T.A. Executive Director John Kaehny: Let’s say a mom is walking hand in hand with her young son across the street. They are coming back from a nice morning in the park, it’s broad daylight, they are in the crosswalk and have the walk signal. Suddenly, a motorist runs the red light and kills them both. The motorist pulls over and is found to be sober. Would that motorist be charged with a crime?
A.D.A McCormick: Limited to those facts, that motorist would be summonsed for running a red light. A criminal prosecution requires showing that the motorist ran the red light because of more than carelessness or inadvertence. The driver’s behavior at the time of running the light is usually the only way to prove the driver’s state of mind. The state of a person’s mind is a difficult thing to prove. They don’t generally yell out “I’m going through this light on purpose.”
...when is the legal responsibility of driving a vehicle going to kick in...
criminally negligent homicide anyone?http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/12/08/6-year-old-boy-fatally-hit-by-truck-in-brooklyn/
I post this only because I've become more and more interested in biking - since I live in Brooklyn it's a pretty easy thing to want to do. With legal loopholes such as this and the fact that NYPD have made it very clear they are not out looking for cyclists safety maybe it is safer to just take the subway.
Labels: bycyling
Cultural stimuli
I do not know how to put my life into a blog...so I'm just gonna try and write my opinions on things I can actually express into words without as much difficulty (hopefully...let's see how long this experiment lasts...if 2 months go by before another post...then again I suck at this) = FOOD
Let's start with desserts
I'm a huge fan of cupcakes. No, not just a passing fancy here. A HUGE fan of cupcakes.
Why cupcakes? Because I happen to like cakes but cakes can tend to get messy, they're not very portable if you're running around NY going from Point A to Point B. You usually need a napkin or plate and fork (unless you're shoving it into your mouth and are accustomed to stares from passing strangers). Now the beauty of a cupcake is that it's already in it's own wrapper so you don't need the napkin or plate. It still has the frosting (woohoo!). It's cakey and it's small =) No cutting slices necessary.
Muffins - more of a breakfast item than dessert and they can get greasy-ish and well we all know the top is the best part of a muffin. But that's a whole other blog.
Cookies - now I do love cookies...but hey they don't have frosting and well sometimes I'm just not in the mood for crunchy crumbles.
Pudding (inc Rice pudding, chocoloate, butter scotch and other assorted flavors) - mmm pudding. Requires a Spoon. Nuff said.
Jello - same catagory unless you're cool with those jello jigglers (thanks Cosby) but well they're jiggly...it can get a bit weird with all the shaking.
Canolis - they're not bad. They're portable and hey they're filled with cream and sometimes chocolate chips. But again - just not in the mood for the crunchiness of the shell.
So back to cupcakes. How do I like em? With Frosting. What Kind - that definitely depends on my mood and most importantly the bakery that makes em.
(scale to 10 being the best)
AMY'S BREAD 672 Ninth Avenue (47th Street), (212) 977-2670; Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue (15th Street), (212) 462-4338; 972 Lexington Avenue (70th Street), (212) 537-0270.
Rating = NA
AMY SEDARIS at Joe, 141 Waverly Place (Seventh Avenue), (212) 924-6750; at Bonsignour, 35 Jane Street (Eighth Avenue), (212) 229-9700.
Rating = NA
BILLY'S BAKERY
They're super friendly there and there's places to sit. The cupcakes - are not bad. The cake is pretty decent, spongy enough yet not too airy. The Frosting is alright - A bit too fluffy though, at least it's not hardened though. Rating = 6
BUTTERCUP BAKE SHOP 973 Second Avenue (51st Street), (212) 350-4144.
Considering it's owner left Magnolia's in a fit - it's no wonder their cupcakes mirror Magnolia's in taste and personality. Rating = 5ave yet to try it.
CRUMBS 321 1/2 Amsterdam Avenue (75th Street), (212) 712-9800.
Rating = NA
CUPCAKE CAFE 522 Ninth Avenue (39th Street), (212) 465-1530.
Rating = NA
DOWNTOWN ATLANTIC 364 Atlantic Avenue (Bond Street), Brooklyn, (718) 852-9945.
Rating = NA
KITCHENETTE 1272 Amsterdam Avenue (123rd Street), (212) 531-7600; 80 West Broadway (Warren Street), (212) 267-6740.
Rating = NA
MAGNOLIA BAKERY 401 Bleecker Street (West 11th Street), (212) 462-2572.
I will say it again and again - Magnolia's is not the best cupcake place in New York. Just No. Don't try and argue with me about it. The lines are too long, the people who work there are the rudest people ever - I grew in NY and those employees are definitely not from here. (Again that's a whole other blog - I'm talking about cupcakes here and don't want to go into my angry new yorker rant about non-new yorkers) - and their cupcakes Are Not That Good. The cake of it isn't spongy enough. The Frosting is usually too hard. There's no place to sit and chill in there and they rush you out! Rating = 3
MITCHEL LONDON FOODS 22A East 65th Street, (212) 737-2850; 458 Ninth Avenue (35th Street), (212) 563-7750.
Rating = NA
POLKA DOT CAKE STUDIO 312 Bleecker Street (Seventh Avenue), (212) 645-0500.
Oooo... They have the most yummy cupcakes and the prettiest. I almost loathe to eat them because they are so cute. Unfortunately the designs put onto the cupcakes, like cakes tend to take away from the taste. It can be either too sweet or just a bit bland because the frosting tends to be hardened. Rating = 6
SAGE AMERICAN KITCHEN 26-21 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, (718) 361-0707; at Cafe St. Bart's, 109 East 50th Street, (212) 888-2664.
Rating = NA
SUGAR SWEET SUNSHINE
They seem to do almost everything right. Their focus is just cupcakes. There's no pretension here folks. The cupcakes are spongy and cakey - not crumbly and overdone like some nor are they too spongy and airy. The frosting - Peaked and just the right consistency. Not hardened because it is made fresh (you smell it the moment you walk through the door). Simple sprinkles adorn the cupcakes. Big fan of the pumpkin cupcake - it's spicy and the cream cheese frosting can't be beat. They're also one of the sweetest employees around and a cute assortment of chairs and sofas to relax in. They also do a good job of displaying local art collections - plus points for holistic ventures.
Rating = 9
WILLIAM GREENBERG JR. DESSERTS 1100 Madison Avenue (82nd Street), (212) 744-0304.
Rating = NA
YURA & COMPANY 1645 Third Avenue (92nd Street), (212) 860-8060; 1659 Third Avenue (93rd Street), (212) 860-8060; 1292 Madison Avenue (92nd Street), (212) 860-8060.
Rating = NA
Mitchel London, Amy's Bread, and Sage Caterers = have been voted the best in that order by some critics. But hey that's their opinion
I know I haven't tried them all yet...there are other foods to eat too. I'll get around to them soon.
