This line from ‘Double Star’ by Robert Heinlein has stuck with me for decades.
Someone asks the hero for his solemn vow that he won’t divulge a secret. The hero says that if his simple promise isn’t good enough, what makes a solemn vow any better?
Children under 5 get a giant Christmas card, the kind the whole office is supposed to sign. Little kids never get mail, so you’ll make their Christmas. Give parents cash to get whatever the kid actually needs.
Children 5 to 10 get a GI Joe or a Barbie. Doesn’t matter if the kid likes that toy, what matters is that they can trade it in the school yard. It’s like sending someone in jail a carton of Newports.
Ages 10 to 20 get cash.
Over 20 gets a nice bottle of booze. Even if they don’t drink, they can regift it easily.
Chocolate covered espresso beans. Think peanut M&M’s with a caffeine center. The only candy I’ve ever heard of that can actually cause a medical emergency.
One of those rare cases where the movie adaptation far surpasses the book. Also, if you liked McKellan as a fascist in this movie, check out his Richard III. They decided to set it in the 1930s,
First time I heard this theory was in a James Bond story. Bond meets a woman who drives a bashed up car. Same reasoning; if it looks like she’s dangerous people will steer clear of her.
Actual Police Headquarters at One Police Plaza is/was about a mile away from Ground Zero. The store shown was being used as the onsite HQ for the rescue/recovery effort.