It Can Be One Or The Other But Not Both

I thought we had this big traffic congestion problem, so why the need for speed cameras? Another gadget, I guess:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will push state legislators to allow the city to install cameras equipped with devices to capture speeding motorists, similar to the ones already installed at dozens of red lights.

The big “I love it! Island roads are too dangerous and we need to do something”/”I hate it! That technology does nothing but take money out of the wallets of unsuspecting drivers” poll in the Advance is running two-to-one against the idea . . .

As far as it being a big money-making mechanism, that tends not to turn out as well as some think it will.

What, That’s Not Funny?

Would-be Annadale suicide bomber threatens Staten Island Mall Apple store:

A 17-year-old from Annadale left a chilling message on a computer in the Staten Island Mall Apple store threatening employees and customers alike with “bloody death,” prosecutors allege.

The author — Jason Barry of Eagan Avenue — told authorities he meant the note as a joke, but authorities are viewing it as a terroristic threat, and have arrested him on a charge that carries a maximum of seven years in prison.

“I have threatened your store and all its employees with a bloody death . . . On January 17th, 2010 whoever the crew may be working, or the innocent citizens that walk in… will be eliminated with the force of a 98lb bomb loaded with C4, strapped to my chest,” Barry typed on a computer at the store, using a name that belonged to his friend’s father.

Maybe The Subsequent Death Threat Was A Little Over The Top

That whole “as-is” disclaimer is an important part of the fine print:

Jovan Ming, 32, of the 300 block of Clove Road, shattered the front and rear windshields of a silver Acura in the lot of Forest Avenue Motors, at 2141 Forest Ave., on Sept. 11, a law-enforcement source said.

Not content with that, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 200-pound Ming allegedly telephoned the salesman “multiple times” four days later and threatened to kill him and torch his business.

Leading Economic Indicators: Moonlighting As A Hobo

Lest you think stealing copper from buildings is strictly for tramps, vagabonds and drifters:

They came to clear overgrown brush from the yard in what they might have thought was an abandoned building in Tompkinsville.

But the building’s owner says workers from the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene were filching copper pipes, tools and whatever else they could grab from the former American Legion post at 43 Van Duzer St.

One Health Department worker, Edwin R. Torres, 54, of Queens, was arrested this morning, according to a law enforcement source, after building owner John Galarza called police when he said an employee saw the men begin hauling their alleged booty into a private van as well as a city Department of Health vehicle.

Three other Health Department workers were questioned as well.

“All the copper pipes are gone,” said Galarza as he walked through the building, which smelled of urine, where the toilet and boiler had pipes removed. He pushed his toe against a buckled wood floor, showing how it had sustained water damage after the pipes were removed. “I’m going to talk to the legal department of the Health Department.”

All Aboard The Pooped Deck!

If you overindulge on tall boys, be warned that the Staten Island Ferry may now be legislating good behavior:

To make at least one leg of a long journey a little more serene for commuters, State Sen. Diane Savino has been pushing for the creation of a “Quiet Deck” aboard the Staten Island Ferry, where riders can be free from loud cell phone conversations, chatter, and, of course, the ferryboat preachers who have long rankled a captive audience.

After reviewing legal issues surrounding free speech and how it applies on public transportation, the city’s Department of Transportation, which runs the ferries, has agreed to adopt the Quiet Deck, with signage posted on the Bridge Deck of the three newest Molinari-class ferryboats.

Based on similar quiet areas aboard Long Island Railroad and Amtrak trains, Sen. Savino suggested the idea for a “place for people who just want to sit and decompress” before or after a long day at work.

Location Scout: Staten Island Ferry.