"Commuters decry N.Y. toll-hike plan" August 17, 2011|Associated Press
JERSEY CITY - New York commuters complained they are getting stuck with the bill for the new World Trade Center and post-9/11 security projects, as authorities moved yesterday to more than double the cost of entering the city, from $8 to $17 per car.
At crowded hearing rooms on both sides of the Hudson River, angry commuters traded turns at the microphone with labor union members, who are eager to keep toll money flowing into ground zero and other construction projects managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“Why are the people of northern New Jersey paying for the attacks that were against all of America?’’ said Brook Wiers of Jersey City, during a meeting near the Holland Tunnel.
Entering New York City would cost motorists $17 by 2014, up from the current $8, if the toll increases are approved by the governors of New York and New Jersey....
Much of the money is going to fund the $11 billion World Trade Center....
The Port Authority receives no tax money, so most of its revenue comes from tolls and fees. Other commuters complained that highway toll money is being used for projects that have little to do with maintaining bridges and tunnels.
Union leaders, meanwhile, said construction funded by the higher tolls would create jobs and boost the region’s economy.
--more--"
Related:
"The statue was closed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks for security precautions, but the base reopened in 2004 after a $20 million security upgrade. The observation deck at the top of the crown was reopened on July 4, 2009....
--more--"
Also see: Driver in deadly NYC tour bus crash pleads not guilty
"Bloomberg won’t apologize over aide" New York Times / September 5, 2011
NEW YORK - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg acknowledged yesterday that he concealed the arrest of former deputy mayor Stephen Goldsmith, but refused to apologize, even as Goldsmith said he regretted keeping it hidden.
Given Israel's recent stance regarding Turkey one can only conclude this is some sort of Jewish flaw.
The mayor rejected the idea that he had an obligation to tell the public, saying that “I always assumed it would come out, but it’s not my responsibility.’’
Goldsmith, 64, was arrested in Washington on July 30 after an altercation with his wife at their home there. He told the mayor of the arrest and resigned a few days later.
Bloomberg said he felt no need to further embarrass the family by making the arrest public.
“My first obligation is to make sure he no longer continues to work for the city,’’ the mayor said yesterday. The next obligation was to “treat him and his family with as much respect as we can and not make their tragic situation any worse.’’
Goldsmith, in an e-mail to The New York Times, said it was his responsibility to reveal the arrest. “As a former employee, I, not the mayor, should have more fully disclosed the reasons for my resignation. I thought the immediacy of my resignation mooted the need for further explanation. I was wrong.’’
Goldsmith was charged with simple assault domestic violence; prosecutors were not pursuing the case because his wife wanted the charges dropped.
This was Bloomberg’s first comment on the controversy since it was revealed Thursday that the mayor had misled the public as to why Goldsmith resigned; at the time, the mayor had said only that Goldsmith was “leaving to pursue private-sector opportunities in infrastructure finance.’’
That means HE LIED!
--more--"
Related: Bloomberg hid resigned deputy’s arrest (By New York Times, Boston Globe)
Just protecting a fellow Jew?
Sorry, readers, but I have to take this call:
"‘Sorry, I’m on the phone’ a common ruse" August 17, 2011|Associated Press
NEW YORK - In all, 83 percent of Americans reported owning some type of a mobile phone. Of these, more than half said they have used their phones at least once to get information they needed right away. Mobile phones are also becoming tools for handling emergencies. Forty percent of owners said their phones helped in an emergency.
Phones also proved useful when staving off boredom, as 42 percent of respondents said they used their phones for entertainment when they were bored.
It’s not that phones are all fun and games, though. Twenty percent of cellphone owners said they experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something, and 16 percent said they had problems reading small print on the phone screen.
In a sign that we are getting increasingly dependent on our mobile gadgets, 42 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 said they had trouble doing something because they didn’t have their phone with them.
Pathetic.
--more--"
NEW YORK - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg acknowledged yesterday that he concealed the arrest of former deputy mayor Stephen Goldsmith, but refused to apologize, even as Goldsmith said he regretted keeping it hidden.
Given Israel's recent stance regarding Turkey one can only conclude this is some sort of Jewish flaw.
The mayor rejected the idea that he had an obligation to tell the public, saying that “I always assumed it would come out, but it’s not my responsibility.’’
Goldsmith, 64, was arrested in Washington on July 30 after an altercation with his wife at their home there. He told the mayor of the arrest and resigned a few days later.
Bloomberg said he felt no need to further embarrass the family by making the arrest public.
“My first obligation is to make sure he no longer continues to work for the city,’’ the mayor said yesterday. The next obligation was to “treat him and his family with as much respect as we can and not make their tragic situation any worse.’’
Goldsmith, in an e-mail to The New York Times, said it was his responsibility to reveal the arrest. “As a former employee, I, not the mayor, should have more fully disclosed the reasons for my resignation. I thought the immediacy of my resignation mooted the need for further explanation. I was wrong.’’
Goldsmith was charged with simple assault domestic violence; prosecutors were not pursuing the case because his wife wanted the charges dropped.
This was Bloomberg’s first comment on the controversy since it was revealed Thursday that the mayor had misled the public as to why Goldsmith resigned; at the time, the mayor had said only that Goldsmith was “leaving to pursue private-sector opportunities in infrastructure finance.’’
That means HE LIED!
--more--"
Related: Bloomberg hid resigned deputy’s arrest (By New York Times, Boston Globe)
Just protecting a fellow Jew?
Sorry, readers, but I have to take this call:
"‘Sorry, I’m on the phone’ a common ruse" August 17, 2011|Associated Press
NEW YORK - In all, 83 percent of Americans reported owning some type of a mobile phone. Of these, more than half said they have used their phones at least once to get information they needed right away. Mobile phones are also becoming tools for handling emergencies. Forty percent of owners said their phones helped in an emergency.
Phones also proved useful when staving off boredom, as 42 percent of respondents said they used their phones for entertainment when they were bored.
It’s not that phones are all fun and games, though. Twenty percent of cellphone owners said they experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something, and 16 percent said they had problems reading small print on the phone screen.
In a sign that we are getting increasingly dependent on our mobile gadgets, 42 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 said they had trouble doing something because they didn’t have their phone with them.
Pathetic.
--more--"
