Strollerderby : subway

Five-Year-Old Runs Away Via NYC Subway

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

A five-year-old boy had quite a nerve-wracking adventure yesterday, after he slipped away from his mother while she was buying coffee near a subway station in the Bronx. The mother and son were just underneath an elevated (as opposed to underground) station, which perhaps accounts for a bit of the boy’s alarming impulsiveness—there’s nothing romantic about walking down into the city’s steaming bowels, even for a kid.

As his mother paid for her coffee, the five-year-old sprinted up the stairs to the platform, slipped under a turnstile, and boarded a Manhattan-bound train, all before his mother knew where he’d gone. She immediately alerted authorities, who were unable to locate the boy until he had ridden the 1 train to its final stop in Manhattan—that’s 34 stops.

Little Samuel Sosa was not harmed, thank goodness, but I certainly hope he has exhausted his interest in running away. Whatever he might have thought about the train as he saw it wheezing into the station from below, an hourlong train ride to an unknown destination could not have been all that magical for a tiny boy.

His mother said she thought that the police response was “good and fast.” No word on what she thought about the hundreds of New Yorkers who were completely unfazed by a five-year-old hanging out alone on a subway car.

Photo: community.livejournal.com

Morning News -- Layoffs and Vampires Edition

Brett Singer — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Friday, Friday, Friday! Let's get to it, people.

"Obama to Set Benchmarks in Fight Against Militants." So sayeth the New York Times. What's that conversation like? "Have we found Osama Bin Laden? No? Okay, what else you got?" Another headline from the Times: "Pakistani and Afghan Taliban Unify in Face of U.S. Influx." Oh goody. Sounds fun. Not.

Here in North America, it's layoffs, layoffs and more layoffs -- Google (200 people laid off), the New York Times (100 people laid off and most remaining employees taking a 5 percent pay cut), and the Canadian Broadcasting Company (800 jobs cut, hoping to sell some assets). Google? Really? That's not good.

Speaking of Canada ("C'mon, say 'about' one more time. Please?"), Garth Drabinsky was finally found guilty. Drabinsky was the head of Livent, the producer of the Broadway shows 'Ragtime' and 'Kiss of the Spider Woman.' I admit that I was somewhat giddy to read news of Drabinsky's legal demise; I used to work in theater and was fascinated by the brazen way he left the United States to avoid prosecution. Apparently Garth and his co-hort Myron Gottlieb pulled a Max Bialystock and kept two sets of books -- one fiction, one non. What I've never completely understood about schemes like this is why they keep them both. Wouldn't it make more sense to only keep the fake books? I don't want to give anyone ideas or anything. No word on whether or not Garth is wearing a cardboard belt. (I hope someone gets that reference.) Amazingly, Garth has been appearing on a Canadian reality show called "Triple Sensation" where he and some other people "look for young stars who can sing, act and dance." But not add. That's not needed. Despite Garth's conviction, there will be a season 2. I might need to find that show. (If you want to know the whole saga of Garth, click here.)

If you live in New York and ride public transportation, prepare to pay more. The MTA voted for a big fare increase and cuts in service. Hey, at least it's green.

Speaking of New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has resorted to quoting Popeye the Sailor. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

By the way, if anyone didn't know what I meant when I referred to funny car radio ads, here's an example. Except that this ad is for church. "Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!" Seriously. Check it out. Consider this your "Moment of Zen", Daily Show style.

And speaking of Comedy Central: I like Stephen Colbert, but naming a space station after him is stupid. The faux-conservative's fans "stuffed the virtual ballot box with 230,539 write-in votes, overriding the four official choices NASA offered," according to Wired.com. NASA can change their mind, but why did they put themselves in this position? Not exactly rocket scientists over there, are they? Oh. Oh! Never mind.

Finally, a fun little item from Gawker. Students at the Boston Latin School have been spreading rumors that the prestigious institute of pre-higher learning is infested with vampires. According to MTV.com, "The headmaster [had become] concerned that some students' safety might be jeopardized, particularly if they were accused of being members of the undead." (Maybe private school doesn't always offer the best education.) Police were called. Parents were alarmed. But school officials promised that it's not true. Then they turned into bats and flew away. (Note: They didn't really turn into bats. Although the rest of the story, as far as I know, is true.)

Thanks for joining me on Morning News the past two weeks. I'll be handing things back over to Madeline, but will continue to do a daily round-up of newsy goodness at DaddyTips.com. Have a great weekend, don't take any wooden nickels.

Image: SXC

Husband Loses Job, Wife Loses Respect For Him

UPDATE - Josef Fritzl Sentenced To Life In Psychiatric Institution

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Soldier Gives Birth At Army Barracks

Heath Ledger's Daughter Gets His Oscar

The Dr. Phil And OctoMom Show

Three-Year-Old Riding Subway Alone Likes Trains

JeanneSager — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Remember the shock and furor over the nine-year-old boy riding the subway in New York City all by himself last summer? It could be worse.

A three-year-old who snuck away from his mom in a McDonald's in Queens somehow made it to a subways station, through the turnstiles and onto a train. He made it through seven stations before a passenger alerted police. Ironically, a police detective entering the McDonald's to buy his lunch encountered the boy's mom frantically searching for the child, and the two were able to be reunited within half an hour.

The woman had turned away for a moment to throw out some garbage when her three-year-old made his getaway. Unless you live in a major city, this particular situation isn't likely to crop up.

But it does make a good case for thinking like a child when one goes missing. Little Christian Marquez likes trains, his dad told the New York Times in an interview after the family was reunited. No surprise there - I haven't met a three-year-old who doesn't have an affinity for Thomas and friends. No surprise either that he hopped aboard a train - something he's probably done countless times with Mom and Dad and loves to do.

When your kids run off - in a store or even at home, do you start thinking about their favorite things to do and play with when you look for them? Would you know where to start looking first?

Image: MollyKnight

A Bouncing Baby Girl ... on a Subway Platform

Jen Chaney — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:58:00 GMT

There are lots of places where I would prefer not to deliver a child: In a bathroom stall; on a pitcher's mound during the seventh inning stretch at an Orioles game; Newark, New Jersey. (Ah, just kidding, New Jersey residents. That last joke was too easy.)

Anyway, I would add to that list: A New York City subway station. But Francine Alfontent did just that on Monday, giving birth to a 6-pound, 7-pounce baby girl on the F train platform at the East Broadway stop.

The expectant mom was apparently headed to the hospital when she went into labor at the station. Several bystanders, including a nurse, coached Alfontent through the delivery of her child, named Soleil. The crowd that gathered -- side note: would you want this many New Yorkers staring at your hoo-hah during labor? -- apparently burst into applause when the little one arrived.

No word on whether any commuters attempted to put some change in Alfontent's hat.

Photo: Wendy Brown Via MSNBC.com

Should We Let Our Kids Be "Free Range"?

Kelly Mills — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:32:00 GMT

You might recall the controversy that got kicked up by a New York Sun reporter's account of allowing her nine-year-old to ride the subway alone. She was both pilloried by people who compared her behavior to child abuse, and praised by people who want more freedom for their kids. In response to the whole thing, she started a blog called "Free Range Kids," to promote the idea that kids need the same independence and freedom previous generations enjoyed.

While this gets hyped as a battle between helicoptor parents and free range parents, it is true that many kids are not allowed to do the same things their parents did at the same age, like walk or bike to school or go to the park without an adult. And as the free range advocates point out, a good deal of this may just be due to the increased media attention on abductions and crime, while crime has actually dropped in most instances. I tend to fall more on the free range side, though putting theory into practice is always a different matter when my six-year-old is involved. What do you think: Are we basically stalking our kids out of their independence? Or are the risks of allowing solo activities not worth it?

Babble Talk: Subway Riders Love Babies; Hate Pregnant Women

Ada — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:18:00 GMT

We saw a hugely pregnant woman standing near us on the L train this morning and tried to get the attention of some people who were sitting so that they could let her sit down. But they ignored us, much as they ignored us when we were nine months pregnant last August and standing over them. And yet, these same people play peekaboo with my baby and yell, "Make way for the stroller!" In her hilarious Babble essay on this phenomenon, "Notes from Underground," new mom Lynn Harris writes, "When the train arrived, I — facing, mind you, a long ride to or from Brooklyn — would enter, ever hopeful . . . to a sea of blank stares, bald spots, Post headlines. Headlines held up to hide faces. Headlines reading, CHIVALRY DEAD. That's right: no one budged. Time and again. No. One. Budged." Well, a few people budged, but who stepped up might surprise you. Check out the feedback from all over the country (and Japan!) to see how universal this phenomenon is. Portland Parents calls it a "must-read." And see the Glamour blog post our friend at Jezebel just sent us that draws similar conclusions.

Fast Food Joints Get Healthier, So You Don't Have to Feel (As) Bad

Alisyn — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:01:00 GMT

Did you know that Burger King recently announced that it was only going to buy and serve humanely raised and slaughtered animals? Me either. Did you know that KFC and Taco Bell recently followed through on their promise to eliminate trans fats from their menus? Me either! But I know it's good news.

Quick-serve chains around the country—from McDonald's to Subway to Chick-Fil-A to Starbucks—are finally paying attention to what scientists and health experts have been saying for years: that you don't have to sacrifice taste for nutrition. First they got rid of that horrible styrofoam packaging, then they started serving grilled chicken sandwiches and salads (some even serve veggie burgers!), and now they're kicking trans fats to the curb. Fast food is getting positively modern! Can serving serving antibiotic/hormone-free meat and dairy be next? (Fingers crossed.)

I am not above feeding my kids fast food from time to time, but if a healthier option were as quick and convenient as the McDonald's drive-thru, I'd gladly go out of my way to grab it (I'm thinking Whole Foods needed a drive-thru, like, yesterday.) I try to pick the healthiest fast food options, but that's not enough to make me feel good about eating there. So it's good to know everyone from Ronald McDonald to The King is thinking about how to change that. The will is there —now they just need to find the way.

(Via Quick Serve Kids, a fabulous parenting blog for "guiding kids through the fast food world.")