxious. Overall, Hales is a top notch bar. Open Saturday but not Sunday.

17 Murray. Across the street from Nathan Hales is the geographically named "17 Murray." Like Hales, 17 is also a top notch place. The bartenders are outstanding, it has a very well appointed dining room and its decor is a cut above your usual downtown watering hole. 17 tends to attract more of the city hall crowd and I'm told it was popular for power lunches in the Giuliani administration. The food is also very good, but a little more expensive than Hales (and frankly, I think the food at Hales is a little better), but is excellent quality. Comparing the two places, you would bring a first date to 17, but when you got to know them better you would go to Hales. Not open Saturday or Sunday.

A&M Roadhouse. A little further down Murray Street is the A&M Roadhouse. The bar is okay and the bartenders are terrific, although the owner is a bit of a dope. Recently, the Roadhouse has been sponsoring live blues music nightly. The few times I've stuck around to catch the band, I had a really good time. The exceptional thing about the Roadhouse is the food. The place boasts a great selection of barbecue dishes with a very reasonable lunch special. Beware the high caloric however! My personal favorite is the southern fried chicken sandwich which the waitstaff refers to as the "widowmaker."

Beekman Pub. I've never really cared for the Beekman. The bar is nice inside--all brass and old wood, but I have to say, I've never felt at home there and don't generally recommend it to people. In fairness, I've been to some parties there where the food was really good.

Ryan's Sports Bar. Ryan's is a sports-themed bar with a lot of TV's and a nice bar. It's a good regular guy's bar. Some suits, some cops, some tourists (since it's right off of Fulton Street). It's a good place to catch a game during lunch. The bartenders are pretty good, but the food is pedestrian at best--burger and fries in a basket sort of thing. (The one exception to this is the chicken pot pie which is great and should be eaten whenever they have it).

Baxter Pub. This place is another generic bar. They have a typical bar menu of burgers, onion rings and the like, but don't go there for the food. I like the place because it's pretty quiet when I go and I can read the paper in peace. Caution: It been known to fill up with obnoxious yuppie assistant DA's on Fridays after work.

Raccoon Lodge. Every neighborhood needs a dive bar and downtown is no exception. I really never cared for this place, but I know other people that go there regularly. I never could see why. The place is physically a dump, no food, and it's not exactly cheap. I suspect the wall street suits like going because it makes them feel manly. Two saving graces: it's open on the weekends and most holidays (this is no small thing if you work on the weekend) and it has a pretty good beer selection.

Well, that's the lot for now. I know that I've left quite a few places out, but I promise to continue doing research for the cause. Next up: South Street Seaport Bars. I'll have to put it on the "to do" list!
- posted by Base10 @ 3:06 PM  0 comments

 
The Inner Circle Dinner
Mrs. Base10 and I went to the Inner Circle Annual Dinner show's dress rehearsal last night. I must say, while I was looking for an excuse to be a pissed-off republican, the show was very funny. For the uninitiated, the Inner Circle is an organization comprised of media people in and around NYC. Every year they put on a musical show spoofing the mayor and current political scene. This received some national notoriety a few years ago when Rudy Giuliani sang a song in drag. The actual dinner is something like $500 a plate, but we managed to get tickets for the rehearsal (no dinner but hey it's for free). We had an excellent time (many thanks to L.D.) A couple of favorite moments: The character playing Mayor Bloomberg singing "If I Were a Poor Man" to the tune of the similarly named fiddler on the Roof song. The Giuliani character (complete with outrageous comb-over) singing a duet with the Hillary character. Character playing School Chancellor Joel Klein singing "Don't Go Breakin' My B*lls" in a duet with character playing UFT head Randi Weingarten to the tune of the similarly named Elton John song. Last but not least, the Rush Limbaugh character singing a very special version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." We had an absolutely great time and I hope I get invited next year.

- posted by Base10 @ 2:47 PM  0 comments

 
Little Bites
I haven't done a restaurant review in a while, but I realize that I probably give short shrift to restaurants that I go to regularly. In an effort to rectify this glaring omission on my part, consider these fine dining establishments in county of Queens (Links to Citysearch):

Legends Bar and Grill (and Pearson's barbecue). (Elmhurst). If you're a barbecue aficionado in NYC, you've been to Pearson's in one of its incarnations. Formerly a storefront in LIC, Pearson's moved to the back of Legends Bar several years ago. This is slow smoked Texas barbecue. There's no flashy sauces to detract from the food. Best single item: brisket sandwich on a portuguese roll at $6.95. One caveat, I do not care for the ribs here. In fairness, I have friends (and even Mrs. Base10) that rave over them, but I think they're too dry. Another fave: smoke sausage sandwich also at $6.95. It's basically a kielbasa sandwich that's been smoked all morning. Truly delicious. The bar is also pretty good and has an excellent staff of bartenders. It's mostly sports oriented with numerous televisions that have most games on. Get there early during football season if you're hoping to catch a game. One gripe about the Citysearch review--I must be one of the "bored looking locals." (Also note: Pearson's opened up a new place on the UES a few months ago. I haven't been there yet so I can't say whether it's good or not).

Nick's Pizza. (Forest Hills). Nick's is quite simply the best brickoven pizza place in Queens. Some people think it's the best in the entire city. The menu is simple--pizza and a couple of other items. You basically build your own pie. My favorite toppings are prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes. They also have a nice microbrew selection and the room is decorated with old photos of Queens, particularly Forest Hills. I'm told the tiramisu is good, but I have never made it that far to desert. There can be a wait if you go during prime time. I recommend that you get two pies, because this way you get to take one home and eat it later.

Anna's Place. (Rego Park). Anna's is a terrific joint. It used to be known as the Jaegerhouse, and if your a Queen's native you've probably eaten there once in your life. Outstanding continental food with heavy emphasis on German cuisine. Also soup and salad bar, and an exceptionally good bar menu. The bar scene is pretty good, but it does attract its share of eurotrash. Avoid karaoke on Thursdays and Saturdays (a personal preference).

Enjoy dining!
- posted by Base10 @ 2:05 PM  0 comments

 
Compare the Headlines
AP (via Yahoo) uses the headline Companies Add Jobs, but Unemployment Up to describe the most recent employment figures. It sure looks like the employment picture is bleak. But wait...Reuters describes the same story this way US March Job Growth Surprises with Strength. The first line in the Reuters story reads, "U.S. employment rose last month at the fastest pace in nearly four years as hiring increased across a wide array of industries." Maybe it's not such bad news. In actuality, non-farm payrolls rose by 308,000 jobs in March. Expected growth was a little over 100,000 so 200% over expectations is a big story. Now the unemployment rate is up slightly from 5.6 to 5.7 percent and is separate from the payroll figure. AP apparently thinks one should cancel out the other.
- posted by Base10 @ 10:06 AM  0 comments

 
Police News Roundup (Evening Edition)
Before getting into it, Base10's sincerest condolences go out to the families of the civilian contractors killed and mutilated in Fallujah. Base10 believes that those responsible will have to answer to their maker for their actions. Base10 also suspects that this will happen in a surprisingly short time.

In a sad follow-up to last week's item about a newborn found dead and abandoned on Staten Island, NY1 reports the Medical Examiner has determined that the infant was smothered to death. In happier news, in Brooklyn a newborn was found alive after being abandoned at a church.

In a story that may have some legs, NY1 also report that the video of a 22 year-old who committed suicide in a Bronx Housing Project (er, Development) was found on a website devoted to violence and porn. The catch here is that self-inflicted gunshot was captured on video by a police surveillance system and only the NYPD had access to the tape. The worst thing about it was that apparently the family of the victim first saw the video on the internet. Also in Newsday, and the Daily News.

In the NYT, an item describes a court fight over the NYPD's presumtive delegation of law enforcment powers to pprivate security guards paid by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, a private entity. The issue raises rather important legal issues, and is a good example of how 9/11 has changed our outlook--even among New Yorkers. Had this issue come up before the attacks, even conservatives would have been outraged by the Police giving authority to private parties to stop and even search persons on public streets. The legal issues are intriguing, since the security personnel are operating under the auspices of the PD, presumably 4th Amendment restrictions apply. This may come back to haunt us if the security guards actually seize evidence from a would-be terrorist. In today's world however, this story is just a footnote.

In other news, the NYPD is training its officers in unconventional warfare in anticipation of the Republican National Convention in August.

And in the "no humorous description could come close" department, a Brooklyn man was arrested at Police Plaza Wednesday after applying for a pistol license claiming he was a an employee of the National Security Agency and assigned as a bodyguard for National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. (Note to Ms. Rice: Base10 has committed the spelling of your first name to memory). It turns out he does no such thing, and was arrested after being called in to pick up his license. The issue worrying authorities was that he listed Ms. Rice's private phone line at the White House on his application. Base10 will not even attempt to make a wry comment, since humor pales against the actual level of stupidity involved in the incident.
- posted by Base10 @ 7:35 PM  0 comments

 
Comment
Base10 realizes that many important things are going on in the world. The recent horrific attack in Fallujah, the gay marriage controversy, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and the election to name just a few heated topics. Base10 is a little busy at work these days, but is working on a thought piece and a couple of other items to supplement the usual NYPD news. To the few readers I have, thanks and please be patient.
- posted by Base10 @ 7:25 PM  0 comments