criminally delicious

there is nothing i like more than sanctioned competitions in prisons that involve knives!

that's right riker's island hosted a cook-off (a-la bravo's "top chef") between teams of incarcerated inmates between the ages of 16 and 21. (a separate evening program also teaches kitchen techniques to women over 21). the competition was an opportunity to showcase the cultivated culinary prowess acquired from a behind-the-bars cooking program called island academy. the 60 girls who attended have been locked up for drug offenses, according to department of education. mark sauerhoff, who has taught at island academy for the last 11 years, says its main goal is to "change these kids' lives -- not just to teach them cooking."

and what do our julia childs' of cell block c think of the experience? students said that the class has taught them invaluable lessons about patience and teamwork. nineteen-year old aisha (who is set for release tomorrow after an eight-month incarceration from what she says stemmed from a fistfight) told the new york post "[the program] changed my attitude and my perspective on life." her first order of business come monday? to get a state-issued id card and then on tuesday, enroll in a cooking program at manhattan's co-op tech. "when i went to court [for sentencing] they called me a 'menace to society...now if i went in, they wouldn't feel the same, because i'm not a bad person."

but what about the food? harlem restaurant owner and judge melba wilson praised the entrees of sautéed tilapia with lemon caper sauce versus barbecued salmon with ginger cole slaw. ultimately it was ruled a tie! (come on, would YOU want to tell a bunch of inmates they lost?)

my point, and i do have one is...i have no idea what the cost implications of this kind of a program is, but i think it is good to teach people who may have aggression issues to channel their energies into something positive. that being said, should these prisoners find their way down an even more violent path once they get out, their trained knife skills should make it easier to identify their work later on. what is your point?

how do i love the stupidity of some union contracts, let me count the ways....

during a nyc mass transit authority committee meeting the other day, it was discussed that when a bus driver is assaulted they get an average of two months off to recover. on the surface this may seem reasonable, but it was also revealed that their contract defines an "assault" broadly enough to include...wait for it...getting spit on.

that's right, last year the 51 bus operators who reported they were spit on each got to take an average of 64 days off. it was suggested that, while some were genuinely traumatized, the mta thought perhaps, some may have been abusing the leave time policy. (ummmm, ya think?) the committee said they will be looking into changing the definition of "assault."

in fairness, it is worth noting that 1,500 drivers were assaulted last year in various ways, including being punched and some of those assault victims used no sick time at all. my point, and i do have one...is those who are legitimately assaulted should, of course take the time they need to recover, the others are just insulting their colleagues's pain and suffering. what's your point?