For those who would poll in the negative on this question, here is one more piece of evidence to back your argument: A plucky couple took it upon themselves to engage in recreational water motorizing in the East River. Not kayaking, or sailing, or even swimming—three ways of getting about in bodies of water that aren't reliably fast—but jet-skiing, which is basically motorcycling on water.

And yet: Even with that speedy little way of getting around, they almost got smashed in the face by a barge, because—unlike most small bodies of water people jet ski in—barges get around on the East River. 

The guy who shot the video from Astoria Part, one Nicholas C. Thompson, explains:

The current was bringing them towards the barge because it was high tide while the barge was traveling towards the jet ski.

It may not be the most compelling footage, sure, but the lesson is obvious: Just because the East River is there, doesn't mean it's a good idea to engage it like any other body of water. Because it surrounds New York City.

Please try again.

Somewhere else.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

Not the NYPD or Muslim students. (flickr/fortherock)

The N.Y.P.D.'s monitoring of Muslim students not only extended far beyond New York, the department even sent an intrepid undercover operative on a whitewater rafting trip just to gather intelligence. The Associated Press reports the N.Y.P.D. tracked and monitored Muslim students at various universities, including Yale. The intelligence efforts also extended to the Web:

Detectives trawled Muslim student websites every day and, although professors and students hadn't been accused of wrongdoing, their names were recorded in reports prepared for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

N.Y.P.D. spokesman Paul Browne explained the measures by pointing out to the A.P. that at least 12 people who have been picked up on terrorism charges were at one time in Muslim student associations. It was unclear how many were also whitewater rafting devotees.

[CBS News/AP]