as of just now 8 blocs
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Buffalo Bayou Park Opens! June 20, 2015
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Today we celebrate our independence in NYC! The sky couldn't be bluer, the lumpia couldn't be crispier, and the halo halo couldn't be more refreshing! >New-Yorkers, come out to Madison Square Park and join the festivities!
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We support VA chief Shinseki He may be an easy target but he is not the source of current Veterans Affairs problems. As stated by Gen. Barry McCaffrey, “He is determined, focused and wants to factually understand a problem so he can get a sensible solution.” He is a soft-spoken soldier who does not pound the table or raise his voice. In 2003 he stood up to Rumsfeld when he said thousands more troops would be needed to secure postwar Iraq. For that he lost his job but not his integrity. We do not want a competent and honest man to be replaced with a glad-hand politician.
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Blue skies, warm dry air, and a cool breeze. At looong last, we had a perfect day.
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We're shocked that 275 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by militants. We realize politics there are extremely turbulent, but it's unconscionable for children to be used as bargaining chips. We support the protesting >Nigerians that demand more government and military attention in this matter!
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City Council, pass the community board reforms! We strongly support these reforms. Community boards are weak at best. At worst, they are dominated by self-interested or deeply biased individuals who directly, systematically oppose the residential majority of the community. It's time to re-draft the blueprints that permit such corruption to destroy our neighborhoods!
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RIP Al Feldstein The activists of the 60’s got their early exposure to satire and inept government from the pages of Mad Magazine. Al cared about humor, kids and country and he made a difference.
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We're 100% for personal expression. That said, if anyone's gonna call Obama un-Presidential for his Two Ferns interview, they better be calling Dubya's amateur painting exhibition downright anti-Presidential! 50 more years down this road and ex-Presidents will be showcasing their coloring book work!
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We're a bit freaked out by all the people gone missing in the last week. Dental student Jiwon Lee missing for a week, fashion designer Jay Ott missing for 8 days, and banker Andrew Jarzyk missing for 10 days. We hope these folks are found and this trend stops. - http://www.nytim
es.com/2014/04/0 3/fashion/the-s... - http://gothamist .com/2014/04/06/ columbia_dental... - http://www.nydai lynews.com/new-york/mystery-sur... -
It's that time again: Lower East Side nightlife operators are applying for liquor license expansions. We've been sick of the atmosphere for years and nothing has changed. We urge Lower East Siders to register their positions in this survey from the LES Dwellers.
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Props to Mayor de Blasio for funding free prekindergarten education in NYC! Thanks for making this an issue and for fighting for it!
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America's congress, a sad but true April Fool (from Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader)
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The LAPD needs to re-read the Constitution. They have no right to hoard license plate data collected from police vehicles and telephone poles. Their defense, that vehicles "may" be stolen, sought by an Amber Alert, or driven by a fugitive, is pathetic. The 4th Amendment applies here, and what "may" be possible falls far from implying what is "probable". But we appreciate the challenge of law enforcement, so a compromise could be to let the DMV track this information and release it only by warrant, or to filter out--in real-time--any license plate data that is not related to an ongoing investigation.
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"Artisinal tortillas"? Ay dios mio! We have enough gourmet/fusion/u
pscale Mexican food. What we need is good *homestyle* Mexican food! -
We sympathize for the business owners affected by the Harlem explosion, and we feel it's reasonable for the city to avail low/zero-interest emergency loans to help them out temporarily. But in the end, this is an issue for insurance and, possibly, for ConEd or the negligent landlords to rectify, not the city government.
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We need to stop long-term solitary confinement. As Americans, we're above torturing prisoners in this brutal way. It just feeds a cycle of violent behavior and a culture of punitive destruction that ends up making its way onto streets and local precincts. It's just another way being tough on crime has not only backfired, but turned us from the values this country is founded upon.
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Obama's termination of the NSA's bulk phone metadata collection is a significant step forward! We're relieved to see it happen. However, the greater problem goes on: that there is little transparency or oversight of the FISC and other secret powers granted by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Fixing that is how we repair our damaged democracy.
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Crimeans join the >Russians and the other >Ukrainians join the West. Seems like a fair trade! It's on us now to make the most of this.
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4,4 magnitude earthquake today within the city limits. It wasn't bad enough to injure anyone or damage property, but we take it as a reminder that we all need to be prepared for the Big One™.
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We're uneasy this morning after a building "exploded" in East Harlem. We hope no one was killed and that it was just a terrible accident.
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In other neighborhoods, yesterday's 65° weather was an exciting taste of spring. For us >Lower-East-Siders, it was an omen of the out-of-control nightlife violence that summer brings. Two fights broke out outside of the Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side Monday night. One was an old-fashioned broken bottle duel, the other a violent attack of a female by a male. The Hotel's own security guards didn't even intervene--guards from across the street did! And it goes without saying in this neighborhood, the cops didn't show up until everything died down. Yet further examples of how >Lower-East-Siders are being run roughshod by bar operators in collusion with a corrupt Community Board 3 and NYPD Precinct 7, threatening the fragile economic progress made in the previous decade.
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California policyholders congratulate Kaiser Permanente for their recognition as highest in customer satisfaction -- seven years in a row. Keep up the good work and continue to improve. Meanwhile, Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are neck in neck in their race to the bottom of customer satisfaction as they appear to follow the motto, “profits before patients.”
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Congrats to everyone that finished the marathon! You made it harder for us to get to brunch and pig out, but you still made us all proud.
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"Sun"-day delivered! New Yorkers, hurry up and... do everything!
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Mexico’s Avocado cartels >Americans, particularly >foodies, face another dilemma as conscience shoppers; are we supporting violence against Mexican farmers and workers by snacking on our beloved guacamole? The Knights Templar, one of Mexico’s most violent gangs, extorts nearly every working citizen in many areas of Michoacan. Through kidnapping, assault and intimidation they collect at least 10% of earnings from everyone in the avocado business: from growers, pickers, truckers and exporters to sellers of pesticides and other farm products. We praise brave >Mexicans as they band together in armed citizen defense groups and begin to openly oppose the gang. Their actions have forced the Mexican government, notoriously corrupt at every level, to finally stand up to the cartel and provide additional support to the people of Michoacan. Thanks to KCRW for the broadcast on their Good Food blog: “Jose de Cordoba: Avocado Cartels”
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>Lower-East-Siders applaud the persistent efforts of Ms. Boyd and the LES Dwellers to awaken and galvanize our community. We sense a turning-of-the-corner in LES quality of life thanks to their efforts, and look forward to further progress in 2014!
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Well this goat head in Prospect Park is totally disgusting. Come on, New Yorkers! Let's keep it classy-ish!
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Putin's aggression against >Ukrainians continues to undermine his oft-repeated claim that >Russians play by the international rules. Which just validates our own sidestepping of treaty and protocol. All of which concerns us because it may be setting the region up for a destructive confrontation. Hopefully Ukrainians can find a middle ground between Western and Russian alignment.
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We are heartened by the rain. And it is not the typical light sprinkles that puts the local networks on “Storm Watch.” It’s a bonafide winter storm from the Pacific. On Friday it dropped 2 1/4 inches on downtown Los Angeles and more in the foothills. The storm generated warnings of flash floods and mudslides and created 12 foot waves at some beaches. Last night some San Gabriel Valley residents were awakened by two reverse 911 calls; the first warning of a tornado (“…take shelter now…”) and the second warning of flash floods. Despite our elation over the rain experts say it will do little to relieve the drought. Nevertheless it’s better than nothing. And we love it.
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Good job, kids! Keep it up!
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As >Americans "We love writing, and we love trains, and we love them both together."
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Sorry, Raymond, we don't think that gun is gonna help the Knicks shoot any better.
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Programming languages are not foreign languages, just as mathematics, sheet music, and art are not foreign languages. Specifically, programming languages don't have anywhere near the expressive power of natural languages, nor are they formed by thousands of years of cultural history. Kids need to become computer literate, no question about that. But this shouldn't come at the expense of exposure to foreign cultures. In fact, we need to ensure our kids are getting more exposure to other cultures, as the globe becomes smaller and smaller.
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We must not ignore the >North-Koreans. Nothing on Earth compares to the horrifying scale of inhumanity there, and the extent of oppression and despair that render them incapable of revolution. We must not mistake their inaction for satisfaction with their condition. As free people in the most powerful country on Earth, it is *our* duty to come to their aid. Michael Kirby of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in DPRK, summed up the imperative: "At the end of the second world war, so many people said, 'If only we had known. If only we had known the wrongs that were done...' Well now, the international community does know. There will be no excusing a failure of action." For starters, let's pressure our government to hold the >Chinese accountable for abetting this regime. Let's support NGOs, such as LibertyInNorthKo
rea.org, that help refugees. Let's talk with friends about this, and about our responsibility for the weakest and most abused of our fellow human beings. But let's not ignore the North Korean people. -
A look at what might be! It's just a map, but it's enough to awaken our imagination and focus our hope for better public transportation!
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"We are, after all, connected."
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40° + sun = a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
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It was an impressively beautiful opening ceremony, projecting the high culture and artistry of Russia more than their international power (risked life of 11-year-old notwithstanding). On a stage like this, it's understandable that they presented Soviet-era brutality in very abstract terms. But even in those terms, some of the scenes were very utilitarian, cold and almost unhuman, making them some of the darkest in recent Olympics opening ceremony performances. Overall, fine job, >Russians.
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Ah. More snow. Remember, New Yorkers: "More snow now = less bugs later."
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We find the treatment of gays in Russia horrifying. (See attached video.) This is not a civil society. This is a backward-looking society that refuses to accept reality of any kind. It doesn't look like this will change anytime soon. The struggle for equality continues in America, and the gains currently achieved were hard-won. But with proactive government opposition, it seems the struggle will be much harder in Russia. The only recourse may unfortunately be to wait for the culture of the >Russians that champions conformity and nationalism to reach some self-destructive extreme, after which the pendulum of civility can swing back the other way.
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It was great having the rain around! ...The associated traffic, not so much. But what's new?
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This is going to be one *interesting* Olympics.
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We call for Coca-Cola, General Electric, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa, all sponsors of the International Olympic Committee, to take a stand against Russian anti-LGBT law that bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” We praise AT&T for acknowledging that "Russia’s law is harmful to LGBT individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society."
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We wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! Whether or not you're one of the 1.3 billion >Chinese in the world, may your year be filled with good luck all the same! 恭喜发财!
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Glad the the stop-and-frisk chapter is closing. It was a shameful stain on this city's multicultural past spilled by this city's xenophobic elite. De Blasio's settlement, along with his pre-K education proposal, advances minority youth two steps forward to Bloomberg's one step back. But, hmm... Now that the police won't be busy stopping random kids of color, we wonder which esteemed NYPD effort they'll be bolstering with their free time: • weekend mounted unit petting zoo (amid rampant crime) in the Lower Eastpacking District, • highly-praised and constructive amateur counter-terrorism research in Afghanistan, or • "undercover" participation in citywide terrorization by motorcycle gangs. Curious indeed. Only time, and the next lawsuit, will tell.
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We're getting depressed by all of the gruesome killings so far in the new year. On the 8th, 4-year-old Myls Dobson was found dead, after weeks of starvation and torture. Eleven days later, Deisy Garcia and her two toddlers were found stabbed to death after her husband flew into a drunken jealous rage. And just this morning, Estrella Casteneda and her 24-year-old daughter were found beaten to death by hammer. What the heck is going on? We're more accustomed to intense heat bringing the crazy out of people, but not so much the cold. Either way, we hope this isn't the beginning of a macabre trend.
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We're ready for the SOTU!
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"Flipped learning" is an interesting teaching idea that warrants more attention. Making videos available for home study will help in situations where the textbook is too dry or doesn't provide the broader context the teacher desires. This can also justify the tablet investment that administrators seem obsessed with making (mentioned recently by the >parents). While we don't think it can replace in-person lessons, we applaud creative experimentation like this.
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We're happy and hopeful about the peace accord reached between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Violence has claimed too many lives and wasted too much of our collective potential, and we look forward to a safer, more prosperous future. However, we must not rush to celebrate, as other violent movements remain which need to be addressed.
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We're disturbed by the weekend's violence in Egypt, as documented by many reports of military and mob violence targeted at >egyptians protesting the government, as well as at foreign reporters. It seems to us like the pro-military camp prefers absolute social order to a democratic republic, and we can't help but feel that's a short-term solution with severe long-term costs. We hope trust can be rebuilt so a new democratic attempt can be undertaken.
