Times Square Car Bomb

A failed attack of some sort:

• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a suspicious vehicle in Times Square "did indeed contain an explosive device."
  
  A police investigation after a car fire was disrupting traffic, both on the roads and the sidewalks, well into Sunday morning in Times Square.
  
  Officials said there were no injuries in the car fire, but that there was a suspicious package in the vehicle's back seat.
  
  As a precaution, the NYPD Bomb Squad was brought to the scene and used a robot to inspect the package. Sources told CBS 2 HD the robot got up close to the package, but that its inspection was inconclusive. Bomb squad personnel then suited up and went in.
  
  The mayor spoke at a news conference early Sunday along with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
  
  Kelly says the car contained three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components. He says a black metal box resembling a gun locker was also recovered.

We're sure everyone will be hearing more about this as the day goes on. Especially after the scare on the El platform yesterday. Someone could be gauging responses. The recent training being offered for special employment hints something is in the works regarding mass transit. Be careful and be aware.

Nonsense Story

Hasn't anyone in the media got a lick of sense? Fran? Frank? Did you really write this crap?

• A key alderman says the Chicago Police Department's overtime spending is "alarming," having more than doubled over the last five years to more than $37 million in 2009.
  
  "We're short officers, and a lot of overtime is going to fill those gaps," said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), newly appointed chairman of the Police Committee. "I also know officers go to court quite a bit, and if they make an arrest at the end of their shift, there are reports to fill out."
  
  "But $37.1 million is an awful lot of overtime," Beale said. "I need time to find out how we can make our streets safer and also lighten the burden on taxpayers."

• The department is more than 830 officers short of its authorized strength of 13,500.

  [...] Meanwhile, nearly 130 officers retired Friday -- and as many as 1,000 retirements are expected by year's end.

So we lost another 130 officers Friday? Guess what's filling those gaps Frank and Fran? Overtime.

We're short almost 1,000 on paper? That's a minimum $40 million in salaries alone. Add benefits and insurance and we're probably in the neighborhood of $75 million unspent, so $37 million in OT is actually a savings of nearly $40 million.

Frank can be a decent reporter when he wants to be. Fran, not so much. But when they write crap like this at the behest of Shortshanks, they prove themselves tools of the highest order. Hopefully, this costs the Slum Times another few thousand subscribers.

Parolee With a Gun?

That's unpossible!

• A Southwest Side man was charged with attempted first-degree murder, accused of firing up to ten shots at a neighbor as kids milled about in the West Pullman neighborhood Friday night, prosecutors said at the man's bond hearing this afternoon.

  Ramone Shaffers, 28, of the 11700 block of South Lafayette Avenue, was ordered held without bond at the Saturday hearing by Judge Donald Panarese.

  Assistant State's Atty. Sam Cervera told the court this afternoon that Shaffers and his 44-year-old next-door neighbor were arguing at about 7 p.m. Friday outside their homes. Shaffers allegedly punched the neighbor, sending the older man to the ground, Cervera said. Shaffers then pulled a gun and fired a shot at the neighbor's head, missing, the prosecutor said.

• Shaffers was arrested after a short chase, the prosecutor said. He has three prior felony convictions, most recently a 2006 aggravated assault to a police officer, for which he's still on parole. He was further charged with a habitual criminal being armed, a felony.

Quick question - this jagoff fires off almost 10 rounds, hitting nobody and gets charged with Attempted Murder. But the asshole who clocked two girls in the head with a baseball bat isn't facing Attempted Murder? Are we missing something in the charging hierarchy?

Nickel and Diming Businesses

Not content with having the citizens pay for years worth of mismanagement, Shortshanks squeezes businesses. From a reader named Juvy Probation:

• I received a letter as a business owner asking me to contribute to this program. The city that wants me to contribute to this is the same city that forced me to appear at a city of Chicago municipal violation hearing today for a ticket I received in the mail for an "illegal" sign in front of my business. This is a sign I have had for 25 years, it is a a-frame or sandwich sign just like the thousands you see all over the city. When I contacted the city, they told me these signs are illegal and there are no permits for them. At my hearing I was fined $200 for the sign, and an additional $40 court costs.
  
  This is the same city that issued me a $150 ticket for parking in front of the loading dock door to my business to unload , and when I went to a hearing I lost that too. The same city that has made parking in front of my business a $1.25 an hour and costing me at least 20% of my customers. It is really irritating to see all the small business owners appearing for these hearings for violations like this and being fined hundreds of dollars. It is especially irritating for me as I work in the criminal justice field and am in courtrooms at least once a week, where the I see the majority of cases are dropped. I guess it is better to be a drug dealer in Chicago today, you don't need a permit or license, and if you're caught, your case is usually dropped with no cost to you.
  
  An interesting field trip would be to go to 400 W Superior and watch everyone get convicted and fined, and then go to any misdemeanor court and watch virtually everyone walk out with no consequences. More taxpayers need to realize how much we're getting screwed over while nothing happens to the bad guys. I would love to know how many 911 calls lead to arrests, then lead to cases being filed, then lead to convictions. I know the average juvenile case we get usually has close to at least 10 arrests before anything happens.

Well, when you are a business owner with a license that can be held over your head for not paying fines, you're going to pay on the first offense or else. Of course, there's always the option of moving your establishment out of the city.

Cappa sobre Ríver 2 Vélez 1.

01.05.2010 - Wilde

"La ventaja de dirigir a River es que el camino ya está trazado. No hay más que seguirlo, ser fiel a un estilo impuesto hace muchísimos años por todos los grandes jugadores y los grandes equipos que tuvo la entidad. La identidad de River es muy clara, como en todas partes hay que ganar, pero acá, además, la historia y el prestigio de esta escuela futbolística, exige jugar bien.

En estos tres partidos que llevo al frente del equipo hemos tratado de seguir ese camino, apoyado en los buenos jugadores que hay en el plantel. El afecto de la gente con su aliento permanente nos indica que poco a poco vamos nos vamos encontrando y eso es un gran estímulo para terminar de construir lo que pretendemos para la próxima temporada. 

River tiene un espléndido futuro por la calidad de los jugadores jóvenes no solo del primer equipo, sino también varios de las inferiores, algunos de los cuales serán incorporados al plantel superior en la próxima campaña. De todos modos hay que atender al presente y para eso hará falta la presencia de jugadores de mas experiencia capaces de llevar el peso de la mayor responsabilidad. 

No será fácil encontrar refuerzos que mejoren la capacidad de los jóvenes que tenemos, pero en eso estamos. Y será necesario porque de ese modo estos chicos podrán crecer con mas libertad y seguridad.La tarea no es fácil, pero es apasionante por lo mucho que significa. Para lograrlo ponemos toda nuestra experiencia y todo nuestro esfuerzo. Y estoy seguro de que juntos lo conseguiremos. 

Un abrazo, y la seguimos".

Angel Cappa, desde su blog.

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Cozzi Ribbons

We have received word that some enterprising souls made a few THOUSAND of these ribbons for St. Jude. They will be passing them out at the parade.

Since there are bound to be a whole bunch of uptight bosses running around, we're going to advise keeping them up your sleeve until such time as your marching unit is assembled and everyone is in position before making this last minute addition to the uniform.

A final suggestion would be to drop the yellow ribbons around the reviewing stand so they blow around J-Fled and the Pussy Cats, but we're sure a number of people would rather keep the ribbons as souvenirs, mail them to Bill or maybe use the intra-departmental mail to send them to Unit 111, care of J-Fled.

PLEASE NOTE: We have received a legal opinion that this is politically protected free speech, especially when you are attending St. Jude's on your own time without compensation. Any boss that confronts an officer exercising his First Amendment Rights can and should be subject to a Civil Rights complaint, including damages. Note the name, time, and location.

UPDATE: Some people are saying this isn't the time or place and there must be a better forum with which to express our opinions. OK, where? When? On-duty in the Districts? J-Fled won't go there because he might have to run away again and the bosses will nickel and dime you with the "unauthorized decorations" on the uniform. At an FOP meeting? Yeah, J-Fled will show up there along with the brass. At a City Hall march? That ain't happening since the contract has been settled.

There's only one place that J-Fled can't flee from and you have a few thousand cops off-duty that are actually able to exercise their First Amendment Rights without interference from the brass (remember, on duty you are an agent of the government - you have no opinion).

UPDATE II: We are forcibly reminded of a day not too long ago when the mother of a slain officer lambasted Mayor Daley in front of God and everybody about the time it took to get us a contract. She stood up for each and every one of us like no one has before or since.

Those of you who are saying not to politicize the march, remember Mrs. Strouse. On that day, she was an advocate for all of the living even though her only son was dead. We can't imagine that all of our dead would object that heartily to a statement made on behalf of the living.

Macri lleva dirigentes de Boca a Buenos Aires.

01.05.2010 - Adrián Pertoldi - Mauricio Macri designó a otro directivo de Boca para que cumpla funciones en el Gobierno de la Ciudad. En pos de relanzar su gestión, sacudida por la causa de las escuchas telefónicas ilegales, por la cual tendrá que declarar el próximo miércoles como imputado ante el juez federal Oyarbide, el Jefe de Gobierno nombró a Fabián Horacio Zampone en el cargo de nuevo director general de Asuntos Patrimoniales de la Procuración de la Ciudad, un lugar clave en la gestión macrista. 

Zampone, vocal suplente de Boca, se agrega a otros funcionarios que ocupan u ocuparon espacios preponderantes en Boca durante el paso de Macri como Andrés Ibarra y Raúl Oscar Ríos.

Ibarra, ex gerente general de Boca, hombre de extrema confianza de Macri, actualmente se desempeña como viceministro de Educación, el segundo de Esteban Bullrich. Su pasado se remonta al inicio de la gestión de Mariano Narodowski, hoy alejado de la función pública, salpicado por el caso de Ciro James y las escuchas ilegales que sucedieron bajo su responsabilidad. Supo sortear con éxito el paso, escandaloso pero breve, de Abel Posse en este ministerio. Muchos afirman que el verdadero cerebro en esta cartera es Ibarra, quien tiene teléfono directo con el Jefe de Gobierno.

Por su parte, Raúl Oscar Ríos fue ascendido como titular de la Agencia de Control Gubernamental , un espacio que dejó vacante Pablo Bourlot, hombre que respondía, según lo vertido por la agencia Télam, a Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, jefe de Gabinete. Ríos, actual vocal titular de Boca, se desempeñaba como Coordinador de la Unidad de Administración y Control de Gestión en dicha agencia y desde alí ganó espacio, con el aval de Macri, para quedarse con la titularidad de este organismo, pieza sensible en la Ciudad, ya que es el encargado de controlar y regular, en términos de seguridad, salubridad e higiene alimentaria a establecimientos públicos y privados. Además en su órbita se encuentra la potestad de habilitar locales y obras civiles, ya sean públicas o privadas.

Otro dirigente de Boca que estuvo hasta hace poco en la administración macrista fue Ernesto Petrini, quien en su momento paradójicamente se lo nombró como parte activa en las transferencias millonarias de Fernando Cavenaghi y Osmar Ferreyra a Rusia. 

Petrini actuó en el Instituto de la Vivienda hasta el mes pasado. Recordemos que esta dependencia ha sido un punto débil del PRO, causante de conflictividad latenta, donde miles de personas en Capital Federal sufren el gravísimo problema de contar con una vivienda, un derecho que, vale repetir, está expresado en la Constitución Nacional.

Macri intenta renovar su gestión en la Ciudad, su caballito de batalla para pelear las próximas elecciones presidenciales de 2011. Apuntó su vista en el pasado exitoso, el de las vueltas olímpicas, a la gente que lo rodeó en esas conquistas futboleras. Quizás sean la solución para encauzar un barco que navega por aguas muy peligrosas.

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