September 29, 2005
Includes reporter on JetBlue crash and the Shake Shack confidential. The Observer's Alexandra Jacobs was on board and writes about it ("Better her than me!" you are perhaps thinking?) in this week's paper. Also a fascinating exposé--not--of Danny Meyer's Shake Shack, including the zen of waiting on line: “I had some guy come up to me the other night,” Mr. Meyer continued. “The line was all the way to 23rd Street. He said, ‘We’re thinking about trying to do a business-school study on what is the secret of the Shake Shack.’” He paused. “I just don’t think there’s a magic bullet.”
Must be a slow news week over at the Observer.
Tags:
jetblue, new york observer, shake shack
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Posted on 9/29/2005
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September 21, 2005
The flatulent State Senate wants a flat gas tax, to save drivers 8 to 10 cents a gallon. But the Democratic Assembly and governor haven't signed on, so it's possibly just hot air blowing through Albany. NYPIRG says the cap could even increase demand. Yet prices seem to be easing, based on a quick glance at newyorkgasprices.com. However, oil was up again today on news that Hurricane Rita is now a category five storm headed for Galveston. Better fill up that tank today.
Tags:
albany, gas, state senate, tax
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Posted on 9/21/2005
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September 20, 2005
How to evacuate the subway during an emergency? Fresh can think of many ways. The MTA has printed a fresh pamphlet. How reassuring; Fresh will sleep better at night as a result. "Evacuations are the option of last resort in an emergency situation," NYC Transit President Lawrence Reuter said, stressing "how important it is to listen to the instructions of the crew and not self-evacuate." Fresh assumes Mr. Reuter never takes the subway, because the voices he usually hears on the platforms or trains are garbled voices of derelicts coming from the bottom of an industrial-size vat of green beans. Instead, the MTA and passengers will simply do what the able-bodied did during Katrina: run like hell and leave the weak behind to die. Fortunately, the MTA has also prepared a video in the event there is nothing on TV, your Netflix subscription has lapsed, or you are bored nearly to death. Fresh has not watched this video because he knows that running like hell from the front or rear end of the train--after an able-bodied passenger has conveniently broken down the locked door or smashed the window--is the only way to go.
Tags:
evacuate, mta, subway
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Posted on 9/20/2005
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September 14, 2005
Less than 6% of all New Yorkers voted yesterday, and only about 456,000 Democrats out of three million registered Democrats showed up at the polls. Maybe they did not—to quote the campaign slogan of Manhattan borough president candidate Brian Ellner—"feel good about voting again". So why don't more New Yorkers vote? Were the candidates that undistinguished? Why were so many incumbents—district attorney, public advocate, etc.—re-elected with such sweeping majorities? Perhaps the voters are satisfied?
Fresh listened to his Korean neighbor rant yesterday morning about how our democracy is in danger. He made some great points: about how schools don't teach kids morals or civics; how kids don't respect their teachers or their parents; and how Koreans are so passionate about their elections. In truth, most countries are quite passionate about their elections, but perhaps after 2000 and 2004, we are just a little tired.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg partied hard last night, well aware that his rival (whoever it will be) is rather crippled.
Tags:
bloomberg, democracy, election, ferrer, mayor, weiner
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Posted on 9/14/2005
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September 12, 2005
Contradictory news reports on fuel prices; here are some headlines from the past week: "Gas Prices Sting Many, From Cabbies to Commuters" and "Gas Prices at Pumps Show Signs of Easing" both appeared in the New York Times on 9/7. This gem came in on 9/9: "Gasoline Thefts Increasing as Fuel Prices Keep Rising". Fresh's parking neighbor, an elderly fellow and World War II vet from Puerto Rico, proudly displayed a locking gas cap last Thursday. He remembers the hose guys from the 1970s, who would come around and manually start the suction from your tank. (Manually, as in: by mouth.) Most interesting of all is the populist site NewYorkGasPrices.com which shows that both in Brooklyn and Long Island, there's a whopping 60-cent spread in price per gallon between the highest and lowest price stations. Ummmm, price gouging? Supply vs. demand? Hard to say. But it's not hard to say why a Mobil station in Manhattan's Chinatown has one of the highest reported prices: these guys are thieves, pure and simple.
Tags:
chinatown, gas
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Posted on 9/12/2005
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September 06, 2005
Gas prices high, cabbies aren't getting enough tips, and the Daily News has added a Cheap gas alert! of the day. Bush has really rolled the clock back 30 years...soon perhaps it will be 40....
Tags:
gas, taxi
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Posted on 9/6/2005
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September 02, 2005
CNET reports today has been declared blogging for relief day. So as New Yorkers a week before the fourth anniversary of 9/11, let's donate to the American Red Cross today. And let's remind ourselves that it wasn't necessary for New Orleans to descend into Liberia-style chaos; your government has failed, plain and simple. After you donate your money, contact Senators Clinton and Schumer and demand to know why FEMA and the rest of the federal government is so woefully unprepared to cope with this disaster. Paul Krugman put it like this in today's New York Times:
I don't think this is a simple tale of incompetence. The reason the military wasn't rushed in to help along the Gulf Coast is, I believe, the same reason nothing was done to stop looting after the fall of Baghdad. Flood control was neglected for the same reason our troops in Iraq didn't get adequate armor.
At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.
Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.
So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.
Tags:
clinton, schumer
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Posted on 9/2/2005
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