Red Cross To The Rescue?: Saw a Red Cross truck parked in front of City Hall this morning as I headed over the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO. Aid workers in bright red parkas were handing out cups of coffee to the frozen pedestrians walking across the span from Brooklyn to Manhattan as a result of the transit strike. Only one problem though.

From the Red Cross Web site:

"Never give a frostbite or hypothermia victim alcohol or something with caffeine in it, like coffee or tea. Caffeine, a stimulant, can cause the heart to beat faster and hasten the effect the cold has on the body. Alcohol, a depressant, can slow the heart and also hasten the ill effects of the cold." (American Red Cross)

More Red Cross coffee news via Gawker.



Tags: Red Cross, Transit Strike