"I HATE VALENTINES DAY"

Hollywood loves Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. If it's not a commercial or a T.V series, a movie is usually being filmed here a couple of times a year. This week was no exception. The crew from Blue Star Pictures was back for a second round of filming for their film, "I Hate Valentines Day." It's described as a romantic-comedy with generally unknown stars like Director/Actress Nia Vardalos and actors John Corbett, Dan Finnerty and Cheryl Consenza. A check of movie web sites tells us they've all appeared in a half dozen to a dozen or so movies that you've probably never heard of.



One of the premiere movie sites describes the film this way: "A florist tries to convince a restaurant owner to date her without the fear of it becoming a full-fledged relationship." The same site says filming was supposed to have begun in 2007. In comparison to other movies filmed in the neighborhood, this would be considered a medium size crew.



Most of the filming took place in front of a flower shop on Court street. Gawkers watched from across the street in front of Sal's Pizza. Actors, Actresses and the crew casually hung around the set. Three tents were set up to keep the stars out of the burning 90-degree plus sunlight. A giant ice storage container was plopped on the set to keep everyone cool.



Unlike other movies filmed here, the crew seemed pretty low key, perhaps because the egos didn't exist, because the film lacked big name stars that carry that kind of load. There were no traffic jams, no yelling at pedestrians to stop or walk in the other direction and no obnoxious production assistants.

HOW I WATCHED " BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT " EVEN BEFORE IT WAS RELEASED!

It's 1:00PM Saturday afternoon and the Asian lady makes her semi-regular visit to the neighborhood bar to peddle her DVD's. She charges five bucks a pop, or three for 12. Something like that. I've bought her DVD's before, knowing full well they're bootlegs and illegal. She's one of hundreds of people in New York City who sell pirated copies of first run movies. Some are better than others. I'd say one out of five will end up being blank. Three out of ten are professional quality, complete with features like bloopers, interviews with actors and cut-out scenes. Most have been recorded on video camera by someone hired to actually sit in a movie theater and record the film off the big screen. On these DVD's it's not uncommon to hear people coughing or laughing or even standing up in front of the camera to go to the snack bar.



The Motion Picture Association of America has been working with prosecutors across the country to crack down on the copyright infringement. One of the biggest busts was on Canal street in Manhattan, where cops raided over a dozen shops and booths that had been selling everything from knock off DVDs to Prada and Gucci bags and fake perfume. Their inventory was seized and the shops padlocked.



What's really amazing, dogs have been trained by local and federal authorities to actually sniff out bootleg DVD's. I'm not quite sure how they tell the difference between a pirated disc and one that is not counterfeit. But, somehow they do. Heck, several large hotels have now employed dogs to sniff out bed bugs! Go figure.

This story isn't so much about the phenomenon of bootlegging, but how quickly these counterfeiters turn their product around. Back to 1:00PM on Saturday. The Asian lady, who the locals are all familiar with, strolls into the bar with her bag of DVD's. My friend Ross and I split the bundle and start looking through the selections.



To my surprise, I find the new Batman: The Dark Knight DVD. Keep in mind this movie just premiered in a handful of Manhattan theaters only hours earlier. They had a midnight showing on Friday night. Here it is, early afternoon on Saturday, and the bootleggers already have made copies of the film. So, we actually have the flick in our hands and on DVD hours before most Americans would actually see Batman in theaters. Just as freaky was the fact that in that same bundle was the just released movie, Mama Mia. It came packaged in a nice plastic sack, complete with a professional looking promo cover.



I buy these DVD's knowing full well of the risk I take of ending up with a blank or shoddy recording. Typically, if the movie comes out the night before and they're selling it to you the next day, you can guarantee the quality will suck. I say wait a week or two to give the bootleggers a chance to make a clean copy of one of the actual promo discs that circulate in the industry. One of the other techniques used by these copyright thieves is to make friends with the projectionists at select movie theaters. Those employees are often paid a fee to allow the bootlegger access to the booth to videotape the movie from an undisturbed location. Sometimes the bootlegger can actually plug in his recorder to the audio output of the projector and get an uninterrupted, clean recording of the audio track of the movie, while the camera focuses in on the big screen.



I know this is wrong. I know authorities should continue to crack down on these knockoff masters, but you know something, they provide a service I need. I like watching videos, I don't often get to the theater and I like the convenience of having someone come up to me or set up a table on the street and sell me a bootlegged DVD at an affordable price, a DVD that features a film currently in the theaters. You pay $10 to see that flick. I pay five.



Note to prosecutors everywhere: I have destroyed all of my evidence. You will not find bootlegged DVDs in my possession. In fact, after I watch them, I shoot them from a gizmo very much like skeet machines and from my back deck shoot at them with my shotgun. This of course disturbs my Brooklyn neighbors and I am aware that it is totally illegal to discharge a weapon within city limits. But, if you believe that story, I've got some prime real estate I'd like to sell you in Florida.

UPDATE: MTV'S REAL WORLD COMES TO RED HOOK

Seems a deal fell apart for MTV to film the next season of it's reality series, "The Real World" at a loft building in downtown Brooklyn. The city was dragging its feet over permits at the BellTell lofts and MTV needed to start remodeling the loft before filming could begin. Instead, producers decided on a loft inside an historic warehouse building at Pier 41 in Red Hook.



Perhaps they haven't read the news, Red Hook is old news. Many of the hip shops, restaurants and bars have closed because hipsters didn't like living so far away from a subway station. The neighborhood is isolated from the rest of Brooklyn by the BQE.



Carroll Gardens would have been a better bet, but Plan B fell through to renovate a Brownstone building at 116 3rd Place. It's a tree lined block of Brownstones with large front lawns and the birth place of the "gardens" in Carroll Gardens. Prior to the MTV proposal, developers had added an ugly 5th floor to the building. They were selling them as condos ranging in price from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 dollars. Inside you get units ranging from 1000 to 2200 square feet.



The young cast members would have a field day hanging out at the hot bars and clubs on Court and Smith streets, just blocks away. They could shop at trendy clothing stores on Smith street, play basketball at Carroll Park or grab a slice of pizza at Marco Polo's take-out.



But, this series in Red Hook could be fun, as well. There could be an episode where several of the young preppies are mugged by the inhabitants of the Red Hook Houses, one of New York's biggest public housing projects. There could be another episode, where big city implants on the show whine that there's nothing to do in "boring" Red Hook except hang out at the Bait and Tackle bar on Van Brunt street.



There could be another episode where they get lost trying to find the nearest subway station at Smith and 9th streets. Or maybe, the cast is filmed getting drunk at Sunny's Bar just a few blocks away and forgetting to pay their bill, which for years had been done on the honor system.

As I blogged before, I'm glad they didn't pick Carroll Gardens. We like our neighborhood the way it is and the last thing we need is a TV show to spend a season filming here only to popularize an already established neighborhood. The result would be more tourists, more hipsters and worst yet, even higher rents. Unfortunately for MTV, I'm afraid most of the action will take place inside the loft and not on the streets of the still fairly desolate Red Hook.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: IVY COVERED HOUSE

I snapped this gem at the corner of Clinton and Degraw streets in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. It's the side of a house that sits on Clinton street. The view is from the Degraw street side. I just hope they didn't have any windows on that side of the Brownstone!

TAKING PICTURES OF KIDS IN THE PARK

What ever you do, don't take pictures of children in parks, even your own. There have been several cases in New York City, where parents have been stopped, scolded and warned by park employees that taking pictures of children in city parks is against the law. The reason: the photographer could be a dirty old man who's looking to molest little boys and girls.

It happened the other day in Park Slope, Brooklyn. A father wanted a few snaps of his kid frolicking in the playground. Next thing you know, A park employee asks him to stop, saying it's a violation of city rules. In the end, the employee was reprimanded because there is no such law. It's a public place and arresting, detaining or otherwise harassing photographers would be a free speech violation. Seems this non-existent rule is somewhat of an urban myth. It's very much like the urban myth that taking photographs in the New York City subway system is prohibited because of terrorism fears.



The other day, I decided to see for myself what type of reaction I'd get if I started snapping pictures in Carroll Park here in Brooklyn. Not a single park employee said a thing, but within minutes, an angry parent asked me to stop taking pictures of her kids. I have no problem with a parent making such a request and I obliged. But, her anger is rooted in the fear of pedophile perverts running amok in our fine city. These people do exist, but here's where I draw the line. If a man with a camera starts engaging children in conversation, makes an attempt to touch a child, asks the child to perform for the camera, then I have a problem. This goes behind harmless picture taking of fully clothed kids.



I remember a classic photo that appeared on the front page of Time Out magazine a few years ago. It was a typical Brooklyn street scene of kids playing in front of an open fire hydrant on a tree lined street of old Brownstones. If any city were to ban picture taking in public places, they'd have a huge lawsuit on their hands. The ACLU would have a field day. It's the job of parents to make sure their kids are safe and there's nothing wrong with asking the picture taker what he or she is doing. That's the way it should be handled..

BASTILLE DAY IN BROOKLYN

Manhattan's the Borough of Festivals, but Brooklyn's catching up. For years, Brooklyn has been home of the West Indian Day Parade and various Caribbean events, celebrating its black roots. My, how times have changed. For the past several years, Smith street in Carroll Gardens has been home to local Bastille Day celebrations. It's the day in July that the French celebrate the beginning of the French Revolution, when commoners stormed the Bastille (the prison that Kings and Queens used to lock up its non conforming citizens). It's their Independence day, if you will.

Smith street is now home to not one, not two, but, FIVE French restaurants. Half of them are near Bergen Street, where Bar Tabac holds it's annual Bastille Day event and the others are near Degraw Street, where a smaller, but growing Bastille Day is blossoming.



I actually find these events boring. Once you've eaten the food and have had a glass of wine, your done. One of the little stands was selling these colorful and I'm sure sugar loaded little treats. They reminded me of what the old lady down the street would throw in my trick or treat bag at Halloween. I passed. Another stand was selling crepes, which I love, but again....too sweet. I didn't see any French fries, but one place was selling sausages and I'm not quite sure they're very French.



One of the big attractions each year is Petanque, the French version of the popular Italian lawn bowling game, Bocce Ball. At both locations on Smith street, organizers set up their own Petanque courts, the more elaborate and quite official looking of them located near Bergen street.

"Pétanque (pronounced [pe.tɑ̃ːk] in French) is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing with the feet together in a small circle, to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (jack). The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass or other surfaces. Sandy beaches are not suitable. Similar games are bocce and bowls."



You know, as boring as this Bastille Day celebration was, I still love it. I love it because it's just another of the potpourri of ethnic celebrations we have in New York City. Every month, some ethnic group is celebrating something....and every month we have an opportunity to soak in their culture and understand what makes them tick. I'm sure Des Moines, Iowa has it's French, Italians, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Brazilians, German's and Russians, but their populations are so small, they never materialize into a full blown street festival. And, that's ashame, because here in the Big Apple, I'll never have to leave New York to see how the rest of you live.

PIC OF THE WEEK: THE BRITISH BOBBY

Thanks goodness, this guy didn't know I was taking his picture, otherwise I might have been arrested. Here's a guy dressed as a British Bobby, making a unique fashion statement. I found him strolling up and down 33rd Street in Manhattan recently. Maybe he really is British. Maybe he once was a real Bobby. He seemed enthralled at what was playing on the T.V. screens inside the midtown pub, where he was standing. Indeed, fans were watching the European Soccer championships.

NOODLEPALOOZA II

I think next year, I'm going to make some t-shirts that read: "I survived Noodlepalooza." Throwing a party is a lot of work, even if you do hire people to staff it. The clean up is the worst. But, about 60 people packed into my Brooklyn brownstone for my second annual swoire. It was billed as Noodlepalooza II, after my beloved dachshund Noodles. Unfortunately, he's not with us anymore. Otherwize, he would have helped with the clean up!



As always, it was a great mix of friends, like my broadcast colleagues Curtis Sliwa, Babita Hariani, Debbie Duhame, Big Jay Sorensen, Anita Bonita, Famous Amos, Kramer and others. There were neighborhood buds, drinking buds and a few crazy people mixed in for good measure.
Some were hoping the subway vigalante, Bernie Getz would make a return visit. Most were praying he wouldn't. He did not. Nor did the TV personality Joe Franklin, who was with us last year.



My friend Joe, who owns a moving company brought his Doo-wop accapella group, "The Four Pops" to belt out some great tunes from the 50's and 60's. A few people remarked at how cool it was to have a band like that perform right here in Brooklyn and in a neighborhood of old Italians who love their CBS FM and it's oldies.



Fairway catered the whole shindig and this time around, we did an Asian twist on the food. Monica served up homemade Margaritas and some kick ass Mojitos. My friend Thomas did the serving and kept everything stocked and my buddy Andy pulled out his guitar to serenade us between breaks of the Four Pops.

Along the way, we had a few broken glasses, a few loud drunks and plenty of mildly fun drunks. Somehow, I stayed sober. I think I did, because I remember most of err....I mean, all of the night. I wish Noodles was there, too.

4 STORES IN ONE BLOCK SHUTTERED: WHY?

When the Irish and Italians arrived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn more than a century ago, they opened little shops that catered to every need, like Ferdinando's on Union Street. There were corner grocery stores, butcher and barber shops, bars and bakeries. As their wealth grew, they moved on. In the 80's and 90's, a new generation of young professionals discovered larger and affordable apartments. Many had fled the high rents of Manhattan.

Gentrification began. Now, old time landlords were either cashing in on the wealth of the young people by raising rents or selling their old Brownstones for millions. A new wave of shops, restaurants and bars grew along Smith and Court streets. The drinking and eating places thrived, but the tiny specialty and boutique stores struggled.



Now, even higher rents are pushing them out of the neighborhood. Just a few weeks ago, "going out of business" and "moving to a new location" signs started popping up on just a one block stretch of Smith street. Days later, those four stores had cleared out. As quickly as they ditched Smith street and the high rents, renovations began on several of the places.



Right now, the only people who can survive this economy and the high rents are bars, restaurants and big chain stores, like Starbucks, American Apparel and Gap. Gone in just a few days: Flirt, Area (although they moved), Refinery and Watts on Smith, all boutique clothing shops. Earlier, a sweater store (not much of a need for those in the summer) and a few other small shops went belly up. We don't have a Gap yet, but it won't be long.

OKAY, IT WASN'T KHOW RADIO

I've been getting a lot of irate emails from people who tried to listen to my fill- in show on KHOW radio in Denver. As it turns out, I was actually on 850 KOA in Denver. So, Mom and Dad and many of you voyeurs never heard the show, thinking I was on KHOW. So, like so many others you went to the website and tried to listen on line...never to hear me. I'm sorry about that. At the last minute, they told me I was on KOA.

PIC OF THE WEEK: JULIO WAS HERE

Okay, I admit, I stole this one. Props to the Gowanus Lounge. blog
It's their original, but man, this is really cool. Either someone really loves Julio, or Julio himself is some sort of ego-maniac!

A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY

You live in a place like New York City and yet, you rarely venture out to do the things tourists do: Broadway shows, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, museums, Central Park, etc. It's not just New York. I didn't do anything touristy in San Francisco, San Diego or Denver when I lived there either. I live vicariously through my guests and especially my parents.



Two weekends ago, they came to Brooklyn for a few days and I've got to tell you, it's fun playing tourist once in a while. In fact, it's been well over a decade since I went to the top of the Empire State building, which is one of the trips we made. It was cloudy, so you couldn't see very far, but the close-in few was fine. It's worth about 30-minutes of your time.



After exiting the building, we stumbled into a Starbucks and had a few drinks in their basement lounge of sofas and coffee tables. Instead of walking through the rain, we decided to cut through Macy's to get to the 7th Avenue Subway line. We all marveled at all of the great sales and promised we'd be back to buy everything in the store. We never made it back.

Next, we hoped on the 1 train to the Ferry Terminal, where we jumped on one of the boats that takes you to Liberty and Ellis Islands. We skipped the Statue, because we did that before. But, we had fun tracing our family history at Ellis and just admiring the beautiful lawns, views and all of the history stuffed into that museum. It's a must do, even though I fell asleep during what was ballyhooed as a really good film about immigrants arriving in our country.



Then, it was back to Brooklyn, where we decided to eat dinner right away. I picked CHANCE, an Asian-French fusion restaurant on Smith street. I had eaten there before, but never had any of the big bites. This time, it was on me and we splurged on some wonderful food. The place is sleek and modern and the servers were fun and knowledgeable. That night, we watched a few movies. The next morning Dad bought breakfast at Joe's on Court street.

We packed a lot into just two days, but it was well worth it. I now look forward to these get togethers with my parents, not just for the family bonding, but because it allows all of us become tourists in our own cities.

HOW YOUR IDENTITY IS STOLEN

Every week, I get notices from banks telling me that I need to update my personal account information. But, every week, these notices come from banks that I don't have accounts with. I'm sure one of these days, HSBC will get around to sending me a reminder to send them my PIN number, Mother's maiden name, Social Security number, address, checking account number and other vital information.

Actually, that will NEVER happen, because banks don't send out emails asking you to send sensitive information about yourself to them. This is a scam. Unfortunately, unsuspecting people are being duped day in and day out and because of this, these scams flourish.



Here's how it works. You get an email from what you think is a bank. This last week, my notices came from Bank of America and Wells Fargo. I do not bank at either, but if they send out enough of these, they'll eventually reach someone who does have an account there. That's when they get you. They ask you to go to THEIR website and fill out a form with all of your personal information....and I mean ALL of your personal information. The site looks legit, but it's not. It's a shadow site that looks real, complete with real links to other departments at the banks.

The banks are well aware of these scams. Here's what I found at Wells Fargo's website:



Wells Fargo will never request that customers send personal information to us via email or pop-up windows. You should consider as fraudulent any request not initiated by you that you receive through emails, websites, or pop-up windows asking you for your Wells Fargo information. Report it immediately without replying to the email.

Fraudulent emails (phishing)

Phishing is usually a two-part scam involving email and spoof websites. Fraudsters, also known as phishers, send email to a wide audience that appears to come from a reputable company. This is known as a phish email.

In the phish email, there are links to spoof websites that spoof or imitate a reputable company’s website. Fraudsters hope to convince victims to give up their personal information by using clever and compelling language, such as an urgent need for you to update your information immediately or a need to communicate with you for your own safety or security.

Once obtained, personal information can be used to steal money or transfer stolen money into another account.

How fraudsters obtain email addresses

Fraudsters obtain email addresses from many places on the internet. They also purchase email lists and sometimes guess email addresses. Fraudsters generally have no idea if people to whom they send bank-related phish emails to are actual bank customers. They hope a percentage of those phish emails will be received by actual bank customers.

If you receive a fraudulent email that appears to come from Wells Fargo, this does not mean that your email address, name, or any other information has been taken from Wells Fargo’s systems.

Once you fill out that form, kiss your life goodbye. They've now got enough information to not only withdraw money from your checking and credit card accounts, but they can steal your identity. In other words, they take a picture of themselves and use all of YOUR information to create new I.D's and essentially become you. Below are a few examples of what the emails look like and the sort of information they try to get from you.



If you ever suspect a scam, check with the very reliable myth and fraud debunking site, www.snopes.com. Simply type in a key word and it'll search the database for that particular scam.

Dear Customer,

Our Technical Service Department has recently updated our online banking services, and due to this upgrade, we sincerely call your attention to follow below link and reconfirm your online account details. Failure to confirm the online banking details will suspend you from accessing your online banking account.

https://www.wellsfargo.com/login/update.html

We use the latest security measures to ensure that your online banking is safe and secure. The Administration asks you to accept our apologies for the inconveniences caused and express gratitude for cooperation.

Thank You.
Wells Fargo Investments, LLC
Online Banking Security Department

Restore Your account has been Blocked
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Valued Customer :

We recently have determined that different computers have logged in your Bank of America Online Banking account, and multiple password failures were present before the logons. We now need you to re-confirm your account information to us.

If this is not completed by June 11, 2008, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely, as it may have been used for fraudulent purposes. We thank you for your cooperation in this manner. In order to confirm your Online Bank records, we may require some specific information from you.


To restore your account, please Sign in to Online Banking.

thank you for using Bank Of America Online Service.

Please complete all of the information

USER INFORMATION


Online ID : (5-20 digits)

Bank of America ATM or Check Card PIN : (4-12 digits)

Passcode : (numbers and/or letters, case-sensitive)

Social Security Number :
Account Number :
Routing Number :

Last Eight Digits of ATM or Checkcard Number :

E-mail Address :

BILLING ADDRESS

Card holder name :

Address1 :

Address2 :

City :

State :
Zip :

Country : U S A

Phone Number :


ACCOUNT INFORMATION


Credit/ debit card number :

Exp date : 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 / 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Code verification number : (it is the last 3 or 4 digits AFTER the credit card number in the signature area of the card )

Mother Maiden Name :
Mother Middles Name :

Father Maiden Name :
Father Middles Name :
Date of Birth :

Please login to your BankFinancial Online Login
and visit the Message Center section in order to read the message.

To Login, please click the link below:

BankFinancial Online Banking


Copyright ©2008 BankFinancial | Member FDIC

THE NYPD IS READING THIS BLOG

I've heard lots of good things about the Commanding Officer of the 76th precinct here in Brooklyn. Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper runs the house that protects my neighborhood, Carroll Gardens, as well as Cobble Hill and Red Hook. I don't think I've ever met the guy and should probably introduce myself one of these days. But, it was nice to hear from him in reaction to my April blog "CALL 911, HE STOLE MY BLACKBERRY."

I've wrote many stories about police on this blog and sometimes I'm critical of their behavior, but overall I'm one of their biggest supporters. They're not paid enough and they've got a tough job. I also generally give them the benefit of the doubt before leaping to judgement. I remember after 9-11, every cop, firefighter and member of the military I passed, I thanked. It was common for me to buy them drinks, if I spotted them in a bar and of course after the terrorist attacks, many of us spent long hours in bars. Next time you see a cop, thank them for a job well done.
Below is the email I received from Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper.

George, although it always upsets me to here about individuals falling victim to crimes, I am quite pleased to here that the response from the 76th precinct was quick and impressive. I assure you, and your readers, that the men and women assigned to the 76th precinct are true professionals who work very hard in their mission to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for the residents of their assigned precinct. It is nice to know that you feel safe having the men and women of the 76th precinct patrolling "our" streets. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper, Commanding Officer, 76th precinct.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: MAN'S BEST FRIEND

I have to admit, this shot was not taken this week, but I found this little gem in my picture archive from last Christmas. I'm not sure who drove the car, but it sure looks like the occupant in the drivers seat may have taken Dad's convertible for a little spin. The sight of four Golden Retrievers turned quite a few heads. Click on the picture to enlarge it for download, if you'd like.

HOW HIGH FUEL PRICES ARE MAKING FLIGHT ATTENDENTS MEAN AND CRANKY

The friendly skies aren't so friendly these days. You can blame high fuel prices, which it seems everyone is blaming on everything. But, on two recent flights between New York and Los Angeles and aboard Delta Airlines, I rarely caught a smile from the flight attendants, let alone a friendly remark. Not only that, at times, they were downright rude.

Why is this, I wondered? Sparked by higher fuel prices, the airlines have cut back. This means, you're charged for just about every on board service. $2.00 to rent headphones. $2.00 to watch a movie. $7.00 for a cheese plate. $10.00 for a Caesar salad. Drink prices have gone up and now many airlines charge to check even one piece of luggage.



Here's why the flight attendants appear exhausted, angry and rude. They have to handle cash. "Exact change," they bark. On one trip, I asked for both the cheese plate and a salad and they had this "how dare you make me do more work" kind of look.
Many of us were especially antsy because the pilot ordered the flight attendants to stop the drink service because of rough weather ahead. It was indeed a bumpy ride, but the service ended at about the 10th row prior to the storms and didn't resume until 3 hours later. We were hungry, thirsty and tired of waiting.



Then, after our meal was served, I wanted to clear my space of the left over debris. I asked a flight attendant if she had a trash bag where I could unload this stuff. In a gruff tone, she said no, go back to your seat. A half hour later, as the clean up cart arrived seat-side, I reached up and tried to drop the garbage in the trash hole of the rolling cart. Again, I was barked at , "I'll do that. Just wait." Imagine that, I'm trying to help her perform one less task and she growls at me. If you don't have a credit card, you're going to need the assistance of the flight attendant to swipe a card on your personal TV set to pay for your movies. You give the attendant two bucks and she swipes the card. Another task, they had never been asked to perform before. I had a credit card, so it was one less thing for them to worry about, at least with me.



What's happening here is that, as the airlines continue to charge for items and services it had never charged you for before, the attendants are getting grief from the passengers. Don't be surprised if the next time you fly, they charge you for a cup of water and that nice warm blanket. So, as they're feeling the heat from passengers, they're passing on their frustration back to the passengers, even the ones, like me, who don't complain and happily pay the price.

I can only speak for the two flights I took, but I would imagine it's not just Delta airlines, but grumpy flight attendants probably abound industry wide. There's not much you can do, but grin and bare it. Speak your peace on board and the next thing you know, you'll be subdued by a self-defense trained flight attendant and then questioned by the FBI as a potential terrorist.



FBI agent: "You were making certain demands on board, weren't you?"

Passenger: "Yes I was. I wanted a salad and she gave me a cheese plate?"

FBI agent: "That angered you, right?"

Passenger: "I could have strangled that woman. She was such a bitch."

FBI: "How often do you have these murderous thoughts?"

Passenger: "Usually, just when I fly."

FBI: "So, you're saying, when on board airlines, you want to kill people?"

Passenger: "I guess."

FBI: "Where did you get your terrorist training?"

You get the picture.

KIDS IN BARS

Why is it, so many parents insist on bringing their children to bars. This isn't something new. It's been going on for ever. Remember the days of smoking in bars. You'd still see parents haul their kids into the taverns while they drank and puffed away. I was always uneasy about that.

But, even though smoking is banned in New York City bars, I'm still uncomfortable about seeing children in bars. Such was the case the other day. Three adult women strolled into Angry Wades with 5 children. Five! All under the age of 6.



Okay, so there's no smoke, but there's plenty of alcohol. They're exposed to cursing men pounding down beer and whiskey and doing shots. Echoing through the room, stuff like: "Holy shit," "Fuck you," "God Damn it," etc. This isn't a restaurant masquerading as a bar, this IS a bar. They swear like sailors in here.

But, there's more than the swearing and the booze. These kids are running around like it's the playground at Carroll Park. They're filling up their plates with the free popcorn and they're running around the pool table. The women who brought these little terrors to the pub are only sipping on beers, so they're not getting drunk. Thank God! Two of the five women appear to be pregnant. Don't even get me started about pregnant women drinking alcohol.



But, the biggest issue I have with these kids is that they're just downright annoying. Children yelling, running back and forth, throwing temper tantrums, and in a few cases messing with the pool table. One kid was having a hey day stuffing the little blue cubes of chalk down the holes. Another was throwing around popcorn like it was confetti. But, the parents just laugh it off. They're just kids. Give'm a break, they say. No, these are irresponsible parents, the same type that insist on bringing their toddlers to movie theaters to watch an adult film or drag their misbehaving children out to a nice restaurant. Show a little courtesy and respect, alright!