Barack Hussein Obama reelected to a second term as the 45th President of the United States of America.
Lots of challenges ahead.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Election 2012: Chaos? Even for Mayor Mike?
Even Mogul Mayors can have problems at the polls. Election worker can't find Mayor Michael Bloomberg's name on the voter registration list. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/11/6539084/total-chaos-scenes-polling-sites-throughout-new-york-city
Election 2012: The Optics Are Optimistic
Nate Silver, Sabermetric and Political Expert, King of All Stats, sees combined poll results giving President Obama a lead. But it ain't over til it's over. Details here
Election Day 2012
Hard to believe it is Election Day in the United Staters of America, in general and New York City, in particular. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Election Day will seem like an afterthought to many in the New York City metropolitan area, but this of course is a year of many important races. Hopefully, those who can vote, will.
The New York City Board of Elections, which continues to take many hits, to its credit, has a comprehensive website loaded with information and resources for voters (those who can access it.)
Find your local polling place and see your sample local ballot here
From the Board of Elections: The polls are open from 6 A.M. to 9 P.M. BoE Phone Bank is 866 VOTE NYC, the Phone Bank is open on Election Day from 5 A.M. to 9 P.M.
El Día de Elecciones es el 6 de noviembre de 2012. Los centros de votación estarán abiertos de 6 AM a 9 PM. Nuestro número de servicio (Phone Bank) 866-VOTE-NYC estará funcionando el Día de Elecciones de 5 AM a 9 PM.
2012年11月6日是選舉日。所有投票處從早上6:00開放至晚上9:00。選舉局熱線為866 VOTE NYC（866-868-3692）。熱線從選舉日早上5:00開放至晚上9:00。
2012년 11월6일 선거일, 투표소는 오전 6시부터 오후 9시까지 개장합니다. 전화 교환국은 866 - VOTE - NYC이며, 선거날은 오전 5시 부터 오후 9시 까지 근무합니다.
নির্বাচনের দিন হচ্ছে ৬ই নভেম্বর, ২০১২। ভোটকেন্দ্রগুলো ভোট গ্রহনের জন্য সকাল ৬টা থেকে রাত ৯টা পর্যন্ত খোলা থাকবে। নির্বাচনের দিন আমাদের ফোন ব্যাংক সকাল ৫টা থেকে রাত ৯টা পর্যন্ত খোলা থাকবে, আমাদের ফোন ব্যাংকের নম্বর হচ্ছে 866 VOTE NYC ( 866-868-3692 )।
Monday, November 5, 2012
New York New York: Life Lines
I. CITY IN CRISIS
Like yours, my heart goes out to the folks who were struck by so much hardship and loss from the storm.
I thought this was a very telling quote from today's NY Times:
"The offices of The Jewish Daily Forward occupy the eighth floor. Samuel Norich, the publisher, said he was allowed into
the building for about a half-hour on Friday to retrieve servers and hard drives. He said that there were water marks on the lobby’s white marble walls that reached two to three feet above the floor line. Building management, he said, told him that some eight million gallons had been pumped out of the basement.
“We had prepared for an emergency,” Mr. Norich said. “The emergency we had prepared for was an act of terrorism, not this.”
Given the very large number of people seeking to volunteer and make donations of supplies, and now that the government and NGO organizations are on-site and in action, dispensing emergency and corporate donations, volunteers are being turned away, and recommendations made that financial contributions be made instead to suitable organizations. Details here
The following agencies are among those accepting contributions to assist people affected by Hurricane Sandy:
II. LOCAL COLOR
Despite the tragedies faced by those impacted first hand by the storm, the rest of us are fortunate that the inconveniences experienced by some, of no power, no phones, no cable, no internet, and for most in the region, no gas, are worrysome but hopefully beginning to abate.
After the fairly long hike from Fiske Terrace to alternative subway options, it was really convenient having the Q back up and running. Early this morning, it was a smooth, fast ride.
We were conserving fuel and doing errands on foot for the last couple of days. The lines at filling stations were of course overwhelming. Since I am a subway commuter, I was more than willing to leave the car until the gas situation resolved itself, hopefully in a few days. However, My Better Half, who works in Bushwick/East New York, once again proved remarkably resourceful in overcoming gas line adversity and strategically getting a fill up so that she could make it to work at her school. A projected two-hour bus ride plus walk, with limited ability to shlep supplies for her students, wasn't going to cut it. Early this morning, she checked out www.Gasbuddy.com to narrow available fuel options and then made a few phone calls to stations to assess the status, and then headed out for a roughly one hour wait to get fuel and head to work with her students.
Hopefully in the days ahead, just as the critical needs of many thousands of survivors of the storm hit the hardest, for food, shelter and other resources, will be met, so too the other disruptions, power outages, phone problems, gas shortages, etc. also will begin to ease, and NY-ers not immediately and seriously impacted will return to some sense of non-crisis, so that the focus can remain on assisting those who are most in need.
-Anthony Napoli, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Like yours, my heart goes out to the folks who were struck by so much hardship and loss from the storm.
I thought this was a very telling quote from today's NY Times:
"The offices of The Jewish Daily Forward occupy the eighth floor. Samuel Norich, the publisher, said he was allowed into
the building for about a half-hour on Friday to retrieve servers and hard drives. He said that there were water marks on the lobby’s white marble walls that reached two to three feet above the floor line. Building management, he said, told him that some eight million gallons had been pumped out of the basement.
“We had prepared for an emergency,” Mr. Norich said. “The emergency we had prepared for was an act of terrorism, not this.”
Given the very large number of people seeking to volunteer and make donations of supplies, and now that the government and NGO organizations are on-site and in action, dispensing emergency and corporate donations, volunteers are being turned away, and recommendations made that financial contributions be made instead to suitable organizations. Details here
The following agencies are among those accepting contributions to assist people affected by Hurricane Sandy:
- American Red Cross www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy
- Brooklyn Recovery Fund www.brooklynrecoveryfund.org
- Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City www.nyc.gov/html/fund/html/home/home.shtml
- Salvation Army www.salvationarmyusa.org
- United Way Sandy Recovery Fund www.uwsandyrecovery.org
II. LOCAL COLOR
Despite the tragedies faced by those impacted first hand by the storm, the rest of us are fortunate that the inconveniences experienced by some, of no power, no phones, no cable, no internet, and for most in the region, no gas, are worrysome but hopefully beginning to abate.
After the fairly long hike from Fiske Terrace to alternative subway options, it was really convenient having the Q back up and running. Early this morning, it was a smooth, fast ride.
We were conserving fuel and doing errands on foot for the last couple of days. The lines at filling stations were of course overwhelming. Since I am a subway commuter, I was more than willing to leave the car until the gas situation resolved itself, hopefully in a few days. However, My Better Half, who works in Bushwick/East New York, once again proved remarkably resourceful in overcoming gas line adversity and strategically getting a fill up so that she could make it to work at her school. A projected two-hour bus ride plus walk, with limited ability to shlep supplies for her students, wasn't going to cut it. Early this morning, she checked out www.Gasbuddy.com to narrow available fuel options and then made a few phone calls to stations to assess the status, and then headed out for a roughly one hour wait to get fuel and head to work with her students.
Hopefully in the days ahead, just as the critical needs of many thousands of survivors of the storm hit the hardest, for food, shelter and other resources, will be met, so too the other disruptions, power outages, phone problems, gas shortages, etc. also will begin to ease, and NY-ers not immediately and seriously impacted will return to some sense of non-crisis, so that the focus can remain on assisting those who are most in need.
-Anthony Napoli, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Q Train Running in Brooklyn; Partial Service Restored
The Q train is running in Brooklyn northbound between Kings Highway and Atlantic Avenue; Southbound between Jay Street/Metrotech and Kings Highway
Other details here http://www.mta.info/
We south central Brooklyn residents - especially Fiske Terrace Flatbush love our Q (and hopefully soon B) train!
Other details here http://www.mta.info/
We south central Brooklyn residents - especially Fiske Terrace Flatbush love our Q (and hopefully soon B) train!
Update on Donations and Volunteering
Our friends at Ditmas Park Patch compiled an excellent list of information and opportunities to help:
http://ditmaspark.patch.com/articles/5-things-sunday-71ca71bf
Don't forget to Like the Ditmas Park Patch on Facebook.
http://ditmaspark.patch.com/articles/5-things-sunday-71ca71bf
Don't forget to Like the Ditmas Park Patch on Facebook.
On the Upcoming: It's All in the Numbers, says Silver
Nate Silver, Five Thirty Eight's statistician and pollster at the New York Times, calling the election for President Obama, based on a preponderance of polling data from critical electoral college states. But since an election is still an horse race and Silver is striving to be statistically objective he has discussed the remote circumstances where those numbers could go wrong -- but still sees the reelection of the incumbent President statistically more than likely and probably a done deal. Details here:
http://nyti.ms/U6UJX5
http://nyti.ms/U6UJX5
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Vlacke Bosh Chronicles: Post-Storm Sociability
The most amazing quality of New York is its fantastic resiliency. Friday night after work at Sycamore on Cortelyou Road. 
Post-Storm New York: Ways to Help
Despite the emerging efforts of FEMA and Red Cross, many opportunities to help still exist.
A comprehensive rundown of Volunteer opportunities and ways to help from our colleagues at the Ditmas Park Patch:
http://ditmaspark.patch.com/articles/post-sandy-update-where-to-volunteer-in-brooklyn
A comprehensive rundown of Volunteer opportunities and ways to help from our colleagues at the Ditmas Park Patch:
http://ditmaspark.patch.com/articles/post-sandy-update-where-to-volunteer-in-brooklyn
The World Keeps Turning
Sundown following a 90 degree beach day in Yaffo near Tel Aviv, Israel. November 3, 2012
Photo by Danielle Moghadam
Photo by Danielle Moghadam
Thursday, November 1, 2012
CODA: Storm Giving You Gas? Just Wait.
Fuel analysts blame distribution issues that are by-products of Hurricane Sandy -- including power outages that prevent transport of fuel from storage facilities to trucks to local stations -- and not actual fuel shortages as among the principal reasons for lines at the pump and empty stations throughout the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. It could result in a temporary price spike at the fuel pump and take several days, possibly a week, to stabilize.
More details here .
More details here .
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
CODA: Storm Fatalities in Ditmas Park
Emergency Service and Medical Examiners staff at site of fatalities of two local residents killed last night during Hurricane Sandy by a falling tree while walking their dog on Ditmas Avenue and East 18 - East 19th Streets. The dog was taken in by a neighbor.
Details on the young couple are now available-- Jessie Streich-Kest and Jacob Vogelman. Ms Steich Kest was a teacher at Bushwick HS for Social Justice and Mr Vogelman was a graduate student at Brooklyn College. Sincere condolences to their familes. Link here
Details on the young couple are now available-- Jessie Streich-Kest and Jacob Vogelman. Ms Steich Kest was a teacher at Bushwick HS for Social Justice and Mr Vogelman was a graduate student at Brooklyn College. Sincere condolences to their familes. Link here
Photos by Tony Napoli Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Storm Coda: Trees Down Across Q/B Train Tracks at Avenue H
Huge tree fell across tracks in both directions near the Avenue H Stop
Photos by Tony Napoli
Local tragedy: www.ditmas park.patch.com reported about two local residents and their dog who were killed when they were struck by a falling tree at Ditmas Ave and E 18 th and E 19 th streets
Photos by Tony Napoli
Local tragedy: www.ditmas park.patch.com reported about two local residents and their dog who were killed when they were struck by a falling tree at Ditmas Ave and E 18 th and E 19 th streets
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