Open Thread Wednesday

My first response to your comment “Yes, they shouldn’t be there but they always will, to some degree” Meaning, motorized vehicles should not be on a sidewalk at any time. However, the world is not perfect, it is and always will be, fraught with uncertain dangers. Therefore, erratic, unpredictable walking/running is not only a danger to oneself but also rude and potentially hazardous to other pedestrians.
It is best to teach children to walk straight, to be aware of their surroundings and others, when in public.

Any other advice on what I should be teaching my children, Arch? What are your thoughts on table manners? Should she refer to everyone as Sir and Ma’am? Are certain hairstyles inappropriate? Do you find the temporary tattoo on her forehead in poor taste? I think we are all well aware of the fact that children need to be taught things to keep themselves and others safe. That’s absolutely not the issue here. Motorcycles on sidewalks is the issue. They are dangerous, whoever you are. They should not be there. It should not be on pedestrians to adapt to it.

What’s up with pile of garbage in the backyard behind Brooklyn Farms restaurant? It’s about six feet high by 20 feet long and very visible from Henry Street (at Montague). I suspect it has to do with the demolition of the burned building on Montague, but all the same, it’s an eyesore and probably not sanitary depending on what’s in the bags. Anything that can be done about that?

Article in Gothamist about the problem, and solutions, here:

https://gothamist.com/news/mta-to-save-the-spirit-of-new-york-by-cracking-down-on-fare-evasion

You tell em, Studio Arch.

Baseless claims appear to be the norm in these troubled times.

Fare evasion negatively affects all mass transit riders.

Kevin

Half

You are all welcome to my housewarming party, but you have to be nice to each other.

Didn’t that space used to have a fountain, and was a memorial for someone’s son that passed away?

Q: What’s worse than a fare beater?
A: A snitch.

This probably makes for a really good argument – because there are factual (but subject to guesswork) questions like, “IS the motivation ‘I can’t afford it’? or is it larceny, i.e., ‘Why pay for something if you can get it for free?'” … but economic, too (If it costs $N Billion to run NYC’s subways, what happens if 5% of the rides are “stolen?”)

My very unscientific “survey” has teens stealing a large number of rides. Have they lost their free ride cards? Are they limited to 2 a day and that’s the explanation?

Fortunately, the City has introduced free or reduced fare rides for people of very limited means. You know it’s not as simple as asking a token booth attendant to buzz you through because you say you can’t afford it, … and maybe there’s a stigma, but if you take the “analytics” away, you see it boils down to “conservatives” talking about law and order vs. liberals voicing sympathy for people they’re guessing are struggling financially.

Almost no one WILL “snitch,” but the next “Mayor Giuliani” (Adams, too, come to think of it) will get a million or more votes from people whose takeaway from rampant fare beating is, “Our City is out of control; almost no crime is truly victim-less, and some portion of those jumping turnstiles will graduate to purse snatching, because crime is so easy and laws ill-enforced.”

Isn’t that why so many shootings go unsolved? Because people don’t want to snitch, i.e., cooperate with police to get guys with guns off the streets?

What’s worse than a snitch? Possibly a city in chaos.

Downvoters, I see you condone breaking the law!

Ever heard the expression, “Drop a dime”? Where do you think that came from?

Wow you really embarrassed yourself with that one.

Fair enough, though I was kind of joking and we aren’t talking about murder here.