Recent Posts
After a six-month closure for major improvements, the 102-year-old station in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is serving commuters again. The station, which offers R train service, now has new digital information signage, countdown clocks, charging ports for phones and other devices, better, brighter lighting, and beautiful new artwork. MTA head Joe Lhota did the honors of cutting the ribbon to officially open the station. “The work that we’ve done here was to bring it into the 21st Century,” Lhota said. This station is just one of many on several subway lines which will be renovated under the $836 million subway rescue plan. Quality of service is also high up on the agenda of improvements. “We’re not letting one minute go to waste during nonpeak hours,” Lhota added, saying that when new train cars arrive and new signal equipment is installed, the MTA will be able to run more trains. Some commuters were disappointed that the MTA did not add an elevator as part of the station’s upgrade. Having an elevator would be a great benefit to elderly, people in wheelchairs, and others who find using stairs a burden. “If you’re completely redoing a station, keep in mind the people who need to use it, not just the cosmetic improvements,” one commuter commented. Lhota said that putting in an elevator at the Bay Ridge station was not possible. “We couldn’t do it for this site because of the logistics,” Lhota said. “If we were able to do it, we would do it.” Four other R stations will be getting elevators in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act- at 59th St, 77th St, 86th St and Bay Ridge-95th...
read more
Just because Walmart does not have a store of its own anywhere in New York City does not mean New Yorkers can’t get the Walmart goods to their doors, pronto. Over the course of the past year Walmart has made five e-commerce purchases to insure its online customers that they can have same-day delivery of Walmart products. The latest purchase is of Brooklyn startup Parcel for almost $10 million. Parcel was launched in 2013 by Jesse Kaplan. Since that time, it has created an extensive database including every building it has ever delivered to. The stored information includes photos and details about service and other entrances. The company operates 24/7, and sends its customers real-time tracking updates of their orders through test messaging. Walmart, which seems to be taking aim at Amazon’s similar type of service, also purchased Jet, Bonobos, ModCloth and Moosejaw during the past...
read more
After 78 years of service connecting Brooklyn and Queens above Newton Creek, the old Kosciuszko Bridge was demolished in a controlled explosion. It took 944 coordinated charges to bring down large sections of the left and right spans of the bridge, which were then carted off. The debris from the bridge will amount to an estimated 22 million pounds of scrap metal. With the destruction of the old bridge, named for a Polish military engineer, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War, workers can now work on the completion of the second span of the new bridge over the creek. That bridge is due to open in 2020. The demolition caused a delay in traffic of about 5-10 minutes on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway just before 8am. The explosion was billed in advance as an “energetic feeling”, a term that was made fun of on social media. “An energetic felling. What does that mean? I don’t know,” Cuomo said as people laughed. With the destroyed bridge and new bridge in the background, Governor Cuomo discussed the future of New York City. “You look around this city and ask yourself, ‘What makes New York New York?'” he said to a crowd of city representatives and neighborhood residents. “What it was, was that our forefathers had vision, had guts, had determination and they built a place that was...
read more
In 2010 an experimental public elementary school, the New American Academy, was launched in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Classrooms are open, with as many as 60 students in classes that use open classrooms utilizing progressive educational philosophies. The several teachers are part of the class, and they travel together with their students as they move up to higher grades. There are as many as four teachers associated with each class, who all work together as a team, with one master teacher in charge of the entire group. In this arrangement, the master teacher, who assists her less experienced colleagues to improve their teaching skills, was paid an annual salary of $125,000. Substantially more than the usual pay scale for teachers in the New York City school system. As of September 7, of this year, the first day of the new school year, 21 teachers at the New American Academy will have their incomes seriously slashed, in some cases by as much as $50,000 less per year. Teachers and parents at the Academy are angered by the Education Department’s decision to bring the school’s remuneration policy in line with other schools in the system. “It’s gross, it’s horrible, it feels hopeless to try to change the system,” one New American Academy teacher said. The teacher will suffer a $50,000 pay cut under the new system. “It’s heartbreaking,” the teacher added, who wants to remain anonymous to protect her job. “This is the most inspirational place I’ve worked in. But I don’t feel represented by either my union or the Department of Education.” The principal of the school did not comment on the cuts. A spokeswoman for the DOE, Toya Holness did not explain why the city was cutting the teacher’s salaries, only that they did it. “The agreement ended and we didn’t renew it,” said Holness, who asserted that the city really does support its teachers. The teacher’s union has decided not to fight the decision. “While we believe that the program was a worthwhile experiment...
read more
Wie politischer Außenseiter, Sander Gerber, spielte eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Beendigung von PA’s Martyrs ‘ Pension Plan. Im Februar, Sander Gerber, Chief Executive von einem New Yorker Hedge-Fonds, montiert die Bühne auf eine einflussreiche jährliche Versammlung von konservativen Aktivisten und gewählten Beamten aus den Vereinigten Staaten. “Danke für die Gelegenheit, etwas überraschend zu teilen, was ehrlich gesagt ich nicht wusste”, sagte Gerber in seinem Vortrag auf der konservativen politischen Action-Konferenz (CPAC), die sich selbst der “Geburtsort” des modernen Konservativen beschreibt. Gerber, trug eine schwarze Kipa, fuhr fort, das Publikum über das “Pay to erschlagen”-Programm der palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde zu erziehen, ein System, das im palästinensischen Gesetz kodifiziert wurde, das finanzielle Zahlungen und Renten plant, verurteilt Terroristen und die Familien der Palästinenser, die Gewalt gegen Israelis oder Amerikaner begehen. Die US-Steuerzahler foots einige der Rechnungen für die Zahlungen und Pension Plan als Teil von America’s rund $400 Millionen ein Jahr ausländische Beihilfen Paket für die palästinensischen Gebiete. Aber vielleicht nicht lange, wegen einer Rechnung, die sich schnell in den Senat Stock. Bekannt als The Taylor Force Act-benannt in Erinnerung an die Texas-Native und West Point Graduate, die in den Tod von einem palästinensischen Angreifer gestochen wurde, während Besuch in Tel Aviv in 2016-die Gesetzgebung, die seit Erhalt von Belang Unterstützung, wurde durch den Senat verabschiedet Ausschuss für auswärtige Beziehungen am vergangenen Donnerstag mit einer 17-zu-4-Abstimmung. Sollte es passieren, würde die Rechnung der staatlichen Abteilung zu zwingen, die Mittel für die PA, wenn Sie leitet alle Mittel gegen Terroristen oder ihre Familien. Die PA wäre auch verpflichtet, “glaubwürdige Schritte” gegen Anstiftung zu Gewalt gegen Israelis und Amerikaner zu ergreifen. Am Montag, Senat Minority Leader Charles Schumer fügte seinen Namen als Co-Sponsor der Rechnung, Zementierung der zweigliedrigen Unterstützung für die Gesetzgebung und fast sicher, dass es Gesetz werden wird. Wer, dann ist Sander Gerber, der Mann, den viele glauben, war dazu beigetragen, die P.A. Praxis der Zahlungen und Pension plan für Terroristen und ihre Familien in die Öffentlichkeit zu bringen? Die ehemalige und 1989 ansässige Universität von Pennsylvania...
read more
At about 1pm on Sunday a transformer near Jay street blew out, interrupting subway service between downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. Despite the temporary nature of the failure directly effecting service on the A, C, E, F and G lines, other lines far from the source of the trouble experienced delays as well. Not only did the outage disrupt subway signals causing delays to mass transport throughout the city, above ground three buildings in the Red Hook Houses , the largest public housing project in Brooklyn, were also affected. Emergency workers from Con Edison and electricians from the New York City Housing Authority arrived to the area to resolve any issues. One resident on life-support required help. Governor Andrew Cuomo asked the state to look into the extent of responsibility Con Edison bore for the transformer’s failure. “ConEd must be held accountable for the multitude of issues with their infrastructure that are too frequently impacting the lives of millions of New Yorkers,” the governor said. By about 3pm everything was once again up and running as usual, although system failures seem to be occurring with more regularity recently. This past summer was especially difficult in terms of delays, meltdowns and...
read more
After six-months of renovations, the 53rd Street station in Brooklyn is open for business. Commuters expressed a mixture of pleasure, bewilderment and disappointment at the changes they found. For $72 million three R lines stations got facelifts as part of Governor Cuomo’s plan to re-do and upgrade 33 stations overall. Travelers were happy to see glass barriers, bright lights, beautiful new art, and even USB ports at the Sunset Park station. What they weren’t quite as glad to see was something new: leaning bars. One commuter said, “I was wondering what it is.” She is a nurse, and because she is on her feet all day long she would, “rather have benches instead of this leaning thing.” It seems several people had the same reaction to the leaning bars. The trains on the R line are notoriously interspersed, often ten minutes between trains. Often called the “Rarely line,” several commuters voiced their preference for a comfortable place to sit. Without benches homeless people have nowhere to lie down, say some. Joe Rappaport, executive director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence, a non-profit organization supporting those with disabilities, said the design of the leaning bars is “incredibly unwelcoming,” and uncomfortable. “People who travel who have disabilities or just get tired sometimes need a bench to sit on, not a wall to lean against,” Rappaport said. “You want to lean, you can lean. There’s a wall in the subway station.” There is also disappointment that much needed elevators have not yet been installed. An elevator would be helpful not only to those with disabilities, but also to the elderly and people with children in strollers. At the moment, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has the budget to install elevators and escalators in 19 stations. The MTA defends its decision to install the leaning bars, asserting that none of the benches that were there before were taken out. “These bars were adopted for the convenience of subway users, providing them with options while taking up very little floor...
read more
Uncertainty is the enemy of financial markets and the investors that rely on them. But it is not just uncertainty that gives investors the jitters. According to Chuck Cumello of Essex Financial Services, this year politics seems to be influencing investors more than he has personally seen in 30 years of portfolio management. Instead of a calm sense of security emanating from Washington DC, the political vitriol and divisive language coming from the country’s capital has clients’ emotional life veering from “fear” and “greed” and back again. The almost constant tension and political volatility is adding a task or two to the job description of financial advisors, Cumello states. When clients want to act on their visceral reactions to the distressing play-by-plays and unceasing drama of White House intrigues, financial managers are forced to rush in and remind them that despite their gut reaction to the latest headlines, the world is neither about to end nor on the verge of the greatest economic opportunity in history. They must play the part of counselor, or even therapist, to calm them down. As Cumello put it: “Trying to help clients stick to the agreed-upon long-term plan to help them achieve their financial and life goals can be challenging under “normal” circumstances. One would be hard pressed to use the word ‘normal’ in our current political climate.” Cumello, who is the CEO and president of Essex Financial, says that these trying times can be an opportunity for advisors to solidify their relationships with their clients. As Cumello put it in his thoughtful and thought-provoking article: “The best advisors always use times of stress or instability to cement their relationships with their clients. They never shy away from difficult or challenging conversations; they embrace them and use these events as opportunities. An opportunity to reinforce and clearly prove the critical role they play in their clients’ lives. An opportunity to review their client’s financial plan and to fully engage their clients on their agreed-upon commitments to achieve the...
read more
