MTA To Revisit Issue of Platform Screen Doors

Every time we hear someone has been pushed on to the tracks at a station or has been run over by a train, the issue of platform screen doors (PSDs) comes up. These PSDs would prevent someone from falling on to the tracks - either accidentally, or on purpose.

The MTA has been resistant to considering them, primarily because of the immense cost of retrofitting the systems to all 468 stations in

Read More

One Way To Reduce Gun Crime - Solve Nonfatal Shootings

Gun control and the right to bear arms has been on the minds of many since the Newtown massacre and the murder of two firefighters responding to a fire outside Rochester, New York. There are some things that can be done without even addressing the issue of gun control. One of them involves better law enforcement investigation of nonfatal shooting crimes.

A startling amount of them go unsolved

Read More

Another Report Shows NJ Transit Ignored Flooding Risks

NJ Transit continues to show that it ignored reports and warnings that its facilities in Hoboken and Kearny were in flood zones and equipment and materials stored there could be subject to flooding.

A report studying climate change and its effect on NJ Transit highlighted that both Kearny and Hoboken were in flood zones.The $45,990 study included a map that shows the Kearny and Hoboken rail

Read More

The Case Against NJ Transit's James Weinstein

Jim Weinstein is the executive director of NJ Transit and his latest round of hearings with members of Congress and the New Jersey legislature raise questions about how the agency was run before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

The main focus has been on how and why the agency failed to move more than 300 railcars out of flood zones in Kearny and Hoboken. That's a more than

Read More

Media, Weather Experts Confirm NJ Transit Failed To Heed Flood Warnings

The Star Ledger conducted its own investigation into how NJ Transit managed to flood a third of its rail fleet (more than 300 rail cars and locomotives) by staging them in their Kearny and Hoboken yards.

Despite protestations by NJ Transit chief Jim Weinstein claiming that he didn't have warnings indicating that both locations would flood, The Ledger and other weather experts said that they

Read More

Arrest In Yonkers Homicide Reveals Serial Killer

Serendipity can often help law enforcement crack cases that have to date been unsolved. This is one of those possible situations.

Police in Yonkers stumbled upon a murder scene when they sought a 63 year old man, Lucius Crawford, to question him about two other homicides. Upon entering the apartment at 7-9 Beekman Avenue, the detectives discovered under a sheet on the suspect’s bed the body of

Read More

Three Designs For Tappan Zee Replacement Span Unveiled

The NYS Thruway Authority announced that the designs for the Tappan Zee bridge replacement span have been released. The release includes some key details, including costs and timeframe to complete.

I'm not particularly impressed with the designs, which all appear to be some form of a cable stayed span, but the second plan appears to have the best aesthetics. The Thruway Authority was looking

Read More

Yet Another Reason Not To Trust NJ Transit

I've long written that NJ Transit could not be trusted to carry out capital projects such as the now-killed ARC Tunnel project and that it couldn't manage its current operating budget or priorities properly.

Now comes word that NJ Transit recklessly disregarded reports from the weather services that it positioned one third of its rail fleet in areas that were expected to flood.

That's no way to

Read More

NJ Transit and Port Authority Fail Commuters During Crisis Yet Again

The disaster response by NJ Transit and PATH is beyond deplorable. It's atrocious and defies common sense. The agency seems to think that it's done a good job in providing information to its customers, and yet there is a daily crush of thousands of commuters attempting to get home by way of one of the three rail lines servicing New Jersey other than the Atlantic City Line or the bus service that

Read More

Making Hash of the Commute

I'm so glad I'm not commuting into NYC this morning.

NJ Transit is an absolute mess. They claimed that they had service restored on a couple of lines, but here's what that meant.

For Main/Port Jervis, it was 7 trains inbound in the morning, and 3 would get to New York City after what's normally considered rush hour (10-11am). No reverse commute trains. In the PM, you'd have the same situation -

Read More

Photos From the Recovery in Radburn

One tree removed, countless others remain to be addressed





PSE&G already installing new poles to restring power lines. Tree crews had come through earlier today to dispose of the trees that took out these lines.





Lots of work remain before power gets restored on this segment. At least two more poles have to be installed before they can begin restringing the power lines and other

Read More

A Slow Slog To Recovery From Sandy

Relief efforts in Fair Lawn continue. I was out and about and PSE&G is busy in my vicinity. They had tree crews working ahead of them - cutting away trees that had brought down lines on Radburn Rd., and were already in the process of putting up new poles. They had to take a break to get additional poles. Once the poles are up, they'll have to restring the lines followed by running new lines up to

Read More

Hurricane Sandy Affects Bergen County NJ

Mutual support gear from Florida prepositioned at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey





Utility pole augur prepared at Garden State Plaza





Saddle River County Park had multiple trees down, including this huge tree that landed in the duck pond. The park is located in Ridgewood NJ





Trees leaning on utility lines are an all too common occurrence. So, even if people in immediate

Read More

The Latest Casualty In Syria's Civil War: Aleppo's Historic Souk

Syria's civil war continues to rage on and the casualties continue rising. As the tally of those refugees displaced by the war grows to a record level in the 21st century, the body count continues rising as the tally from a Syrian military airstrike on a town near Syria's northern border was 21, including eight children. At the same time, among the latest casualties is Aleppo's historic souk,

Read More

Staten Island To See World's Largest Ferris Wheel; But What About Transit?

Staten Island will soon become home to the world's largest Ferris Wheel, when a 625 foot tall wheel will be installed adjacent to the Richmond County Ballpark (home to the Staten Island Yankees) in St. George. Accompanying the amusement ride will be new retail development, plus a hotel. The location is ideally located for tourism and visitors will be treated to stunning views of New York Bay,

Read More

Ahmadinejad Makes Annual Trip To UN General Assembly; Anti-Gay, Anti-Israel Comments Ensue

There's no surprises here. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hates Israel's very existence and doesn't think any better of gays or lesbians. He lets those views air once again in an interview given before he speaks at the United Nations expect that they will be part and parcel of his rants tomorrow when he speaks at the UN General Assembly (which will likely be marked by Israel, the US and

Read More

Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Gets Thumbs Up From Federal Highway Officials

The $5+ billion plan to replace the Tappan Zee bridge got the thumbs up from federal highway officials, paving the way for New York to award the contract for a design-build to begin work on the bridge. The federal record of decision confirms the project has met requirements under state and federal environmental law, including completing an environmental impact study, a 10,000-page document that

Read More

Conflict Over Senkaku Islands Rooted In Centuries Of Disputes

The ongoing territorial dispute between China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea over the Senkaku Islands didn't just materialize overnight. The dispute has its roots more than 800 years ago when China and Japan fought off invasions by the other.

It's a history of violence, bloodshed, and genocide, which extends all the way into the 20th century when Japan invaded China and Korea and killed hundreds of

Read More

Amtrak's Testing of 165mph Train Wont Bring Immediate Changes

Amtrak needs to increase the speed of its trains on the Northeast Corridor. Doing so would make its Acela service even more preferable for those commuting between Washington DC, New York, and Boston.

Currently, the top speeds in most areas is no more than 125 mph in regular service.

Amtrak is testing a segment in New Jersey between New Brunswick and Trenton at 165 mph over the next several

Read More

The Barak Disengagement Plan

Israel's defense minister Ehud Barak has come out with a new plan that is spurring a new debate about Israel's role in the West Bank. Ehud Barak is part of the government coalition under Binyamin Netanyahu, but he's also the leader of his own political party and has aspirations to once again be Prime Minister of Israel.

That means that his comments need to be framed both as an internal political

Read More

Port Authority Taking New Look At PATH To Newark Liberty Airport

A train (or subway) to the plane has been a catchy idea for decades in the New York City metro region. Only with the construction of the JFK AirTrain and a connector between the Northeast Corridor and the AirTrain at Newark Liberty airports is there any semblance of a mass transit option at those airports.

It isn't the easiest connection to make, and it would require someone in Manhattan to make

Read More

Mass Casualties Reported In Syrian Airstrike on Gas Station

Reports are filtering in, but it appears that the Syrian air force carried out an airstrike against a gas station in Northern Syria, and at least 30 and perhaps 100 or more people were killed. That follows reports from the Syrian media a Syrian helicopter apparently clipping an airliner flying into Damascus with 200 people on board. The plane landed safely, but the helicopter crashed.One activist

Read More

Governor's Demanded Audit of Port Authority Finds Need For Toll Hikes

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently underwent an outside audit as required by Governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo. They did so because of the fallout over a major toll and fare increase that went into effect earlier this year and follow-on hikes set for the next three Decembers as well as complaints that the agency was diverting funds for transportation projects to finish

Read More

Mission Accomplished: Mystery Anti-Muslim Film Sows Violence Around World

If the intent of whoever was behind the mystery film was to disrupt US diplomatic missions around the world, mission accomplished.

The overdubbed video clips have taken on a life of their own and it's no longer about the video, but anger directed at the US for no reason other than it's the in-thing to do in places like Tunisia and Egypt. At a time when the economic conditions in those countries

Read More

NYC Department of Health Approves Super-Sized Soda Ban

In what should be a surprise to absolutely no one, the New York City Department of Health rubber stamped Mayor Mike Bloomberg's proposal to ban sugared beverages that exceed 16 ounces. The vote was 8-0 with one absention.The regulation passed Thursday puts a 16-ounce size limit on cups and bottles of non-diet soda, sweetened teas and other calorie-packed beverages.

The ban will apply in

Read More

Protests Continue Against Mystery Film; US Embassies On Alert

Protests continue in Egypt and now in Yemen against US embassies over the mysterious anti-Muslim film that set the actions of the past few days, including deadly attacks against the US mission in Libya that ended in the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, plus another 30 injuries to both American and Libyans.The ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, was missing

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 169

Yesterday's commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks also coincided with news reports about a deal struck to resume construction on the National 9/11 Museum, which had been in limbo since the Port Authority and Memorial Foundation fought over who was responsible for construction costs.

The Port Authority claimed that the Foundation owed it $300 million, but ended up settling for

Read More

Fallout Continues From Attacks On US Embassies in Egypt; Libya and Death of Ambassador Stevens

The attacks against the US Embassy in Cairo and the US consulate in Bengazi Libya continue to resonate against the backdrop of domestic election politics in the US and the Obama Administration has to deal with the ongoing crisis that appears to be spreading to other countries as a result of protests against a film of bizarre provenance. Protests and riots are being reported in Tunisia as well

Read More

At Least 300 Killed In Pair of Factory Fires In Pakistan

When you get a chance, take a look at the garments you own. You may see quite a few that are made in Pakistan or places like Vietnam or Bangladesh. Now understand that there are unseen costs for having clothes made on the cheap. Pakistan was wracked by a pair of deadly factory fires at a garment factory and an illegal shoe factory.

The garment factory fire in Karachi killed at least 289 people,

Read More

Protesters Overrun US Embassy In Egypt Over Mysterious Movie

No one can actually verify what film the protesters are supposedly upset about which makes the protests against the US Embassy in Cairo all the more odd and disturbing. Reuters and USA Today can't seem to track down the film, but regardless of the facts and circumstances, a group of protesters set out to overrun the US Embassy in Cairo. They succeeded in taking down the US flag for a time and

Read More

Why Corruption Persists

Yesterday, Trenton Mayor Tony Mack and six others were arrested in a corruption bust by federal prosecutors. Today comes word that one of those six was caught on a wiretap describing his actions as "good corruption."

Yes, you read that right.

They didn't think anything of engaging in criminal acts, and considered corruption to be part and parcel of their doing their work.Joseph “JoJo”

Read More

Remembering 9/11 Eleven Years Later

On a morning not all that different than the one forecast for today, it was a bolt from the blue. The skies over New York City were a crisp bright blue with nary a cloud in a sky. It was a morning full of promise.

September 11, 2001 and New Yorkers were heading to the polls to vote on the next mayor of the city. People were talking baseball and the upcoming football season, just as they are

Read More

September 11, 2012 -- I Remember Mary Lenz Wieman

As long time readers of this blog know, for several years I have taken part in Project 2,996, a tribute to the 2,996 innocent victims of 9/11, whereby bloggers eulogize each victim.  Previously, I have remembered Mark Francis Broderick, Capt.
Patrick J, Brown, Hagay
Shefi, Alison
Marie Wildman, Daniel
Thomas Afflitto, and Donna
Bernaerts-Kearns.  Please check out these tributes as well today, as

Read More

A View of Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan as seen from the Hoboken Terminal. Taken with my trusty Canon 60d.



 

Read More

And This Is Why You Shouldn't Approach Wild Animals

The stupidity of some people is truly amazing. I've been to Yellowstone National Park and got to see bison up close and personal - from within the confines of my car. I even managed to snap shots of a bison just inches from the side view mirror of the car during a bison jam, and caught video of a similar encounter at night:


Yet, there are people who think that it's a good idea to approach bison

Read More

Trenton NJ Mayor Tony Mack, 6 Others Arrested In Federal Corruption Probe

Trenton New Jersey Mayor Tony Mack and six others have been arrested in connection with an ongoing federal corruption probe. The Trenton Democrat has been under investigation for the past several months, and the FBI had previously issued search warrants on the mayor's office, personal residence, and several locations of relatives to Mack. Joseph "JoJo" Giorgianni, a top campaign contributor, and

Read More

Federal Judge Rules Airlines Must Stand Trial On 9/11 Negligence

American Airlines and United Airlines have been trying to get a negligence case thrown out against them over their actions on 9/11 that led to the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City. World Trade Center Properties, which is Larry Silverstein's company, had sought to hold the airlines liable for the destruction of the WTC and claimed damages of $8.4 billion.

Judge Alvin

Read More

Assassin Attacks Parti Quebecois Midnight Rally; 1 Killed In Assassination Attempt

A masked gunman opened fire at a political rally for Parti Quebecois in Quebec last night, and murdered one person, injured another, and some reports indicate that the ultimate target was the newly elected premier.A masked gunman opened fire during a midnight victory rally for Quebec's new premier, killing one person and wounding another. The new premier, Pauline Marois of the separatist Parti

Read More

The Harassment Scandal That Threatens To Take Down NYS Democratic Leadership

Over the past couple of weeks, a growing scandal in the New York State Assembly has meant that Assemblyman Vito Lopez lost his chairmanship of the powerful Housing Committee over revelations that he harassed multiple women over a period of years. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stripped Lopez of his chairmanship, but then it was revealed that Silver authorized the payment of a $100k settlement to

Read More

NJ Transit's Busing Problem

I've regularly focused on NJ Transit's woeful rail on-time performance because I'm a regular rail commuter, but their bus operations aren't much better. In fact, 10% of all buses are leaving the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in Midtown Manhattan late.

And by late, we're referring to a bus that leaves more than 6 minutes after its scheduled time. That's a pretty generous situation to begin

Read More

Syrian Civil War Update: Rebels Again Attack Assad's Security Compounds

Despite a relentless pounding from Syrian military and loyalist militias, the rebel forces continue to more than hold their own against a better equipped force. The rebels have once again attacked security compounds in Aleppo and also along the border with Iraq:The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that one of the assaults in Aleppo sparked a firefight that killed and

Read More

What's Really Going On With Camden Police Force

NBC News breathlessly highlights that "one of the most dangerous cities in the nation is ditching its police force". That's not exactly the case in Camden, New Jersey.

The city has decided to cut costs by breaking the police union by calling in the Camden County police force to do the job of the formerly local police department. The county force is not unionized and has lower benefits and

Read More

More Details Emerge About Anarchist Plot At Fort Stewart

New details have emerged about that Fort Stewart terror plot involving anarchists. It turns out that one of the four soldiers was a suspect in his wife's death before he went and murdered two other people who were "loose ends" that needed to be taken care of before they could carry out their wider plots - to capture an ammo dump, commit mass murder, and assassinate the president. Isaac Aguigui

Read More

Syrian Civil War Update: Even Bread Lines Aren't Safe From Assad's Attacks

Bashar al Assad is feeling the heat on all fronts. His security forces and loyalist goons can't stop the rebel forces from gaining and holding territory despite having a monopoly on air power and artillery. His backers remain at Iran, Russia, and China, and that may not be enough to keep him in power.

Egypt's new President Mohamad Morsi has called for an intervention in Syria and told Iran that

Read More

The Mess That Is the New York Jets

As a New York Giants fan, I can't help but laugh at all the nonsense coming from the Giants' MetLife stadium mates - the New York Jets. The entire offseason has been a circus for the Jets. First, they picked up Denver Quarterback Tim Tebow even though they have a quarterback who has taken the Jets to the AFC Championship twice, but regressed last year. Then, they courted a quarterback controversy

Read More

Hurricane Isaac Surprises With Flooding and Storm Surge

Hurricane Isaac isn't the strongest hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast or near New Orleans, but it's creating havoc because the storm is moving so slowly. The winds aren't the problem with the storm, it's the flooding rains and accompanying storm surge while the storm is progressing at a crawl.

The storm surge is higher than models had predicted yesterday. As Jeff Masters notes:Isaac is bringing

Read More

Penn State University Priorities Askew

Penn State, which continues reeling from the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, has decided that it will no longer play Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline at football games.

School officials say that the decision has come after a few years of deliberations about the use of the song and suggestive lyrics.On Monday, it was revealed that Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” — a Beaver Stadium staple — will not be

Read More

4 US Soldiers Charged In Terror Plot

Four US soldiers have been arrested on multiple charges in Georgia. Prosecutors also believe that the group was ultimately intending on assassinating the President. They were in the process of building up a weapons stockpile from which they could launch a myriad number of attacks:Four Army soldiers based in southeast Georgia killed a former comrade and his girlfriend to protect an anarchist

Read More

Tropical Storm Isaac Spares Florida, But Track Takes It Towards New Orleans

The storm track was great news for Florida, but the worst of all worlds for the Gulf Coast. While much of southern Florida was drenched with soaking rains and strong winds, the damage was minimal compared to what could have been.

The storm is now over the open water of the Gulf of Mexico and that's going to allow the storm to intensify. The tracks are putting it further and further to the west.

Read More

Star Wars: Detoured

From the mind of Seth Green. That says it all.

Read More

NYPD Officers, Use of Deadly Force, and the Shooting Outside the Empire State Building

Police officers around the nation have among the toughest jobs in the nation. They're entrusted with protecting and saving lives and bringing those who violate the law to justice. There are times when those jobs conflict with each other - such as during car chases or gun battles.

It's very difficult to blame the officers for taking the actions they did, but it is unsettling to see that so many

Read More

Convicted: Norwegian Massacre Suspect Found Sane and Sentenced to 21 Years In Prison

Anders Breivik, the far right terrorist who murdered 77 people in the course of bombing government offices in Oslo and then shooting dozens of teenagers at a youth retreat, was found sane and sentenced to 21 years in prison. Under Norwegian law, that is the maximum sentence, but he can be incarcerated beyond that in seven year increments if he's deemed to be a threat. It's akin to the 20 to life

Read More

Developing: Multiple Casualties From Shooting Outside Empire State Building

Shortly after 9:00 AM local time, multiple reports came in indicating that there was a shooting in the vicinity of the Empire State Building. It appears that there are at least six injuries, and at least one person killed besides the shooter. The NYPD and FDNY are on the scene, which has been secured.

The reports indicate that the shooter may have been recently fired from a business that

Read More

NYC and TLC Making Mess of Taxi and Transit Systems

On top of a trial court decision yesterday that claims that the payroll tax used to fund the MTA is invalid, the Taxi and Limousine and New York City are doing their best to screw up the transportation system in the region.

The TLC has been updating the look for the ubiquitous yellow cabs. They've already signed off on a new design that isn't fully ADA compliant - because not every new cab will

Read More

Tropical Storm Isaac On Path Towards Florida and Gulf Coast

AC_FL_RunContent = 0;


if(AC_FL_RunContent == 0){
alert("This page requires AC_RunActiveContent.js.");
}else{
AC_FL_RunContent(
'codebase', 'http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0',
'width', '300',
'height', '250',
'src', 'http://icons.wxug.com/i/t/sticker/tropical_sticker',
'quality', '

Read More

Foreign Fighters Flocking To Syria As Civil War Continues

Dozens of people were killed near Damascus when the Syrian military opened fire on apartment complexes in the city. The fighting is particularly intense in Daraya, on the southwest edge of Damascus, and in Hajar al-Aswad. Both are rebel strongholds. At least 10 security forces were killed when rebels attacked a government checkpoint on the Daraa-Damascus highway.

Meanwhile, foreign fighters are

Read More

JPL Releases High Definition Imagery of Curiosity Touching Down on Mars

This is a full-resolution version of the NASA Curiosity rover descent to Mars, taken by the MARDI descent imager. As of August 20, all but a dozen 1600x1200 frames have been uploaded from the rover, and those missing were interpolated using thumbnail data. To arrive at the result, a heavy noise reduction, color balance, and sharpening for best visibility were done.

Read More

Todd Akin's Comments Symptomatic of Bigger Problems For GOP

GOP officials are trying their hardest to try and contain the fallout from the reprehensible comments made by Missouri Congressman Todd Akin who is seeking a US Senate seat in a race against Claire McCaskill. Even Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his vice president nominee Paul Ryan called on Akin to quit the campaign. Akin has refused thus far, and he missed the deadline to withdraw

Read More

Developing: Construction Accident At 2d Avenue Subway Project

Reports are coming in that there was some kind of construction accident a few minutes ago at the 2d Avenue Subway construction site at 72nd Street. There was a large plume of smoke and reports of damage to adjoining sidewalks and buildings.

This would appear to be in the vicinity of where a subway station cavern was being carved out by a combination of excavation and explosive demolitions.

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 168

The new Fiterman Hall, which is part of the Borough of Manhattan Community College Campus, is set to reopen next week. The original building was heavily damaged by the collapsing Twin Towers and 7WTC during 9/11. It sat in limbo until 2009 when city and state officials agreed upon a course of action to demolish and rebuild the structure.

The building differs greatly from the design aesthetic of

Read More

Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Gains Key Approval

Despite concerns that the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council was violating state law, or at least stretching the notice requirements so as to allow a vote on the Tappan Zee replacement project without giving proper notice, the Council did hold its emergency meeting today.

Backed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Council unanimously approved the project, even though there's still

Read More

Drought Continuing to Cause Major Disruptions on Mississippi River

The ongoing drought, which is one of the most severe in the last 100 years, is causing significant problems up and down the Mississippi River. The river's watershed is heavily affected by the drought, which has caused water levels to fall to close to historic lows. That means that boat traffic has slowed down, costs have gone up, and perhaps most dangerously, the salty waters from the Gulf of

Read More

Two Louisiana Sheriffs Assassinated By Anti-Government Group Members

This is a consequence of anti-government militias operating across the nation with unfettered access to firearms. Two Louisiana sheriff deputies assassinated and two others were injured outside New Orleans. Five people are now in custody in relation to the actions:A gunman shot and wounded a St. John Parish deputy while he was directing traffic at about 5 a.m. CDT in an off-site parking lot for

Read More

Bids For Tappan Zee Replacement Come In Under $5.2 Billion

I'm not quite sure that we should take this as good news: bids for the Tappan Zee bridge replacement have come in under $5.2 billion. The good news is that the building conglomerates think that the bridge could be built for less than the NYS Thruway Authority and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have estimated.

The bad news is that the bids could simply be underestimating the amounts so as to win the bid, and

Read More

Another Major Security Blunder at JFK Airport

Just days after a jet skier was able to not only wander onto airport grounds by scaling a fence, crossing two runways, jetways, and entering Terminal 3 without setting off or alerting security officials courtesy of a $100 million security system, word comes that a gate close to the airport's fuel tank farm was unsecured and no cameras were positioned to allow security to view the location.

Read More

Cheaper Natural Gas Contributing To Lower Emissions

Carbon dioxide levels as measured by the EPA have reached a 20 year low across the United States. The decline is due in large part to the fact that utilities across the country have shifted away from coal to cheaper natural gas. Burning natural gas releases less carbon dioxide than coal does at the smokestack, so the fact that coal use has reached lows not seen since World War II is playing a

Read More

War Crimes Abound As Syrian Civil War Drags On

It should come as no surprise that war crimes are an ongoing feature of the Syrian civil war. Whether it's the Syrian military operating at the behest of Bashar al-Assad bombarding civilian areas or his loyalist militias engaging in massacres, or rebel forces murdering captured government officials by throwing them off rooftops, war crimes are an ongoing concern and worry for Syrians and the

Read More

Standard Chartered Agrees To $340 Million Fine From NYS Regulator

Federal and state regulations prohibit certain kinds of conduct by banks. That includes money laundering and dealing with Iran. Standard Chartered violated both ends of that - they not only engaged in money laundering deals with Iran, but lied to regulators and sought to cover up their activities.

Benjamin M. Lawsky, New York Superintendent of Financial Services, claimed that Standard Chartered

Read More

Have We Learned Anything From the Great Blackout of 2003?

Nine years ago, the Great Blackout of 2003 struck the United States and parts of Canada from Ohio to New York. 50-60 million people were thrown into darkness, including millions in the New York City metro area. I was among those who had to figure out how to get home without subways/PATH or rail signals operating. Highways and roads were jammed because traffic signals were out.

Power was

Read More

Is Assad's Regime On Verge of Collapsing?

According to the recently defected former Prime Minister Riyad Hijab, Bashar al-Assad's regime controls no more than 30% of the country and it's on the verge of collapsing. “Based on my experience and my position, the regime is falling apart morally, materially, economically,” the former official, Riyad Farid Hijab, said at a news conference in Amman, Jordan. “Its military is rusting, and it only

Read More

Port Authority Looking At JFK Airport Security Breach

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates JFK International Airport, which is in Queens alongside Jamaica Bay and the Gateway National Recreation Area. The airport is surrounded by water on two sides - where its runways are located. After 9/11, airport security was boosted and the Port Authority installed a $100 million Perimeter Intrusion Detection System, that included scanners,

Read More

An Ominous Offshore Development

This summer has been warmer than usual in the New York Metro area, though that's nothing that the rest of the country hasn't experienced. However, the ocean waters off the New York and New Jersey waters is much warmer than usual.

In fact, the temperatures are running about 10 degrees warmer than they usually are. Warmer waters during the winter moderated temperatures along the coast, but during

Read More

Gov. Cuomo Still Trying To Have It Both Ways On Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement

After justifying that the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement will hold off on bus rapid transit or commuter rail so as to hold costs to roughly $5 billion, it was announced that tolls would nearly triple to $14 from a current $5 toll so as to cover the new bridge. The tolls are imposed by the New York State Thruway Authority, which is the lead agency and is the operator of the existing bridge.

Now,

Read More

Romney Chooses Paul Ryan For VP Slot

Mitt Romney has made his decision. He will go with Wisconsin Republican firebrand Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidental selection. It's somewhat odd to make that move on a Saturday morning, but it does mean he gets to dominate the Sunday talk shows, but it doesn't mean nearly as much press as if he held off until Monday - after the Olympics. People are still focusing on sports and not on politics at

Read More

Taxi of Tomorrow But Not Handicapped Accessible?

A funny thing happened on the way to New York City arriving at its decision to use a Nissan design for the Taxi of Tomorrow. ADA compliance went out the window and only a fraction of the new vehicles will have to meet accessibility requirements.

That's total nonsense.

You see, London has chosen a design for its new taxis, and they've chosen the same Nissan design, except that all its vehicles

Read More

Drought Continues Punishing Most of US

Drought across US pushing into the extreme and exceptional. It's getting worse across vast portions of the country, and it's a situation that hasn't been seen in decades.

Grain/corn prices are rising, the Mississippi River is approaching low levels that is already affecting traffic on the river (a major transit corridor for grain, produce, and goods), and there's no sign of a letup.

Oh, and

Read More

Nomination For Athlete of the Olympics: Manteo Mitchell

If you haven't heard of Manteo Mitchell, I wouldn't be surprised. I hadn't heard of him either. He's a runner for the US and was busy running the 4x400 relay in the heats. Mitchell ran his opening leg in 46 seconds.

That's not particularly remarkable.

He ran that on a broken leg.Mitchell, who finished fifth in the 400 at the Olympic trials, had slipped on a stairway at the athletes' village

Read More

Egypt Continues Sinai Offensive

The Egyptian government is continuing to go after those responsible for a series of attacks on Egyptian security posts in Sinai. It's the largest Egyptian military operation in Sinai since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Hundreds of military vehicles and personnel are involved.Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi - whose Islamist background in the Muslim Brotherhood has been eyed with suspicion by Israel

Read More

NJ Transit Releases Latest Customer Survey Results

Before we get to the details, let's get to how NJ Transit released the results. For those who have participated in the past, you get emails acknowledging when the new results have been tabulated. Here's what the email said:Dear NJ TRANSIT Customer,

Thank you for participating in our quarterly Customer Satisfaction Survey. You were one of 15,710 respondents providing feedback to help us focus our

Read More

Egypt Carries Out Airstrikes Against Terrorists Responsible For Sinai Attacks

The Egyptian air force carried out airstrikes against terrorists responsible for the attacks that left 16 Egyptian security forces dead as part of a larger plot to attack Israel in order to kill and/or capture Israelis for ransom.The airstrikes along the Israeli-Egyptian border came after several Egyptian military checkpoints in the region were attacked overnight and three days after unknown

Read More

Carnage Continues Across Syria

Amnesty International has released satellite imagery showing artillery impact craters for Aleppo and its surrounding towns. It shows hundreds of craters and just how intense the fighting has been. The international human rights group said both sides fighting in Aleppo, the country's largest city, might be held criminally accountable for their failure to protect civilians.

It said the images,

Read More

Failing to Spend on Infrastructure Main Driver of NJ Transit Rail Delays

This is something I've been harping on for years. NJ Transit has failed to maintain its infrastructure, but Amtrak's deficiencies are driving the delays on those NJ Transit trains that use the Northeast Corridor.

That includes the functionally obsolete Portal Bridge between Newark and Secaucus. 75 events involving the Portal Bridge led to delays across NJ Transit.

Signal problems are another

Read More

NCAA, Pro Sports Leagues Suing New Jersey Over Sports Betting Law

There are four states where sports gambling is legal: Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. That seems to be unfair to other states that have later legalized gambling, such as New Jersey. This year, Gov. Chris Christie and the legislature sought to overcome federal law authorizing only Nevada to allow sports betting by enacting a sports betting law for the state.

Now, the NCAA and the major pro

Read More

More Defections as Casualties Climb Across Syria

The butchers' bill continues rising courtesy of Bashar al-Assad's security forces as they attempt to rebuff rebel forces in Aleppo and other parts of Syria. The security forces aren't exactly distinguishing themselves in anything other than running up a body count.

There have been an increasing number of defections, including another general among those seeking refuge in Turkey today. The rebel

Read More

NASA Releases Curiosity Descent Video

NASA has released video shot from Curiosity as it descended through the Martian atmosphere right up until the moment of landing on Mars.



It's a low-resolution video, and it is expected to be followed up with a high resolution video shortly.

Read More

Curiosity Lands Safely On Mars After 7 Minutes of Terror

Streaming video by Ustream

The NASA Mars mission Curiosity has landed safely on Mars.

This is perhaps the photo of the mission - it shows the Curiosity lander as it cuts through the Martian atmosphere with its huge parachute unfurled. It was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from about 300 miles away.

Curiosity is a mobile platform enabling exploration over a wide area. The

Read More

A Warning Sign From Sinai

Over the weekend, a major terror attack occurred in the Sinai Peninsula. It's been essentially turned into a no-man's land and Israel has warned its citizens to avoid the region. The main threat is that terror groups may seek to kidnap Israelis so as to demand the release of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli jails.

16 members of the Egyptian security force were killed in a terror attack in

Read More

As Civil War Rages On, Syrian Foreign Minister Defects to Jordan

This is potentially a significant turning point in the ongoing Syrian civil war. The Syrian prime minister Riyad Hijab has defected to Jordan, although Bashar al-Assad's media outlets claim he was fired:President Bashar al-Assad fired his prime minister on Monday, Syria’s official media reported, as activists countered that he had defected with several officials and military commanders in what

Read More

Judge Orders 9/11 Theme Truck Operated By "Charity" Impounded

The Attorney General's Office of New Jersey is going after a pair of scammers who were busying themselves by going around Lower Manhattan in a pickup truck decked out in 9/11 themes and the names of hundreds of responders who were killed in the terror attacks.

They put themselves out there as a charity, but now one of the two men being investigated claims that they were never a charity; they

Read More

Tolls to Top $14 on Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement

The Tappan Zee replacement span will cost north of $5 billion, and the New York State Thruway has to figure out how to pay for the cost of the span. The Thruway Authority is selling bonds to cover the costs, and the tolls will back those bonds.

The Thruway Authority is expected to nearly triple the existing $5 toll to $14 to cross the span. That's a huge blow to commuters and businesses that

Read More

Assad Preparing For Aleppo Assault as Civil War Rages On

Reports indicate that Bashar al-Assad's forces are preparing for a ground offensive against rebel-held areas of Aleppo. That will most certainly increase the casualties significantly over the already high tallies seen across the country in recent weeks. Syria on Friday amassed troops in the northern city of Aleppo in preparation for an onslaught on rebel-held areas and the opposition reported a

Read More

Potholes Along the Way For a New Tappan Zee Bridge

Everyone who has ever traveled across the Tappan Zee bridge or has been following infrastructure issues in the New York City metro region knows that the Tappan Zee is functionally obsolete and that it would take billions of dollars to keep it functionally obsolete without collapsing.

It lacks breakdown lanes so that if there's a minor accident, traffic can back up for miles, especially during

Read More

Kofi Annan Resigns As Envoy as Syrian Civil War Intensifies

The outcome was all but assured. Bashar al-Assad paid lip service to United Nations Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and his plan to end the ongoing violence wracking Syria for more than a year and a half. So Kofi has quit as envoy.

Assad continues to claim that foreign entities and terrorists are to blame for the violence, but it's Annan's security forces and loyalist goon squads who have introduced

Read More

New Doctor Who Trailer Released

The new season is fast approaching, and Doctor Who has released a heck of a trailer.

Dinosaurs on a spaceship, Daleks, and River Song, Oh My!

Read More

American Dream Developers Propose Significant Mass Transit Improvements

American Dream is the new name for the former Xanadu project in the Meadowlands across from the new MetLife Stadium where the World Champion New York Giants share the field with the New York Jets. American Dream is now run by the same developers, Triple Five Worldwide, who operate the massive Mall of America and were brought in to rescue the bankrupt developers who pushed the hideous Xanadu

Read More

New Jersey Goes After 9/11 Scammers Who Fooled Everyone, Including Gov. Christie

I've got to go back through my catalog of photos taken in and around Ground Zero, because I recall seeing these guys out there on a semi-regular basis. They have a very distinctive 9/11 themed pickup truck, and onlookers would frequently pose with the drivers near the WTC Memorial Preview Center on Vesey as well as on Dey Street and other locations surrounding Ground Zero.

They managed to fool

Read More

Massive Blackouts Throw Half of India Into Darkness

Yesterday, a massive blackout sent more than 300 million people into darkness as portions of the Indian power grid collapsed under the strain of trying to keep up with demand. Power was restored, but only briefly as a second much larger blackout has now put more than half the country into darkness.

The same power lines are involved:



600 million are without power in the world's largest

Read More

Aleppo Besieged As Assad and Rebels Claim Victories

The fighting in and around Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub, continues and the number of refugees is soaring. 200,000 have fled the city as a result of the brutal fighting on the streets and in the buildings of multiple neighborhoods around the city.

Both Assad and rebel forces have claimed victories. Assad's forces have claimed that they've overrun rebel held areas and retaken the city after

Read More

Nanny State In Action: Bloomberg's Boobish Plan

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg continues proposing health-related plan after health related plan, regardless of their constitutionality (the sugared beverage plan) or smoking bans in public spaces (and restaurants, etc.). His latest idea is to ban giving new mothers formula as part of a plan to increase the number of mothers breast feeding. Mayor Bloomberg is pushing hospitals to hide their

Read More

So Much For Openness: Gov. Christie Blocks Bill That Would Require Port Authority To Hold Hearings Before Toll Hikes

In the wake of an outcry from commuters around the New York City metro area about proposed toll hikes at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bridges and tolls, both Governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo acted swiftly to force the agency to pare back the increases.

Both also claimed that they would push for more accountability and fiscal responsibility from the bistate agency.

Well, it

Read More

Football Training Camps Open With Giants As Underdogs and Jets Again Overestimating Themselves

The last Super Bowl is already in the rear view mirror, and training camp is now open across the NFL. Despite having a stirring Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, Las Vegas has a half dozen teams ranked ahead of the defending champion New York Giants including all the teams that the Giants beat in the playoffs to win it all.

You can be assured that will make for all the motivation

Read More

Traffic Jam On Long Island Leaves Many Wary

Last week, there was a major traffic jam on the East End of Long Island out near the Hamptons. Normally, that's wouldn't merit much of a news report, except that this one stretched out for 20 miles and led to a standstill on the two major roads leading out of the area (and back towards the mainland).CBS 2’s Jennifer McLogan was one of the thousands that were trapped in the traffic nightmare as a

Read More

The Olympics Are Barely Underway and Athletes Are Getting Banned

The Olympics are barely underway (soccer started today) and there's already a bunch of athletes disqualified for failing drug tests, but one athlete was booted because of racist twitter comments. A Greek triple-jumper was booted for the comments today.With a 140 character message, triple jumper Voula Papachristou leaped her way out of the London Olympics and into an international spotlight she

Read More

Rezoning: A Lasting Legacy of Mayor Bloomberg

While there's plenty to complain about when it comes to New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (the inane and likely unconstitutional soda ban being one), one area that he's excelled at is the ability to get vast swaths of underutilized areas of the city rezoned for commercial and residential development.

That includes major developments like Hudson Yards, Atlantic Yards, DUMBO, and now a portion

Read More

Aleppo Bracing For Assad's Forces

Syria is in a state of civil war and has been for some time. Rebel forces have captured territories outside of the major cities and provinces of Hama and Homs as Assad's gaze has focused on retaking those areas. It's left outlying provinces to their own devices. They're running things without Assad's government goons in sight:As the Syrian state recedes, the people in this village and villages

Read More

Aleppo Under Siege As Assad's Forces Attack From Air and Golan Heights DMZ

Israel is contacting the United Nations over an incursion by more than 500 Syrian soldiers into the DMZ between Israel and Syria in the process of attacking rebel targets near the demarcation line. Following the incident, in which 500 soldiers and 50 vehicles crossed into the demilitarized zone, Israel filed a formal complaint to the UN secretary general and to the president of the UN's Security

Read More

Soda Ban Proposal Gets Health Department Public Hearing Today

The New York City Department of Health will be holding a hearing today to allow comment on a proposal to ban certain kinds of sales of sugar-containing beverages.

A just released study by New York University found that the ban as proposed would cut caloric intake by 63 calories, but the results may be negligible as customers simply buy more of the beverages:Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban caps a

Read More

On Government Spending, Cost Inefficiencies, and Jobs

I was reading through a bunch of articles on the economy and what might happen if the automatic deficit cuts are applied (that was agreed upon by Congress if they couldn't reach a deal on how to make specified cuts). The focus was on defense spending where a 10% automatic across-the-board cut would be applied. So, for a submarine construction program, they'd have to cut 10% funding. That has the

Read More

FBI Investigation of Trenton Mayor Mack Continues

Last week, I noted that the FBI was carrying out searches of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, a Democrat. Those searches included stops at his home, office, and his brother. At the time, the FBI wasn't saying what they were looking for.

Today, they've announced that they're looking into bribery, fraud, extortion and money laundering charges. Federal authorities also are investigating vendor contracts

Read More

NCAA Imposes $60 Million "Fine" And Other Penalties on Penn State

The NCAA has imposed a $60 million penalty and vacated all of the school's wins from 1998 to 2011. The $60 million is going to found a fund to compensate victims; the $60 million isn't in addition to whatever settlements come against the school or its officials.

Let that sink in a moment.

Penn State's fine is equal to one year's revenues from the football program.

The schools wins are vacated

Read More

Horrific: Massacre At Colorado Movie Theater; 12+ Killed

It's absolutely horrific to learn of the news this morning about the massacre in Aurora, Colorado overnight at a showing of the Batman movie. At least 12 people were killed when the gunman stormed into a movie theater during the showing of the Dark Knight Rises. Dozens more were injured. A suspect is now in custody and has been identified as James Holmes, 24, and that he was a former student at

Read More

NJ Offshore Wind Power Project Clears Permit Hurdles

An offshore wind project near Atlantic City has taken another step towards being the nation's first offshore wind power venture after it cleared federal regulatory hurdles. Offshore wind developer Fishermen's Energy now has permission to build six offshore wind turbines a few miles off the coast of Atlantic City, the company said, announcing it won its final federal permit.

Fishermen’s Energy,

Read More

Rebels Pushed Back In Damascus As They Gain Ground Elsewhere

Bashar al Assad's Syrian military has managed to push back an offensive by rebel forces in the capital of Damascus. It was not without a heavy toll in civilian casualties, which seems to be the norm in the fighting there.

Artillery attacks and airstrikes from helicopters are causing significant damage across the city, particularly in the area of Midan:On Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for

Read More

Trenton's Mayor Under FBI Investigation

Yesterday, reports indicated that the FBI searched the home of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack and two other locations. Mack has denied any wrongdoing and no once has been charged in the expanding federal probe.

“We have not violated the public trust in any way, nor have I violated any of my public duties, and I have no further comment on this matter,” Mack said in a brief statement, before decline to

Read More

Yesterday's Massive Storms A Reminder Of Major Sewer Problems Across NYC Metro Region

Yesterday's deluge of rain as a cold front came through to break a 4-day heat wave was welcomed by many, although the rain may mean a washout at local beaches this weekend.

You see, much of the region - especially New York City - has combined sewer systems. That means that street water runoff mixes with sanitary sewage (toilet waste). On a normal day, this will get processed at sewage treatment

Read More

Rumors Rampant That Assad's On The Run

Everything is on rumor at the moment. No one seems to have seen Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad in the past few days, particularly since the attacks began in Damascus proper and especially after the bombing that took out his defense ministers yesterday.

The silence is fueling rumors of his whereabouts and whether he's still in control of the government. However, considering that there were a

Read More

Terrorists Strike Israelis On Vacation In Bulgaria With Multiple Casualties Reported

Israeli Prime Minister blames Iran for the blast in Bulgaria that killed at least three Israelis on vacation there. It follows repeated attempts to attack Israelis in other countries around the world in the past few months. The bombing occurred at at Sarafovo Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, 400km east of Sofia.

At least 7 are now reported dead, and YNet indicates that it was a suicide

Read More

Knicks Linsanity Ends In Disaster

Jeremy Lin was one of the feel good stories of the last NBA season. He came out of nowhere to be starting guard for the New York Knicks after injuries felled the starters. He managed more than respectable statistics in his 1/3 of a season's worth of starts, but then was felled with an injury that kept him out of the playoffs.

Despite the injury, Lin had a good chance of being the starter for the

Read More

Striking at the Heart of Assad's Regime

Fighting has intensified in and around Damascus over the past couple of days, but today's news is breathtaking in its consequences. A suicide bomber, who apparently was a bodyguard, blew up at a meeting of high ranking security officials.

Bashar al-Assad's brother in law and defense minister were killed in the blast. At the same time several reports indicate that more generals have defected.

Read More

Concerns Mounting Over Possible Balkanization of Syria

Syria remains in the throes of a civil war, and there are reports indicating that Assad may be trying to carve out an Alawite sector of the country, essentially engaging in ethnic cleansing so that the Alawite minority can retain control over some geographical portion of Syria. They point to an increasing trend of sectarian attacks.

I don't think Assad's thinking about retaining just part of

Read More

Why Infrastructure Matters

Ever wonder where your drinking water comes from and how the water utilities set the rates that they do? Well, the Record put together a comprehensive report about Northern New Jersey water providers, and the resulting picture shines a light on the gross negligence carried out by these providers.

For far too long, the water providers, including United Water and Ridgewood Water and Ho Ho Kus

Read More

Star Wars Meets Call Me Maybe

Another Star Wars Mashup:

Read More

Syrian Civil War Bloodletting Continues

It's been apparent that Syria has been waging a civil war for nearly a year now, but a growing number of diplomats and International Red Cross are being forced to realize that the situation isn't a mere insurrection or rebels or terrorists fighting against Bashar al-Assad's regime as Assad would have the world believe.

Rebel groups have been taking and holding territory around the country, but

Read More

Building for the Future - Expanding Wind Power Manufacturing In NYC Metro Area

Wind power, and more specifically, offshore wind power, has the potential to generate renewable energy and manufacturing jobs. There are several projects that are in the planning phase up and down the East Coast, including Massachusetts and New Jersey that would build major wind power facilities offshore.

Locating facilities where the parts are made is a daunting task, particularly when you

Read More

Penn State Report On Sandusky Finds Repeatedly Concealing Key Information

The report by the Special Investigator (the law firm headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh) hired by Penn State to look into the Jerry Sandusky abuse of children on campus has been released (full report here) and it appears that the university is in trouble. Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims by the most senior

Read More

Sewer Replacement To Disrupt Traffic Around Fulton Center and Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan has some of the oldest infrastructure in Manhattan since it is home to some of the oldest portions of the city. That infrastructure needs to be maintained and upgraded from time to time, so it's not surprising that the DEP needs to undertake a 48-month sewer replacement project on Broadway from Ann Street down to Rector Street. If those blocks sound familiar, it's because the

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 167

Fiterman Hall is nearly complete. The exterior is essentially completed and interior spaces are being prepared for a fall opening. That's tremendous news for the CCNY, which has been craving the space since they were forced out after 9/11 left the original building seriously damaged and contaminated.

Meanwhile, Santiago Calatrava's signature PATH transit hub should start to rise above street

Read More

DNA Evidence Links Unsolved Murder To OWS Subway Protest? UPDATE: Lab Error?

The NYPD made a rather startling announcement last night. They indicated that DNA evidence gathered at the crime scene for the 2004 murder of Sarah Fox matches DNA found on a chain used by OWS pranksters in a March 2012 stunt to lock open gates for subway stations so that commuters could go through for free.Officials have linked forensic evidence from the 2004 murder scene of a 21-year-old

Read More

Bridge Repairs To Cause Massive Headaches For NY Drivers

The Alexander Hamilton bridge, which spans the Harlem River and is a huge bottleneck for anyone who takes the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York, is currently undergoing a huge reconstruction and rehabilitation project. New lanes are being added, and traffic diversions are a regularly occurring feature.

Now, those construction headaches are being taken to another level as

Read More

Amtrak's $151 Billion Northeast Corridor Wishlist, and California's HSR Boondoggle

Let the numbers sink in.

$151 billion.

220 mph high speed rail between Washington DC and Boston, enabling 37 minute trips between Philadelphia and New York City, and 94 minute trips between Boston and New York or New York and Washington DC.

That was the promise once envisioned for the Northeast Corridor (NEC) when Amtrak settled for the Acela service that ended up being less than half that

Read More

Black Lung Makes a Reappearance In American Coal Mines

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 was supposed to sharply cut exposure to coal mine dust. The act set a standard for coal dust exposure (2 milligrams per cubic meter of air), which was as little as 1/4 of the concentrations miners breathed at the time.

The act's passage followed a 23-day unauthorized and rowdy strike in which

Read More

RIP Ernest Borgnine

They don't make actors like Ernest Borgnine anymore. The Academy Award winning actor died yesterday at the age of 95.

Read More

The Star Ledger Doesn't Get It On ARC/Gateway Tunnel

The Star Ledger's editorial page doesn't get it when it comes to talking about the ARC tunnel and its successor, the Gateway Project.

It laments the billions that Gov. Chris Christie supposedly left on the table by killing the project because overruns would have been a multibillion dollar hit on New Jersey taxpayers. Plans for a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan took a nasty PR

Read More

Yet Another Mixed Unemployment Data Report

The unemployment figures are out for June, and it's a mixed bag. ADP says private payrolls grew 176,000, well above the consensus estimate of 100,000. That was bolstered by an upwards revision of May to 133,000. However, the Labor Department's job figures were worse than expected. Only 80,000 nonfarm jobs were created.

The unemployment rate has remained at 8.2%. The U-6 rate is up to 15.1%,

Read More

More Than Half Of America Suffering From Drought Conditions

The extreme high temperatures we've been experiencing in the Northeast has been baking much of the South and Midwest to the point that 56% of the country is seeing drought conditions. A significant portion of that is extreme and severe drought. The drought hasn't been long enough to rank up there with the 1930s Dust Bowl or a bad stretch in the 1950s, David Miskus, a meteorologist at the weather

Read More

Fair Lawn Fireworks 2012

Taken last night at the Memorial Pool in Fair Lawn, New Jersey:

      

Read More

Ruling Allows For-Profit Colleges To Continue Bilking Students

People who are considering higher education better think twice about going to a for-profit institution. You're more likely to end up with a whole load of debt and nothing to show for it since the degrees offered aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

And a ruling allows for-profit colleges to continue bilking their students with degrees that aren't worth the paper they're written on and can

Read More

Gov. Christie Seems Fine With Feds Managing New Jersey's Health Exchanges

So much for states' rights in Gov. Christie's eyes - he's open to the idea of letting the feds run the NJ health exchange. Gov. Chris Christie said he is exploring letting the federal government set up the state health insurance exchange required by the federal health care overhaul to allow individuals to buy coverage.

He also said he is not sure that New Jersey needs to expand Medicaid under

Read More

New Jersey's Legislature Takes Up Tax Relief In Special Session

Gov. Chris Christie addressed the state legislature in Trenton this afternoon and called on them to enact tax relief along the lines of the proposal he first offered earlier this year.

Senate Democrats countered that they provided tax relief to the tune of $183 million only if the state met the Governor's revenue projections. The contingency is a sound policy choice, but that isn't stopping

Read More

Burying Power Lines Not Panacea Against Blackouts

Once again, a large swath of the United States is facing major power disruptions. This time, it's the Middle Atlantic states, from New Jersey through Virginia that were hit by strong and severe thunderstorms that took out power distribution lines and are leaving more than 2 million people without power during a lengthy heat wave. Already, 17 people have died due to the storms and after-effects.

Read More

Diplomacy Falls Apart As Syrian Civil War Continues

Hundreds of people have been killed in the past week as the Syrian military loyal to Bashar al-Assad continues its assault against rebel strongholds across the country, which brings the overall tally to more than 16,500. Nearly 70% of the total are civilians. There's even video showing a funeral procession coming under attack, though no one knows who was behind a deadly bombing in Damascus.

Read More

Will States Drag Feet On Imposing Health Exchanges, and Other Thoughts

If the states don't have health care exchanges in place by 2014, when the individual mandate kicks in, they'll be cut out of the loop and the federal government will impose its own version of the exchanges, with the funding structures intact (the state will have to kick in its set percentage, regardless of whether it acts to impose its own exchange or not).

Some states are going to drag their

Read More

Second Suspect in Bergen County Synagogue Attacks Plotted To Murder Local Officials

A second suspect in a string of anti Semitic attacks across Bergen County, Aakash Dalal, has been charged in relation to a plot to kill local officials, including the Bergen County prosecutor in the original case.A man accused of trying to firebomb New Jersey synagogues is expected to be in court Friday to face new charges that he allegedly plotted to kill an assistant Bergen County prosecutor

Read More

Heavy Dose of Irony With Supreme Court's Decision on Health Care Act

Yesterday's historic decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (HCR/Obamacare) was not without a heavy dose of irony.

Where can one start? How about with the person who was the swing vote: Chief Justice John Roberts.

Roberts had been nominated by President George W. Bush and many on the left castigated his conservative views. Indeed, the confirmation vote split

Read More

Further Observations of the Health Care Decision

The President will be speaking at 12:15PM. No doubt he'll be addressing the decision.

I've been scanning the dissent, and it seems that ruled the individual mandate exceeded the Commerce Clause/Necessary and Proper, and that since Congress didn't identify it as a tax, neither should they, even if the outcome is a functional tax.

It's not much of a surprise in either case. And there's plenty

Read More

Health Care Reform Act Survives the Supreme Court

In a huge surprise to many on the right, the US Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (HCR/Obamacare). The Court ruled that it was a constitutionally permissible tax imposed by Congress.

The bottom line of the Court's decision, where Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the conservative group (Scalia, Thomas and

Read More

Doe! A Deer!

We happened to be walking through the Radburn/Radrock part of Fair Lawn when we came upon this lone doe about 100 yards away from Fair Lawn Avenue. It's the first time we've come across a deer in this part, but now we know that they're around, I'll be sure to have a camera handy.

This one seems to have been accustomed to being around people as I got within 25 yards to shoot this photo. It

Read More

The Student Loan Debacle Just Got Even Messier

The fight over interest rates on Stafford loans is a sideshow. The rate was temporarily reduced to 3.4%, and Congress was looking to extend that rate and had to find alternative places to cut funding to offset the federal subsidy.

Never mind that banks themselves are making money hand over fist on student loans - both on origination fees and the interest they charge. The federal government set

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 166

It's been a streak of bad luck at 4WTC since the tower was topped out earlier this week.

Yesterday, a construction worker was impaled on a steel rod he was carrying when he fell about six feet. That worker is expected to recover from his injuries.

Today, workers at street level had to dodge falling glass when a piece of steel being raised on the south side of the tower struck the facade more

Read More

Attacks On Pro-Government TV Station Highlight Assad's Troubles

Bashar al Assad's regime is continuing to come under attack, both in the halls of diplomatic centers and in Damascus itself. Today, there are conflicting reports over what happened at a pro-government television station. An attack apparently damaged the station and resulted in several deaths, but who was behind the attack differs depending on the account. Syria said Wednesday that rebels stormed

Read More

Recapping the New York Primaries

Once again, the incumbents in New York managed to hold the day. But before I tackle the Charles Rangel v. Adriano Espaillat race, there's a few other races of note to run through.

Statewide, there was but one race. It was for the GOP nomination to run against Kristen Gillibrand for the US Senate. Wendy Long, a New York City lawyer, handily defeated Rep. Bob Turner and Nassau County Controller

Read More

Neturei Karta Behind Anti-Semitic Vandalism At Yad Vashem

Israeli authorities have arrested four people in connection with anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled at Yad Vashem and other locations around Israel. The four people arrested are members of Neturei Karta, which refuses to recognize the state of Israel and often sides with the likes of Ahmadinejad and other anti-Israel types worldwide.Four suspects from Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Ashdod are under arrest

Read More

Rebels Continue Attacks as Turkey Threatens Assad

It's been a bad few days for Bashar al-Assad. First, his forces shot down a Turkish plane over the Mediterranean Sea. Then, NATO issued a statement backing Turkey (one of the member states) and Turkey issued its own statement reminding Turkey that it can and will shoot back if threatened and Syria can't control itself.

Syria knew that they were shooting down the Turkish F-4 jet. Under new rules

Read More

Vincent Van Dominough - Recreating the Iconic Starry Night

Read More

Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi Declared President of Egypt

A new chapter in Egyptian politics has dawned. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, was announced as the next President of Egypt in a disputed election over former Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik. A gathering of secular-leaning politicians criticized on Saturday what they said was U.S. meddling on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. Other secularists stood behind the Islamist

Read More

Junior High School Students Tossed From 9/11 Memorial For Tossing Trash

The NY Daily News is reporting that students from JHS 292 in Brooklyn were kicked out of the National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center for throwing trash into the reflecting pools that are intended to symbolize the destruction of the Twin Towers.

A group of Brooklyn students on a school trip to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum were booted from the hallowed site after they

Read More

What Ceasefire? Hamas Continues Terrorizing Southern Israel With Rocket Barrages

Dozens of rockets have been fired in the past several hours alone by Hamas from Gaza. Israel responds with airstrikes against those responsible and the BBC turns the situation around by putting the Israeli reprisal before the initiating act - the rocket fire.

But for the Hamas terror attacks, Israel would have no need to respond with force.

As it is, the Hamas terrorists responsible think

Read More

Jerry Sandusky Found Guilty on 45 of 48 Counts of Abuse

It's a fitting end to Jerry Sandusky's trial. After weeks of hearing from a number of his victims, a jury took just about three days to find him guilty on 45 of 48 charges. He will now spend the rest of his life in prison. The minimum sentence based on Pennsylvania law and the charges is 60 years, which means that the 68 year old Sandusky will never be released from prison. Sentencing, which

Read More

Syria Shoots Down Turkish Fighter Jet Over Syrian Waters

Syria apparently shot down a Turkish F-4 fighter jet over the Mediterranean Sea earlier today. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters at a news conference covered by NBC News he could not say whether the plane had crashed or been shot down.

He said he had no word on the fate of the plane's two airmen.

"The chief of general staff has made the necessary statement about the missing

Read More

Truce Isn't Holding As Rockets Continue Slamming Into Israel

Egypt has been trying to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, but with little effect. The terrorists continue firing their rockets, including two fired towards Ashkelon. One was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. That brings the total fired on Israel during Wednesday to more than 70:At approximately 1:30 pm a Qassam rocket fired from the

Read More

15 Terrorists Released In Shalit Swap Rearrested On Terror Charges

Israel secured the release of Gilad Shalit in October of last year by handing over more than 1,000 Palestinians who it had detained, arrested, and or convicted of various crimes, including terrorism and murder charges.

Now, it turns out that Israel has rearrested at 15 of those released on terror-related charges. Eight of the Palestinians were from the first batch of prisoners released, many of

Read More

Palestinian Terrorists Continue Missile Attacks On Israel

Israel continues to take fire from Gaza for a third consecutive day. More than 55 rockets slammed into Israel after Israel carried out airstrikes following a terror attack where an Israeli Arab was killed while working on the security fence between Israel and Egypt (the Sinai fence). The Israeli airstrikes have targeted Hamas and other terror groups, including Islamic Jihad and their offshoots:In

Read More

A Not So Sweet Price Increase

If you're a baker, this is going to leave a sour taste in your mouth. Some producers are no longer packaging sugar in five pound packages, but rather shipping out four pound packages.

By itself, that wouldn't be so bad, but the prices aren't cheaper. They're simply selling the four pound packages at the former five pound price.It was only a matter of time before 4-pound bags of sugar became the

Read More

Post-Panamax Upgrades Require Baltimore-Area Bridge Closures Today

Drivers in the Baltimore area will face traffic jams due to several temporary bridge closures this afternoon that come just as the region faces the first heat wave of the season.

The bridges, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Key Bridge, and are being temporarily closed because the Port of Baltimore is set to receive a ship carrying four cranes necessary to upgrade port facilities to

Read More

The Curious Un-Death of Hosni Mubarak

Yesterday afternoon, the wire news services began reporting that former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak was clinically dead. Those initial reports were based on unnamed individuals quoted in the Middle East News Agency (MENA), citing medical sources, said he was declared clinically dead shortly after arriving late Tuesday at a military hospital in Cairo, where he had been taken after suffering a

Read More

Turmoil In Pakistan: Supreme Court Ousts Prime Minister Gilani

Pakistan's political situation has been anything but serene since Pervez Musharaf lost power. Yousuf Raza Gilani was elected Prime Minister but he's run afoul of the Supreme Court once again for failing to investigate and prosecute claims of corruption against Asif Ali Zardari, the country's president.

Today, the court essentially booted him from office. Local television news stations said

Read More

Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Project Gets Labor Agreement

The Tappan Zee Bridge, which is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority, is scheduled to be replaced. Part of the costs associated with the project are labor costs, and the state just signed a Project Labor Agreement with a number of unions that are supposed to save nearly $500 million in costs over the life of the project.
Replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge represents one of the largest

Read More

Israel Under Fire From Hamas Day After Sinai-Based Terror Attack

Within hours of the terror attack that left one Israeli Arab dead and several other Israelis injured, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes against targets inside Gaza.

Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets against Israel. At least 11 were fired into Israel, including kassams and Grad rockets along with mortar rounds.Seven rockets exploded in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council on

Read More

Egypt's Military Moves To Block Impact of Islamist Elected President

Egyptians faced a choice between bad and worse when they had to choose from an Islamist aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and the former foreign minister from Hosni Mubarak's old regime. Turnout was anything but strong, but the Islamist, Mohamed Morsi, won the election.

The military, however, has a different plan. They're now acting to minimize the impact of the election, and are once again

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 165

There's been little movement on the resumption of construction of the National 9/11 Museum, despite a visit from President Obama last week and the principal politicians and bureaucrats involved in the museum and memorial process all present at the same time.

New York and New Jersey Governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie have called on the National Park Service to get involved in the memorial

Read More

A New Phase in the Syrian Civil War

I'm going to utilize the term civil war in regards to the situation in Syria. Rebel forces are holding territory in the country despite an onslaught from Bashar al Assad's loyal militias and military forces. The rebels are not only fighting, but gaining territory despite the horrible atrocities inflicted by the regime against those that dare oppose them.

The new from the besieged city of Haffa

Read More

Skyscrapers Are Back In The NYC Skyline

Following the devastating 9/11 attacks and the destruction of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, there was a sentiment expressed that the attacks meant the end of the skyscraper, particularly here in the United States and New York City in particular.

While supertall buildings have gone up in the Middle East and South Asia, there's no lack of skyscraper construction in New York City.

Read More

Get Thee To A Screening

Recent news reports have called for changes in how frequently people should go for cancer screenings and that's raised all kinds of debate over what's truly appropriate and how the screenings affect health care costs, effectiveness, and life-expectancy.

Having a healthy debate over the issues is all well and good, but early detection is a major factor in getting good outcomes in any number of

Read More

Assad Continues Crackdown While World Watches

Bashar al Assad continues to put his own spin on his father's Hama rules guide to dealing with insurrection. Assad continues murdering those opposed to his regime at a frightening pace, but it's a slow bleed. A dozen here, a dozen there every few days, with larger massacres interspersed. That compares with his father, who killed tens of thousands in a brutal burst when eliminating the Muslim

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 164

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be visiting the World Trade Center site this afternoon to view progress at the site as part of a trip to New York City that includes two fundraisers for the 2012 campaign.

The trip will disrupt the commutes of tens of thousands of people who use the PATH station at the WTC (myself included), but the President needs to do more than just

Read More

North Dakota Voters Kill Property Tax Repeal; Religious Measures

North Dakota voters decided against repealing the state's property tax, much to the relief of the state's politicians, unions, chambers of commerce, and school districts upon which the property tax is the primary or significant source of funding. The measure lost badly, with most taxpayers realizing that the funding is critical to education.

If approved, it would have been the first time a state

Read More

Charles Barron Has No Business Being In Congress

Firebrand New York City Councilmember Charles Barron is running for Congress in the newly created NY8 district that includes parts of Southern Brooklyn. He's running against Hakeem Jeffries, and it's turning into a nailbiter of a primary race.

That's despite the fact that Barron has no business being in office. He's a racist and anti-Jewish at that. His new district has a significant Jewish

Read More

Nonvoting "Obama Girl" Declines To Support Obama

Media outlets have decided to catch up with Amber Lee Ettinger, who seems more about self-promotion than anything else. They've reported that Ettinger (aka Obama Girl for the video she put out back in 2008) has declined to support Obama in 2012.In an interview with the Daily Caller, Ettinger said she was “not as excited as I was the last time, that’s for sure.” That's not incredibly surprising

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 163

The problems with completing the WTC Museum continue. The earliest that the museum will be open is mid 2013, and that's growing increasingly unlikely considering that the money issues between the Memorial Foundation and the Port Authority remain unresolved. Hundreds of millions of dollars are at issue, and each side blames the other for delays and costs that should inure to the other.

Meanwhile,

Read More

Photo of the Day

 

Montour Falls, located in Montour Falls, New York.

Taken with a Canon 60D with Tamron 28-300 XR Di VR lens.

Read More

How The Avengers Should Have Ended

Read More

What To Do With $70 Billion in Unspent Earmarks

Senator Tom Coburn has announced that the federal government has more than $70 billion in unspent earmarks on its books that must account for. This includes monies that were designated for state and local projects that those localities later chose not to do.The $70 billion figure is money that's been unspent for years, including $13 billion in road-building money that was earmarked to the wrong

Read More

Yet Another Federal Judge Rules DOMA Unconstitutional

The constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will come before the Supreme Court before long. There are too many lower courts finding that its provisions are unconstitutional to contend with. The latest ruling is from the Second Circuit, where District Court Judge Barbara Jones found that the DOMA provision to define marriage intrudes on the states' right of regulating

Read More

New Massacre Reported In Syria; Assad's Goons Thwarting UN Observers; UPDATE: Observers Take Fire

Multiple reports are coming in from Syria that Bashar al Assad's goons have committed yet another massacre near the city of Hama. More than 70 were killed, with at least half that number being women and children. Despite the presence of UN observers in the country, the bloodletting continues and Assad's forces are blocking the observers from seeing the scene of the war crimes for themselves.The

Read More

Stop and Frisk Hasn't Reduced NYC Shootings

Despite the soaring number of stop and frisk encounters by the New York Police Department, the number of shooting has continued at the same level as before stop and frisk became official NYPD policy. While the NYPD was stopping and frisking a record 685,724 people last year, 1,821 people were victims of gunfire, according to NYPD and city statistics. That's virtually the same number as in 2002,

Read More

Venus Crosses the Sun

Like millions of others in the New York City metro area, we were thwarted from seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch Venus cross in front of the sun in an eclipse.

However, NASA was all over the event, and they recorded the transit from multiple locations, including the Solar Dynamics Observatory in space.



The transit is helpful to scientists who are looking for planets outside

Read More

Wisconsin Gov. Walker Holds On To Job In Recall Election

Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, held on to his job in yesterday's recall election. His win has more to do with how people view a proper use of recall elections than any of the policy choices he made or getting out the vote.

The results had nothing to do with the GOP or President Obama (which exit polls found to still be favored over Romney in November, even as both aren't seen as getting

Read More

And Then There Was One

Since the 9/11 attacks, the US has gone after al Qaeda all around the globe, and those efforts have paid off. The group is now down to essentially one recognizable face - Ayman al Zawahiri, who was Osama bin Laden's right hand man since the group came into existence.

Zawahiri is believed to be in the frontier provinces of Pakistan, and he's probably spending most of his time trying not to get

Read More

New Delays Pushing Revenue Service on 7 Line Extension To 2014

Once again, the MTA has fallen behind on another one of its major capital projects. This time, the MTA wont meet its December 2013 deadline to initiate revenue service on the 7 Line extension into Hudson Yards on the West Side. Instead, it will be hoping for a July 2014 open, though parts wont be done until 2015 (more than 12 months late):The No. 7 subway line extension to 11th Avenue and West

Read More

1,000 Acre Fire Hits Sequoia National Monument

The headline is somewhat misleading. Fire Threatens Grove of Giant Sequoia
The blaze in the Sequoia National Forest covered more than 1,000 acres by Monday morning.Yes, there's a fire, but fire is integral to propagating sequois and clearing out deadwood and underbrush. It's not exactly a bad thing. This particular fire is away from the roads and is in the backcountry of the park. It's a part of

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 162

Despite the fact that there's been no work done on the WTC 9/11 Museum for months, that doesn't mean that the fight over what the museum will contain and display hasn't continued.

I find it mind-boggling that there's a fight over whether to include photos of the 19 Islamic terrorists who carried out the attacks. We need to see the faces of those who are responsible. It's like having a museum

Read More

Bloomberg Supports Cuomo's Call To Revise New York Marijuana Possession Laws

Arrests for marijuana possession are among the top crimes caught under the NYPD's Stop and Frisk policy. That policy has been under attack for its disproportionate focus on minorities throughout the city.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has now floated a proposal to reduce the penalty for possession of a joint to a violation, essentially decriminalizing the possession of amounts under 25 grams. Mr.

Read More

California Considers Tobacco Tax Hike With Legislature On Sidelines

California currently imposes a cigarette tax of 87¢ per pack of 20 cigarettes. That's well below the rates imposed in a number of other states, including neighboring Arizona ($2 per pack) or Oregon ($1.18 per pack). It's slightly higher than Nevada's 80¢ per pack. By comparison, New York imposes a $4.35 per pack (NYC is $5.85), New Jersey is $2.70 per pack, and Connecticut is $3.40. Out on the

Read More

Inside the Second Avenue Subway Construction Site

A video of the construction process, including the tunnel boring machines that are critical to the effort.



It's interesting that they are using one machine, tunneling one bore, and then pulling the machine back to run the second tunnel. That seems to be extremely time consuming and much more costly than had they run two machines simultaneously and allowed the machines to continue running

Read More

Look Out Below!

 

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 161

Construction remains at a near standstill on the WTC Museum. The anticipated September 2012 deadline will be missed and it's looking like mid 2013 is the earliest that anyone should expect the museum to be opened. That's perhaps being optimistic considering the money involved and that the Port Authority and the Museum Board, which includes Mayor Mike Bloomberg are fighting over the development

Read More

Mubarak Sentenced To Life in Prison For Failing To Stop Brutal Crackdown

Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak will be spending the rest of his life behind bars. He was found guilty of doing nothing to stop the murder of unarmed protesters during the first six days of the protests against his regime.

Despite the verdict against Mubarak, several others, including his sons, were found not guilty of similar charges. And there are reports that Mubarak's health condition

Read More

The Big Hole In Bloomberg's Health Kick

Just days after calling for an outright ban on super-sized soda portions in most New York City establishments, Mayor Mike Bloomberg saw fit to issue a proclamation honoring National Donut Day.

I'd say that's a huge hole in Bloomberg's health policy.

As it is, I doubt that Mayor Bloomberg would be willing to ban any serving of Waygu beef larger than 4 ounces (or any steak for that matter),

Read More

The Turbo Trains To Nowhere

Back when I was going to college in Albany, I had occasion to take Amtrak and from New York City. More than a few times, I was on a Turbo Train, which was faster than the standard service by about 10-15 minutes.

When Governor George Pataki was in office, he touted a proposal to upgrade the New York to Albany line for high speed rail and even had a deal in place with Amtrak to upgrade service,

Read More

Assad's Loyalists Blame Houla Massacre On Rebels

Last week, more than 100 people were murdered in Houla. It's been reported that artillery was fired and subsequently roving militias came through to finish the job - executing dozens at close range with knives and small arms fire.

Is it any surprise that Bashar al-Assad's loyalists are claiming that the massacre was the result of rebel forces - not the government. The Assad-backed "

Read More

If He Can't Tax It, Bloomberg Hopes To Ban Big Gulp-Sized Soda Sales

Mayor Mike Bloomberg continues his nanny-state ways. His latest proposal is to ban sales of super-sized sugary beverages:The man behind calorie counts is set to announce a new public health initiative to battle obesity, taking aim at super-sized sugary drinks.

In other words, it may soon be time to say goodbye to those Big Gulps, those Slurpees or even Venti at Starbucks, CBS 2’s Derricke

Read More

Mitt Romney Takes Idiocy To New Level

At a campaign rally in Las Vegas yesterday, presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney proposed a constitutional amendment that would make anyone who does not have a business background as ineligible for the White House as if they had been born in Kenya.“I was speaking with one of these business owners who owns a couple of restaurants in town,” Romney said. “And he said ‘You know I’d like to change

Read More

NJ Transit Customer Survey Results Show Modest Improvement

NJ Transit released its latest customer survey results for 3Q 2012, and it shows significant improvement, with the bulk coming from rail commuters. Rail commuters have been among the most likely to score the agency poorly, particularly during disruptions.

Part of the reason that NJ Transit scores in the latest quarter are improved is that there were fewer major rail disruptions around the time

Read More

Syrian Conflict Enters New Deadly Phase

The cease fire that UN Envoy Kofi Annan didn't amount to much and diplomats had been trying to paper over its failures for the past couple of weeks even as Syria's thug in charge Bashar al Assad's forces continue attacking rebel forces throughout the country.

All claims to suggest that the ceasefire exists should be repudiated after this weekend's deadly attacks in Houla. Assad's forces shelled

Read More

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

While so many Americans are busy enjoying the weather, grilling and barbequing or watching major sporting events, we should remember what Memorial Day is all about.

All gave some. Some gave all.

Remember those who fought in defense of the nation and those who made the supreme sacrifice. Words cannot fully explain what these men and women have left behind - both in terms of the loss to their

Read More

An Admission of Guilt, But Whither The Evidence?

Pedro Hernandez apparently confessed yesterday to murdering Etan Patz and then disposing of his body in the trash 33 years ago today. He was transferred to Bellvue Hospital in NYC and is under suicide watch.It was unclear where Mr. Hernandez was held until he was moved to the hospital, and the official could not say whether he was transferred for any formal evaluation. Mr. Hernandez has been

Read More

New Jersey Bipartisan Budget Idiocy Abounds

NJ politics and you - screwed up together. The OLS issues a budget notice finding that the state will end with a deficit of more than $600 million, and yet Gov. Christie (a Republican) and State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (Democrat) are pushing ahead with a compromise tax cut plan that the two hashed out that will cost even more money and requires one-shot borrowing from the state's nearly

Read More

Egyptian Runoff Election Will Pit Ancien Regime Against Islamists

For most Egyptians, this will be a contest between the old guard versus the Islamists and they will have to choose the lesser of two evils. Hosni Mubarak's former prime minister versus a candidate for a party banned by Mubarak for decades.It was clear as early as Thursday night that a plurality of votes went to Mohamed Morsi, the American-educated engineer nominated by the Brotherhood, the

Read More

Gov. Christie Wont Scale Back Tax Cuts Even As Deficit Mounts

The New Jersey budget is required to be balanced pursuant to the State Constitution. How it gets to that point is up to the Governor and the legislature.

Gov. Chris Christie is determined to make good on his plan to cut income taxes, even though the latest budget projections are showing a much larger deficit than anyone had expected. It's now up to $668 million, which would normally call for a

Read More

Big Break In Etan Patz Case?

It looks like there's been a huge break in the Etan Patz case this morning as all the local media outlets are reporting that the NYPD has someone in custody who has implicated himself in the disappearance. It's not one of the two individuals (including convicted child molestor Jose Ramos) previously suspected in the disappearance of Patz from a SoHo street more than 30 years ago. The break comes

Read More

Turkey Readies Indictments of Israelis Over Gaza Flotilla

Turkey continues pressing ahead with a potential indictment of top Israeli military leaders over the Gaza flotilla that had nothing to do with humanitarian aid and everything to do with seeking a violent confrontation with Israel.

Turkish newspapers are noting that Ankara's prosecutor is preparing a 144-page document that accuses top Israeli officers, including former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi,

Read More

Egyptians Go To Polls To Elect New President

It's a historic day in Egypt. Today is the first day of a two-day election to determine the next president of Egypt and for the first time, it doesn't involve Hosni Mubarak and there are multiple candidates with a chance of winning. The fact that polling is all but nonexistent, no one really knows who will come out on top:In the run-up to the ballot, there have been no reliable opinion surveys,

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 160

Westfield Properties envisions opening up its retail center in 2015 after signing new agreements with the Port Authority.After years of negotiation, Westfield (WDC.AX) last week signed a deal with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for a $1.25 billion joint venture to lease the retail space at the World Trade Center.

Westfield, one of the world's biggest mall owners, said the first

Read More

Port Authority Dumps Security Firm Over ID Snafu

Last week, it came to light that a security supervisor at Newark Liberty Airport turned out to be an illegal alien who used an identification stolen from a man who nearly two decades ago. No one - not the security firm, not the Port Authority, not the TSA - knew that this had occurred until a whistleblower came forward and tipped off the Port Authority inspector general's office.

Now, we're

Read More

MTA East Side Access Schedule Delayed Again; Symptom of Larger Problems

While the MTA seems to be making incremental progress on carrying out routine maintenance using an expanded Fastrack program that shuts down entire segments of the subway system overnight during the week, its capital program remains in shambles.

In particular, the East Side Access program's cost has ballooned to $8.2 billion and the completion has been pushed back to 2019.The LIRR extension to

Read More

Even Darth Vader's Got To Pay For Parking In NYC

No Jedi mind tricks here; Darth Vader tried to get a traffic cop to cut him some slack on a parking ticket claiming that he paid and put the receipt in his vehicle windshield, but the officer just didn't buy it.

Read More

Judgment Day in Rutgers Spycam Case For Dharun Ravi

Dharun Ravi will find out today just how long he will spend in prison for his complicity in videotaping his Rutgers University roommate Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide shortly after Ravi posted the video online showing Clementi getting intimate with another man.

Ravi was found guilty of bias-intimidation and invasion-of-privacy against Clementi, but curiously some gay rights groups and

Read More

How The Hunger Games Should Have Ended

Read More

NYC Cuts New Deal To Redevelop Willets Point With Mets Owners

New York City has cut a new deal to redevelop Willets Point with the Mets ownership group. Willets Point has long been eyed for redevelopment. It's a neighborhood that is largely off the grid - it lacks sewer hookups and is a warren of junkyards and repair shops in the shadow of the gleaming new CitiField. Since construction got underway to build the stadium a few years back, Mayor Bloomberg had

Read More

Despite Bloomberg Saying Nothing Wrong With Stop and Frisk; NYPD Commissioner Kelly Institutes Reforms

It's curious how Mayor Mike Bloomberg can defend stop and frisk as a policy that works on the same day that NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly announces reforms of the program to address community concerns. In a letter sent earlier today to Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Kelly said top-ranking officials in each police precinct will now be required to audit reports of street stops by officers. This is

Read More

Sources Reporting Pedro Espada Legal Fees Being Paid By Charity He Fleeced

This is Pedro Espada we're talking about here. Nothing would be beyond him. After all, he's claimed that the FBI and law enforcement were using black magic to secure convictions against him and his son (the jury did find him guilty on four charges that could send him away for up to 40 years, but mistrials were declared on the remaining counts against him and his son).

Sources are indicating that

Read More

Despite Higher Stop and Frisk Figures, NYPD Ticket Writing Way Down

New York City is busy dealing with the stop and frisk controversy and suits filed against the policy, but a curious statistic was released on another aspect of policing in New York City.

The NYPD is on pace to write more than a quarter million fewer tickets than it did last year, likely as a result of a ticket-fixing scandal last year that led to beat cops not issuing as many tickets as they

Read More

Are We Overstating the Problems At JP Morgan Chase?

When you take the topline figure that JP Morgan Chase lost $2 billion on a bad hedge position that presented undue risk to the bank, that looks like tremendously bad news. Even the Justice Department is opening investigations into the circumstances behind the loss. The investigation centers on whether the bank was hedging risk or seeking to profit from risky trades (and semantics is what this is

Read More

Cory Booker and Chris Christie Show Off Their Comedy Chops

Every once in a while it's nice to see politicians not taking themselves too seriously and to have some fun with each other. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker put together this video as part of the NJ Press Association Dinner festivities. There's some sly references to Booker's heroic actions of saving neighbors from a fire and a few Seinfeld references as well.

Read More

An Iris in Bloom

 Taken with my trusty Canon 60D with Tamron 28-300 XR Di VR zoom.

Read More

Even NYPD Professionals Are Questioning The Scope of Stop and Frisk

The release of data showing just how frequently the NYPD is using Stop and Frisk as a police tactic to reduce crime is staggering with its implications and whether the program is no longer achieving its objectives. It's got top level police officials questioning whether the program has gone off the rails - for performance objectives sake - and ignoring the implications for civil rights and actual

Read More

New Jersey Revenues Coming In $300 Million Below Projections

The New Jersey Department of Treasury announced that revenues were coming in about $300 million below projections, which isn't nearly as bad as the Office of Legislative Services estimates, but it still puts a crimp on Gov. Chris Christie's plans for tax relief. He’s also banking on a huge economic upswing during the budget year that begins on July 1, using that growth to support his “Jersey

Read More

Airport Security Theater Takes Turn to the Absurd

For all the talk of improving security and eliminating all manner of holes in security around airplanes and airports, it seems that there was one huge gaping hole at one of the airports from which one of the 9/11 aircraft took off.

A security supervisor at Newark Liberty Airport was using the identification of a dead man for more than 17 years. Bimbo Olumuyia Oyelwole, a 54-year-old Nigerian

Read More

Syrian Revolt Spills Into Lebanon Once Again

For the third consecutive day, fighting in Syria has spilled over into Lebanon, and the casualties continue to mount on both sides of the border:Firing assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, Lebanese gunmen clashed in street battles Monday as sectarian tensions linked to the 14-month-old uprising in Syria bled across the border for a third day.

At least five people have been killed and

Read More

New Jersey Moving Ahead On Proposals To Revamp Drug Incarcerations

Governor Chris Christie had been calling for a revamping of the state's drug incarceration laws because the criminal justice system simply couldn't afford the costs associated with the incarceration of so many people. He proffered an alternative - drug courts combined with drug treatment in lieu of incarceration and it's something that the state Assembly has taken up.The Assembly's Judiciary

Read More

Pedro Espada Found Guilty On Multiple Fraud and Theft Counts

After spending the better part of two weeks deliberating without a verdict and various reports indicating that there was a possibility of a hung jury, the jury came back with a verdict on four of the counts against ex-Democrat ex-State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.

The jury found him guilty of theft and fraud relating to charges incurred by Soundview Healthcare Network, a charitable health care

Read More

New Jersey Budget Projects Will Hamper Gov. Christie's Chances To Keep Promised Tax Cuts

As I've been warning for quite some time, budget projections have been far too rosy and assuming growth when one should take a far more conservative outlook on the figures.

By assuming growth in excess of what one should reasonably expect, you set up the potential for budget deficits and that's precisely the situation that Gov. Chris Christie is facing in New Jersey. He offered up a more rosy

Read More

The Syrian Civil War Grinds On Despite "Cease. Fire!"

The fighting in Syria rages on despite the fact that there's supposedly a ceasefire in place between rebel forces arrayed against Bashar al-Assad's security forces.

Bombings are increasingly common. A pair of bombings today killed at least 55 people and injured more than 400 others. The explosions struck at rush hour in the Al Qazaz neighborhood and tore through a crowded intersection near a

Read More

Gay Marriage Has No Effect On The Institution of Marriage

War on marriage my ass.

Are people really that fearful that gay marriages will destroy society and life as we know it?

I know, it's a rhetorical question. It's not just fear, but centuries of religious dogma pushing back even though this country is predicated upon equal protection and equal rights.

The issue of gay marriage isn't only about the institution of marriage marriage. It's about a

Read More

Honda May Have Dodged Bullet On Fuel Economy Lawsuits

Honda may have dodged a big bullet today when a circuit court judge reversed a small claims court ruling that found the company responsible for lying about its fuel economy on its hybrid vehicles. The plaintiff in that case had claimed that Honda misrepresented its fuel economy and won nearly $10,000. Superior Court Judge Dudley W. Gray II ruled Tuesday on Honda's appeal of a small-claims court

Read More

President Obama Comes Out In Favor of Gay Marriage

President Obama has announced that he now supports gay marriage. That's a huge turnaround from his prior stance on the issue, and he does so at a time when the civil rights of gays and lesbians are under assault from social conservatives who think that they should be imposing their religious views on others.

I think he saw the reaction garnered from what VP Joe Biden and Sec. Arne Duncan said

Read More

Phase One of NY Penn Station Upgrade Begins This Summer

It's been a long time coming, but the Moynihan train station construction project's first phase will be getting underway this summer. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Tuesday the $270 million first phase of the project that includes expanded concourses and extra entryways on the western end of the station. The adjacent James Farley post office will also become a new

Read More

MTA's East Side Access Project Faces New Delays

For those hoping that the MTA could get the East Side Access project on track, wonder no more. It will be seeing even more delays now that the construction has run into new troubles at the Sunnyside Yards. It now appears Long Island Rail Road trains won’t be stopping at Grand Central Terminal until 2019.

That’s the word Tuesday from Joseph Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation

Read More

Foiled Underwear Bomb Plot Linked With UAV Airstrike in Yemen

Well, as I suspected yesterday, the foiled underwear bomb plot and the UAV raid that killed a major al Qaeda figure (and who was linked to the USS Cole bombing) were connected. "I was told by the White House that they are connected, that they are part of the same operation," Representative Peter King told CNN a day after news of the intercepted bomb that authorities said was intended to make its

Read More

Israel's Netanyahu Forms Coalition Government With Rival Kadima

Israeli politics can make for strange bedfellows. The Knesset is made up of 120 parlimentarians, and to govern, one must be able to get a majority of Parliament. In the last election, Likud was given the opportunity to form a coalition government (in Israel's history, no single party has ever garnered sufficient seats to form a government on its own). It did so, but only barely.

The need to

Read More

ACLU Blocks New Jersey TRU-ID Law From Implementation

New Jersey's Motor Vehicles Commission (MVC) was supposed to begin handling drivers license renewals and new issuances under the federal REAL-ID standard that was years in the making starting today. The New Jersey program was called TRU-ID, and required individuals to provide specific kinds of identification to prove that they are who they say they are. That included unexpired drivers licenses

Read More

Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Takes Hit When Federal Funding Dries Up

The Tappan Zee bridge needs replacement. That much is clear to pretty much everyone. The new span is expected to cost at least $5.2 billion. It would cost a whole lot more if it is built with heavy rail to connect the Metro North lines on either side of the Hudson River, so the fast-track plan put forth by Gov. Andrew Cuomo omitted that plan but would have the bridge built with the capacity to

Read More

RIP Adam Yauch

My thoughts and prayers go out to Adam Yauch's friends and family. The name might not be familiar to everyone, but his band, The Beastie Boys, certainly is.

Yauch passed away from complications from salivary cancer at the age of 47. The group had just been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, but Yauch wasn't able to attend due to his health:Adam Yauch, who performed under the

Read More

Rutgers University Faces Bigger Problem Than Merger Talk

While New Jerseyeans are questioning the wisdom of Gov. Chris Christie's proposed merger of Rutgers University with Rowan University and reorganizing the state university and Rutgers trustees are opposed to the merger (with caveats), a far more important question needs to be asked of the university and its priorities.

Is the university truly dedicated to teaching the next generation of students

Read More

No More Mo? Mariano Rivera Suffers Torn ACL And Career Is In Jeopardy

It's probably the last way that Mariano Rivera thought his career would end. Landing awkwardly during shagging fly balls during the pregame warmup routine.

His face told the tale. The pain in his knee and needing to be carted off for an MRI.

Rivera will need surgery, but the Yankees are now peering into the future of life without the greatest closer of all time backstopping their bullpen as

Read More

Cut the Fat, Cut the Gas Consumption?

In the past few days, there have been a series of reports about the costs of obesity on the American economy. The study attempts to quantify how much obesity costs for health care, transportation, and other factors.Because obesity raises the risk of a host of medical conditions, from heart disease to chronic pain, the obese are absent from work more often than people of healthy weight. The most

Read More

The US Army Releases Bin Laden Papers Online

The US has decided to release 17 declassified documents captured during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year.

The letters are posted on the Combatting Terrorism Center website of the US Army at West Point.

The accompanying report provides context, including how al Qaeda views itself and its allies, coreligionists, and relationships with countries such as Iran and Pakistan. For

Read More

Despite Monitors, Assad's Forces Continue Bloodletting

Despite the fact that there's supposedly a UN brokered ceasefire in place, Bashar al-Assad's security forces continue murdering protesters and carrying out attacks against those opposed to the regime.

The latest incidents involve security forces attacking a university in Aleppo Syria and killing at least four students. Around 1,500 students had been protesting in student quarters next to Aleppo

Read More

NYS Department of Transportation To Install Barriers On Bronx River Parkway

The New York State Department of Transportation has begun installing new concrete barriers along the stretch of the Bronx River Parkway where seven people were killed when their vehicle careened off the viaduct and crashed more than 60 feet to the ground. Two other segments along the Parkway will get similar treatment.The 2-foot, 8-inch concrete slabs will be placed on the righthand side of the

Read More

May Day Protests/Marches Across New York City

While most of the action in New York City appears to be in the Midtown area thus far, Lower Manhattan, including Federal Hall, Wall Street, and Zuccotti Park are empty of protesters/marchers on this May Day.

That's likely to change this afternoon and evening as metal police barricades are everywhere - especially along Broadway and around Federal Hall.




The metal barricades are everywhere

Read More

Obsolete and Dangerous Infrastructure Contributed To Deadly Bronx River Parkway Crash

Over the weekend there was a deadly accident on the Bronx River Parkway adjacent to the Bronx Zoo. Seven people were killed when their vehicle somehow managed to cross four lanes of traffic and over the side barrier and crashed more than 60 feet below into a storage yard at the zoo.

Local politicians are clamoring for action and wondering why the elevated section has high curbs and

Read More

Al Qaeda, Down But Not Out A Year After Bin Laden's Death

Al Qaeda is hurting a year following the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of a US special forces unit in Pakistan.

But it isn't done by a long shot.

Terrorists continue to try to plan attacks, and they are using all kinds of methods to spread word of their plans.

One such plan and communications methods was intercepted just days after bin Laden was killed. A 22-year-old Austrian named

Read More

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 159

Today, the Freedom Tower (1WTC) will regain the title of the tallest skyscraper in New York City. It will soar more than 1,250 feet above the street, eclipsing the Empire State Building.
Crowning the world's tallest buildings is a little like picking the heavyweight champion in boxing. There is often disagreement about who deserves the belt.

In this case, the issue involves the 408-foot-tall

Read More

Jack White Does Seven Nation Army

Jack White, who with his wife Meg, were part of the duo White Stripes did a stripped down version of Seven Nation Army.

White, now touring in support of his solo album Blunderbus, has two backing bands helping him do renditions of songs from his entire career.

This is the concert version of Seven Nation Army:

Read More

Thinking Big: Expanding and Improving NYC Mass Transit

What can be done to improve and expand New York City's subway system, which is already the largest in the US, but which faces tremendous challenges? We already know how difficult it is to reclaim transit options that were previously built - think the Second Avenue Subway, which is finally seeing the first phase underway after decades of promises to replace the elevated line that was demolished

Read More

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Taken 3/2012 inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel

Read More

Zimmerman's Wont Be Able To Claim Indigent Status After Raising $200k

Mark O'Mara, George Zimmerman's lawyer, had been hoping to make a motion before the court to claim that his client should be deemed an indigent case so as to get taxpayer funds to cover the costs of his trial preparation.

That's not going to go over well considering that Zimmerman's website (before it was taken down yesterday) netted him over $200,000 for his defense fund. I doubt O'Mara will

Read More

Shuttle Enterprise Comes To New York City

UPDATE:

Here's better photos of the return pass before the Shuttle Enterprise comes in for a landing at JFK International Airport in Queens. The 747 and Enterprise are emerging from behind the World Financial Center and the National 9/11 Museum is the structure below and 3WTC is the structure on the left:















UPDATE:
I've had a chance to review the photos more closely, and here's

Read More