Westchester County burglary is clearly becoming a task that only the coolest criminals can do. Cheap shabby crooks are being pushed out of the market by stylish guys like this one:
Burglary suspect took limo to crime scene
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Symbols of America
I just saw my first bald eagle.
On the train in this morning, I looked up at the trees after pulling out of the station and there he was looking all large and majestic, as they always seem to in photographs.
Like this.
According to Wikipedia, bald eagles are winter visitors to my area of New York. Now I'm going to find myself carrying a camera to work, to see if I can get a better shot than this one.
Having now seen my first bald eagle, it occurs to me that I've not yet had any apple pie. Any suggestions for other American experiences?
On the train in this morning, I looked up at the trees after pulling out of the station and there he was looking all large and majestic, as they always seem to in photographs.
Like this.
According to Wikipedia, bald eagles are winter visitors to my area of New York. Now I'm going to find myself carrying a camera to work, to see if I can get a better shot than this one.
Having now seen my first bald eagle, it occurs to me that I've not yet had any apple pie. Any suggestions for other American experiences?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Local news is a lot less boring here
How often do you see a story like this on Look East?
Haverstraw couple being held on bail after fighting while boyfriend clung to roof of car
The bit I find most interesting is this:
UPDATE
I see there is a follow-up article.
More than you need to know about brawling, car-surfing couple
Just when you thought a story was silly enough, more silliness!
So our passer-by is at the petrol station, a car pulls in with a man on the bonnet. Man gets off and the female driver attempts to squash him beneath the wheels. Passer-by watches this and thinks, 'hey, I'll cadge a ride with her - she's feisty!'
How desperately do you need to be looking for a woman before you are happy to hook up with someone who dumps her boy-friends by running them over?
Haverstraw couple being held on bail after fighting while boyfriend clung to roof of car
The bit I find most interesting is this:
Kremer is accused of reaching through the car window while he was clinging to the hood and punching Sperrazza, officials said.Well wouldn't you? He's clinging to the outside of a car, the driver won't stop and is driving it into other vehicles - what is the officially sanctioned response to finding yourself in this situation, dial 911?
UPDATE
I see there is a follow-up article.
More than you need to know about brawling, car-surfing couple
Just when you thought a story was silly enough, more silliness!
Sperrazza stopped at a Sunoco gas station on Route 202, where she allegedly tried to run Kremer over with the car, Figueroa said.
While at the station, a man asked Sperrazza what was happening and she told him to get in the car, he said.
Sperrazza pulled away from the gas station with the man, leaving Kremer behind, and was stopped by police on Rosman Road. Kremer fled the scene but later turned himself in to police.
So our passer-by is at the petrol station, a car pulls in with a man on the bonnet. Man gets off and the female driver attempts to squash him beneath the wheels. Passer-by watches this and thinks, 'hey, I'll cadge a ride with her - she's feisty!'
How desperately do you need to be looking for a woman before you are happy to hook up with someone who dumps her boy-friends by running them over?
Saturday, February 16, 2008
"They're gonna send me up the river"
The Hudson Line of the Metro North Railroad travels, as you might imagine, right alongside the Hudson River. It's very close, usually just a few feet from the shore. (I know, a river should have a bank not a shore, but when the river is over 3 miles wide, it feels like a very long, thin bay. The locals must agree, as this part of the river is called Haverstraw Bay.)
It's a nice way to travel, watching the few ships and boats, and the geology is interesting with a sheer black-brown cliff-face that stretches for miles on the west side but seems to have no companion on the east.
Another of the features of the line is that it passes right through Sing Sing prison. Sing Sing is named after the town in which it is situated. This proved a little too much for the good people of Sing Sing, (as opposed to the bad people in Sing Sing) so they changed their town's name to Ossining. Anyway, the prison buts up against the river and is divided into two by the train line, with walkways overhead, and watch towers and coils of barbed wire to discourage any attempted commuting. I wonder how many men have lain in their cells dreaming of a plan that involves jumping onto the roof of a passing train to Grand Central.
It's a nice way to travel, watching the few ships and boats, and the geology is interesting with a sheer black-brown cliff-face that stretches for miles on the west side but seems to have no companion on the east.
Another of the features of the line is that it passes right through Sing Sing prison. Sing Sing is named after the town in which it is situated. This proved a little too much for the good people of Sing Sing, (as opposed to the bad people in Sing Sing) so they changed their town's name to Ossining. Anyway, the prison buts up against the river and is divided into two by the train line, with walkways overhead, and watch towers and coils of barbed wire to discourage any attempted commuting. I wonder how many men have lain in their cells dreaming of a plan that involves jumping onto the roof of a passing train to Grand Central.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Brrrr!
In England, a cold day is when the puddles are frozen and don't give when you tread on them. Here, you know it was a cold night when the next morning the river is frozen for the 400 yards closest to the bank.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Attack of the black-eye telescopes
I was in the lift a few days ago - going out to lunch - when a man got on who looked like the victim of a practical joke. He had a large black smear on his forehead, it looked like the sort of stain you might get from wiping your brow after replacing a laser printer toner cartridge. It also made me think of my old comics in which every issue always had a story that included some humourous japes with a black-eye telescope
I stood there looking at this poor unfortunate, about to step out into busy Manhattan not realising he'd smeared toner on himself.
"An American would tell him", I said to myself, "they would say, 'Excuse me, you have a mark' and he would thank them. Because he's in a lift with an Englishman that won't happen."
"If I told him, I would be taking a step towards one of the American traits I find admirable", I thought. Then I did nothing for a bit and we reached the ground floor and went our separate ways.
Five minutes later I saw a woman with a grey cross smeared on her forehead. Then a few minutes later two more people with grey/black blobs. My keen mind began to sense a pattern. By the end of the day I'd counted more than 20 similarly daubed faces.
It turns out that on Ash Wednesday Christians smear ash on their foreheads. I never knew that. Looking back, I can't recall ever noticing anyone do that in the UK. I've never seen it mentioned on British TV or news, it is completely new to me. This suggests either it rarely happens in Britain or I am woefully unobservant. I'm putting it down to the practicing nature of American Christians, compared with their British counterparts. English Christians (and by that I mean the people who when asked what religion they are, respond, "Church of England") mostly see their religion as something inherent within them. Something they were born with, like their pancreas. They don't really know what it's for, they don't think about it more than twice a year, but they know it's inside them somewhere.
I stood there looking at this poor unfortunate, about to step out into busy Manhattan not realising he'd smeared toner on himself.
"An American would tell him", I said to myself, "they would say, 'Excuse me, you have a mark' and he would thank them. Because he's in a lift with an Englishman that won't happen."
"If I told him, I would be taking a step towards one of the American traits I find admirable", I thought. Then I did nothing for a bit and we reached the ground floor and went our separate ways.
Five minutes later I saw a woman with a grey cross smeared on her forehead. Then a few minutes later two more people with grey/black blobs. My keen mind began to sense a pattern. By the end of the day I'd counted more than 20 similarly daubed faces.
It turns out that on Ash Wednesday Christians smear ash on their foreheads. I never knew that. Looking back, I can't recall ever noticing anyone do that in the UK. I've never seen it mentioned on British TV or news, it is completely new to me. This suggests either it rarely happens in Britain or I am woefully unobservant. I'm putting it down to the practicing nature of American Christians, compared with their British counterparts. English Christians (and by that I mean the people who when asked what religion they are, respond, "Church of England") mostly see their religion as something inherent within them. Something they were born with, like their pancreas. They don't really know what it's for, they don't think about it more than twice a year, but they know it's inside them somewhere.
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