text:
In an earlier post, I claimed SF's is better but in retrospect that's obviously absurd. The NY Metro area is 4 X bigger and the MTA moves many many more people to many more places. That said, there are obviously lots of problems that need improvement.
Nice you can find a simple bullet for every complex situation. Uber started & succeeded in San Francisco because of the high price of cabs and more, difficulty in getting one during critical periods. Another factor in other locations is the price gouging and cheating by taxi drivers, while AA noted the scam of medallions, where the concessionee would often hire out the concession to underpaid workers.
Health care has significant regulations that haven't much favored innovation - we're still talking about digital health records 1 election after another, for the last 25 years, and in the middle of the right's effort to hobble the restrained Obama effort in extending health care, the private approach posited by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway & JP Morgan/Citibank offers some optimism. [and while you may think you're teaching granny to suck eggs, I posted yesterday the piece on the Aetna head disallowing procedures sight-unseen, a rather glaring counter-example to the overhyped "death panels" that actually would more carefully evaluate procedures than we have with the status quo].
In the 90's, the Human Genome Project was launched, taking over 10 years and $3 billion, while a parallel private Celera project was launched much later, taking only 2-3 years and $300 million. We can see the success of Elon Musk's SpaceX boosters compared to traditional defense & space industry players used to sucking big money off the excessively regulated teat.
That doesn't mean regulation is useless, as Reagan and subsequent have contended, and government services like Amtrak could likely compete well against private services if they weren't continually hamstrung by their Congressonal lukewarm backers - which is where one of the issues lies - people making money will strive to make their service more successful. A government enterprise overseen by anti-government politicians has little chance of deep success, and try as you might, you can't pretend that the US government isn't managed by and filled with a number of people who've been trying to kneecap it for decades.
The strange thing is that a lot of people recognize and respect the almost universally acclaimed idea that services should be some kind of blend of public & private, with public being more necessary for critical areas and those where public service goals are significantly different from any profit-focused goal, such as public schools serving all sectors of society rather than just a narrow set of clientele.
All this said, and knowing little about the NY subway, I'd guess that the bigger problem is everyone embraces infrastructure expenditures as enthusiastically as most security measures, i.e. not at all until something catastrophic happens. You're liable to get much more credit fixing a few potholes vs. a new bridge or bypass, for a fraction of the cost, while the money for infrastructure tends to be highly visible and eternally controversial.
First the Gothamist article is from Oct. 2017. And you leave out the author's question mark from the end of her title.And she has a question mark for a reason, because This morning the B and Q were messed up, so I had to take three trains to work, two of which turned into other trains while I was on them
Second, I actually downloaded the 28-page report at the link, the link tells you nothing
I looked over the report..
Their rating of the cities is for Sustainable Urban Mobility.
It is not just about subways or even just about mass transit. It's about mobility, factoring nearly everything in, including geography and the urban plan.. I think it must include things like::cars and highways!, And airports! It does! It is not at all what you nor the Gothamist author present it to be.
They have used 3 factors
The People sub-index rates safety (traffic fatalities), access to transport services, share of trips taken by public transport, rider connectivity, digitization of the transport system, upkeep of the transport system, uptake of active commuting, airport passengers, hours of metro accessibility and wheelchair access. These indicators can broadly be thought of as capturing "quality of life" for a city's commuters and visitors.
The Planet sub-index ranks cities on greenhouse gas emissions, congestion and delays, efforts to lower transport emissions, bicycle infrastructure, air pollution, provision of green space and electric vehicle incentives. These indicators can be broadly thought of as "green factors".
.The Profit sub-index examines commuting travel time in a city, transport revenues as a share of expenses, public finance commitment, affordability of public transport, system utilization and efficiency of road networks. These indicators can broadly be thought of as capturing "economic health".
3.3 OVERALL INDEX RANKINGS The overall Index rankings reveal some key trends. Firstly, Europe dominates the top of the Index. Of the top ten places, seven are taken by European cities. Many of these European cities benefit from established and well-used metro networks such as London's Underground, strong bicycle infrastructure in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, and high shares of commuters using public rather than private transport. European cities are also environmentally conscious, with incentives to lower emissions reflected in cleaner air and greener mobility systems. Cities such as Zurich, Paris and 18 other European cities reflect these characteristics and sit in the top quartile of the Planet sub-index. Yet, the top spot in the Sustainable Cities Mobility Index is occupied by Hong Kong. The Asian city's mobility system, underpinned by a wellorganized, modern and efficiently funded metro system, manages to achieve many of the aims of an effective urban transport system – enabling comprehensive mobility around a city, creating economic opportunity and enriching the lives of citizens, business and tourists alike. Two other Asian cities are in the top ten of the overall Index: Seoul and Singapore rank fourth and eighth, respectively. North American cities are spread throughout the overall Index, ranging from New York in 23rd place to Indianapolis in 88th. While citizens of some American cities enjoy well-funded and comprehensive transport systems, many cities in the U.S. and Canada are undermined by a reliance on private vehicles and underdeveloped public transport options. Most Australian cities sit in around the middle of the overall Index. A lack of comprehensive underground metro systems and dependence on private vehicles deters mobility in Australian cities, and all have less travel made by foot, bike and public transport than their peer cities. Greater utilization of urban public transport would improve mobility in cities like Perth and Canberra. Promisingly, underground train networks are being expanded in Sydney and Melbourne, and under consideration in Brisbane. South American and African cities sit lower in the overall Index. Cities like Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Santiago are hampered by congested roads and relatively low commitment to infrastructure spending. Cities such as Cairo still has some way to go in providing infrastructure for a popular and well-used mobility system. The research examines further the three sub-indices to see in which dimensions of sustainability cities are performing well in mobility and in which areas they have opportunities to boost investment and improve quality of life
These are the cities included:
d Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Hanoi Kuala Lumpur Cairo Undisclosed Bangkok Undisclosed Lima Jakarta Indianapolis Perth Houston Tampa Johannesburg Undisclosed Kolkata Detroit Denver Dallas Atlanta Pittsburgh Buenos Aires Mumbai Seattle New Orleans Los Angeles Istanbul Tianjin Undisclosed Wuhan Mexico City Cape Town San Diego Santiago Rio de Janeiro Manila Baltimore New Delhi Leeds Moscow Philadelphia Bengaluru Melbourne Toronto Canberra Miami Sydney Chengdu Chicago Brisbane São Paulo Boston Antwerp Dublin Bristol Washington DC Athens Rome Macau Birmingham Brussels Montreal Manchester Chennai Guangzhou Lisbon Geneva Taipei Warsaw Vancouver Shanghai San Francisco Rotterdam Madrid New York Berlin Barcelona Hamburg Shenzhen Milan Edinburgh Beijing Lyon Munich Tokyo Copenhagen Amsterdam Frankfurt Stockholm Singapore London Vienna Prague Seoul Paris Zurich H
I found this page on New York
NEW YORK New York City has some of the most intricate transportation networks in the U.S. and they are increasingly under strain from an expanding population, limited space, aging infrastructure and a booming economy. Key to preserving the lifeblood of New York is its connection to New Jersey, from which 400,000 residents commute into Manhattan daily to work, making transit efficiency between the two an imperative. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has so far had an eventful 2017, undertaking two major airport projects. Newark Liberty International Airport broke ground on the $2.4 billion renovation of Terminal A, a project that will include new bridges, a car park and interior modernization to accommodate more passengers. Improvements to LaGuardia Airport are also underway, including a $4 billion unified terminals program, which will update insufficient facilities and provide greater capacity to meet record-breaking passenger volumes. The Authority also approved a $32.2 billion capital plan at the beginning of the year for bus terminal improvements, as part of a ten-year infrastructure strategy. An affordable ferry service launched this year. In the future, New York is planning additional programs, such as the Gateway Program, to increase track, tunnel, bridge and station capacity between Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station, New York, a key economic corridor through which New Jersey residents commute to and from the city. Even with these improvements, New York is still faced with major challenges to ensure its infrastructure reaches the necessary levels. A continued focus on design-build, private finance and technology are all vital for the future. For instance, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is implementing an enterprise asset management program to optimize asset data tracking for lower operational costs, while enhancing safety and reliability. New York leads North America in the Index. But it is also a city with a lot to lose if its planned major infrastructure projects are postponed.
I note this line in the above SOUNDS VERY "NEO-LIBERAL" TO ME!
A continued focus on design-build, private finance and technology are all vital for the future
P.S. It doesn't say how much they charge to fix things, but it apparently you hire these people when you have lots of extra money, like in Dubai or the Upper East Side of Manhattan, to make for better quality of life when the local government doesn't have people as skilled at that as they are. Interesting, fancy that!
Our Capabilities
Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services, we work in partnership with our clients to create exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets
ArchitectureMaster Planning and Sustainable Urban Development
Program ManagementCost ManagementContract Solutions
Design and Consultancy
Business AdvisoryEngineeringEnvironmental SolutionsWater Solutions
The Asset Lifecycle
We are able to design and deliver complex solutions by combining our technical, consulting and management skills to provide exceptional and sustainable outcomes for our clients across all phases of asset investments; from planning, through to creation, operation and possible redefinition.
hat we have done
2009Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
California High-Speed RailUnited States, California, Los Angeles and San Francisco
2016Water Security Mega Reservoirs Doha, Qatar - Middle East
East Side Coastal Resiliency New York, New York, USA
2014Thames Water London, United Kingdom
Simplistic agitprop just really doesn't apply to NYC transit, Hal, it just doesn't. First of all, it's not under the state or local government, it's run by a huge entity that actually involves three states and funds for the highways and bridges and all the other rail services are in it. This is no doubt why it rates decently on that report. The area had a dense population a 100 yrs. ago. The running of NY State is a constant situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul with lots of corruption going on and few alive are capable of understanding how the heck it all even works.
All I know is we got a brand spanking new gorgeous Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson in Westchester Country built in like record time collecting $5 tolls each way but 3 airports that are described by all and sundry as third world quality (near rioting at JFK over rotten logistics during a storm was halted not by police but by the terminal being flooded from broken water pipes) are supposed to be in the process of being fixed but the horror just drags on and on and YES, a subway system that is in terrible danger of falling apart because they have neglected maintaining anything in order to: do things like:build the Tappan Zee Bridge! Just like the NYTimes says, they have neglected it, it's true, they have not been taking care of it and we are having big big troubles all the time over the last year.
Seems to me what they have been doing instead is to install automatic toll cameras everywhere, to collect more and more money (George Washington Bridge now: $15!) and have hired a private company to use those and other new cameras to send drivers automatic $50 tickets" when they go over 5 miles an hour going through the toll booth or go over 25 mph anywhere in the city. The amounts of money they take in grows and grows and grows and hardly anything seems to get done except more efficient ways of getting more money from users. So they don't have to raise taxes higher and higher, they just create more and new fees for everyone to pay.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) provides local and express bus, subway, and regional rail service in Greater New York, and operates multiple toll bridges and tunnels in New York City.
OverviewLocaleNew York City
Long Island
Lower Hudson Valley
Coastal ConnecticutTransit typeCommuter rail, local and express bus, subway, bus rapid transitNumber of lines
- 16 commuter rail routes
- 5 Metro-North routes
- 11 LIRR routes
- 26 rapid transit routes
- 25 subway routes
- 1 Staten Island Railway route
- 322 bus routes
- 234 local routes
- 71 express routes
- 17 Select Bus Service routes
Daily ridership8,764,983 (weekday; all modes)Chief executiveVeronique Hakim
(Managing Director)[1]Headquarters2 Broadway, New York, NY 10004Websitemta.infoOperationBegan operation1965Operator(s)
- MTA Long Island Rail Road
- MTA Metro-North Railroad
- MTA New York City Subway
- MTA Regional Bus Operations
- MTA Bus
- MTA New York City Bus
- MTA Staten Island Railway
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S. state of New York, serving 12 counties in Downstate New York, along with two counties in southwestern Connecticut under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, carrying over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 800,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday. MTA is the largest public transit authority in the United States [....]
Here's the problem, short version: CORRUPTION AND/OR MIS MANAGEMENT AND BUREUCRACY. I can't bear reading it, most New Yorkers can't bear reading it either, it's just too complex and been happening far too long:
Budget gaps[edit]
The budget deficit of the MTA is a growing crisis for the organization as well as for New York City and State residents and governments. The MTA held $31 billion in debt in 2010 and it also suffered from a $900 million gap in its operating budget for 2011.[88] The capital budget, which covers repairs, technological upgrades, new trains, and expansions, is currently $15 billion short of what the MTA states it needs. If this is not funded, the MTA will fund the repairs with debt and raise fares to cover repayments.
The MTA has consistently run on a deficit, but increased spending in 2000–04 coupled with the economic downturn led to a severe increase in the financial burden that the MTA bore. The budget problems stem from multiple sources. The MTA cannot be supported solely by rider fares and road tolls. In the preliminary 2011 budget, MTA forecasted operating revenue totaled at $6.5 billion, amount to only 50% of the $13 billion operating expenses.[89] Therefore, the MTA must rely on other sources of funding to remain operational. Revenue collected from real estate taxes for transportation purposes helped to contain the deficit. However, due to the weak economy and unstable real estate market, money from these taxes severely decreased; in 2010, tax revenue fell at least 20% short of the projected value.[90] Beyond this, steadily reducing support from city and state governments led to borrowing money by issuing bonds, which contributed heavily to the debt.[91]
This budget deficit has resulted in various problems, mainly concentrated in New York City. New York City Subway fares have been increased four times since 2008, with the most recent occurring March 22, 2015, raising single-ride fares from $2.50 to $2.75, express service from $6 to $6.50 and the monthly MetroCard fare from $112 to $116.[92] Each fare raise was met with increasing resistance by MTA customers, and many are beginning to find the fare increases prohibitive. 2010 also saw heavy service cuts for many MTA subsidiaries.[93] Fewer trains spaced farther between resulted in heavy overcrowding beyond normal rush hours, leading to frustration for many subway and bus riders.[94][95][96] In 2013, the subway had the highest ridership since 1947.[97] MTA employees also suffered due to the budget issues. By mid-July 2010, MTA layoffs had reached over 1,000, and many of those affected were low-level employees who made less than $55,000 annually.[98]
As of 2015, the MTA was running a $15 billion deficit in its $32 billion 2015–2019 Capital Plan.[99] Without extra funding, many necessary construction and renovation projects would not be performed.[100] In October 2015, the MTA passed the $29 billion 2015–2019 Capital Plan,[101] the largest capital plan in MTA's history; it will be funded by federal, state and city government as well as riders' fares and tolls.[102] Three months later, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and MTA chairman Thomas Prendergast unveiled their plan to spend $26 billion to modernize the subway network, which includes adding Wi-Fi and cellphone services throughout all 278 underground stations by the end of 2016. Other plans call for making extensive renovations to 30 subway stations, allowing mobile ticketing by cellphone or bank cards, and adding security cameras on buses, charging stations for electronics, and more countdown clocks. Roughly $3 billion will be spent to improve bridges and tunnels.[103][104]
Reasons for high costs[edit]
On November 18, 2017, The New York Times published an investigation into the problems underlying the MTA. It found that politicians from both the Democratic and Republicanparties, at the mayoral and gubernatorial levels, had gradually removed $1.5 billion of MTA funding. Other actions by city and state politicians, according to the Times, included overspending; overpaying unions and interest groups; advertising superficial improvement projects while ignoring more important infrastructure; and agreeing to high-interest loans that would have been unnecessary without their other interventions.[105] The Times stressed that no single event directly caused the crisis; rather, it was an accumulation of small cutbacks and maintenance deferments.[106] The MTA funds were described as a "piggy bank" for the state, with the issuance of MTA bonds benefiting the state at the MTA's expense.[105] By 2017, a sixth of the MTA's budget was allocated to paying off debt, a threefold increase from the proportion in 1997. The city's $250 million annual contribution to the MTA budget in 2017 was a quarter of the contribution in 1990. David L. Gunn, who helped end a transit crisis when he led the NYCTA in the mid-1980s, described the 2017 crisis as "heartbreaking".[105]
In December of the same year, the Times reported that the $12 billion East Side Access project, which would extend the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal upon its completion, was the most expensive of its kind in the world, with a projected price of $3.5 billion per mile of track. Over the years, the projected cost of East Side Access had risen by billions of dollars due to unnecessary expenses. In addition to overpaying workers and overspending, politicians and trade unions had forced the MTA to hire more workers than was needed. In 2010, an accountant found that the project was hiring 200 extra workers, at a cost of $1,000 per worker per day, for no apparent reason. The bidding process for MTA construction contracts also raised costs because, in some cases, only one or two contractors would bid on a project. Similar construction projects in New York City, such as the Second Avenue Subwayand 7 Subway Extension, had been more expensive than comparable projects elsewhere for the same reasons, even though other cities' transit systems faced similar, or greater, problems compared to the MTA.[107]
P.S. This exemplifies what most New Yorkers who live here any length of time, no matter what political persuasion, know to be true about how infrastructure maintenance or improvement usually works:
In addition to overpaying workers and overspending, politicians and trade unions had forced the MTA to hire more workers than was needed. In 2010, an accountant found that the project was hiring 200 extra workers, at a cost of $1,000 per worker per day, for no apparent reason. The bidding process for MTA construction contracts also raised costs because, in some cases, only one or two contractors would bid on a project.
We all liked The Sopranos, because so many of the scripts rang so true. Your shtick just wouldn't sell here. When you run for local office here, you talk about complex corruption causing our problems, whether you honestly intend to do something about it or not, because you won't win unless you do so.
And the 2017 "crisis" is really a crisis, that is really "heartbreaking" just as David Gunn said. The politicians really did "steal" $1.5 billion from the MTA. Who would have used it to pay more phantom workers....
Where one can usually find the truth about NYC mass transit, if one really needs it: from the most passionate users, not from the government nor for-profit consultancies. Thankfully, they too are a "lobbyist" but not as powerful as some others:
Getting New York's Subways Back on Track
Aging infrastructure and antiquated technology have contributed largely to the biggest issues plaguing our subway system. Recently, New York's subway system has seen a major decline in service, with a steady increase of subway car breakdowns, subway cars that are filled beyond capacity with riders, and delays that have more than doubled in the past five years alone.
For several years, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has reassured riders it was prioritizing capital funds to move the system to a "state of good repair." The MTA says it was caught flat-footed by the widespread problems in 2017, but in fact, it took specific steps that brought the system to its current state of disrepair. For example, transit managers have reduced standard maintenance cycles on subway cars. The MTA has also not replaced C train cars, which, at 45 years, have gone well past their useful life; as a result, they break down more regularly than any line in the system.
New York City's subway system has suffered from both financial divestment and political neglect. The Straphangers Campaign will continue to advocate that the MTA prioritize funding projects that will return the subway system to a state of good repair.
Reimagining New York City's Buses [....]
I can't understand the LA bit at all. How do you build NY-style metro across LA when these people in the burbs aren't going to the same place? It takes literally an hour or more to get from one end of Wilshire to another, and that's just 1 of the many drags in the city. The reason NYC works so efficiently in this regard is they're all going to the same compact downtown & surrounding locations, with plenty of traffic between them once you get there. I don't even understand the idea that LA's burbs are more highly dense than New York's - it's largely subdivisions out in the desert, maybe some apartment buildings but mostly tract housing and plenty of dust between.
Alright, I googled it, and the ridiculous article is rebutted here and here. Case closed.
What don't you get about this: the NYC transport system was working okay until about a few years ago BUT IT IS SERIOUSLY FALLING APART NOW because:
1. politicians stole a lot of the money for other things
2. there were a bunch of union and mob crooks running several big projects at the same time, overbilling and ripping off, no show jobs
The NY Times series is not a bunch of lies. It's real, it's happening, we are living it every day. I won't take the subway if I have to be anywhere at certain time because I can't Quite a few lines in Brooklyn and Queens have been shut down for repairs, people there have commute times doubled, tripled, it's seriously impacting the health care in this city, etc.
Your blather is not just absurd, it's cruel for those who live here. Thank god the NYTimes is on it. Otherwise all we'd hear from our dear leaders is that it's only in our neighborhood, everyone else has it fine.
Don't use us for your bias confirmation, no thank you. We are very unhappy right now!
P.S. And all 3 airports suck right now. Flying in or out of here is truly a 3rd world experience. Ask any New Yorker.
And yes, increased Uber traffic is contributing to the chaos BECAUSE the subway system is not working well.
New York Daily News, July 31, 2017: Mayor de Blasio's approval rating tumbling amid transit 'Summer of Hell'
This week's New Yorker cover perfectly renders NYC's summer of transit hell
Bob Staake's "Hell Train" feels like an accurate depiction of dealing with the subway this summer
By Amy Plitter @ CurbedNY, Jul 31, 2017, 11:45am EDT
Thank god for 4 seasons, it's not gotten better, only worse but at least it's not hot down there for now
Special investigation: what the hell happened at JFK Jan. 4? (Wired, Jan. 10: INSIDE THE 4-DAY DISASTER THAT NEARLY BROKE JFK AIRPORT) Who the heck is in charge of it anyhow? Is anyone responsible for running the air traffic here?
Hire Ray LaHood to do a special investigation
all they've done is hold a press conference so far
no it is not an ideal transport system to point to.
LaGuardia is worse!
New York City's subway is falling apart — here's how it compares to other cities around the world
Leanna Garfield @ Markets Insider
Nov. 21, 2017, 11:54 AM
The Awful Decline of the New York City Subway System
By Adrienne LaFrance @ TheAtlantic.com, July 13, 2017
The aging infrastructure was already terrible. Overcrowding made things much, much worse.
Photo caption. A conductor stands next to a stalled train in New York City after a power failure stopped multiple subway lines in April 2017.
And a long-form warning article back from Feb. 2005, it's not like they didn't know it was going to happen
By Clive Thompson @ New York Magazine
Beset by floods and fires and built on technology that predates the Model T, the subway, the very essence of New York, has become frighteningly fragile. And now that the MTA has dug itself into a deep financial hole, it has started traveling back in time to 1975.
Not sure if that was a joke, but no, doesn't prove if the solution is to privatize, to consolidate, to use a hybrid model, or what. The City didn't plan well to date - giving them even more control surely doesn't guarantee they'll do better. As AA daid, it's complex, and can't be reduced without seeming laughable.
This is the kind of thing you got with the regulation system of a limited monopoly of yellow medallion taxis and then licensed livery drivers: a class structure, with the yellow cabs on top and the black liveries below, who were forbidden to pick up hails on the street, and they hate each other.
City Council committee meets after livery driver's suicide
By Danielle Furfaro @ NYPost.com
February 12, 2018 | 10:49pm
[....] The current TLC Commissioner, Meera Joshi, said the number of city drivers has ballooned "at a rate nobody contemplated" and agreed the e-hail industry needs a "growth control mechanism."
She also addressed the recent suicides of two licensed TLC drivers.
Black car drivers booed and yelled "shame" when Joshi outlined the existing steep fines drivers face for picking up illegal passengers. Yellow cab drivers say there's not enough enforcement.
Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. accused TLC agents of entrapping and abusing drivers by pretending to be helpless people needing rides.
"These drivers are trying to do the right thing and the TLC is using entrapment to get their enforcement numbers," Diaz claimed.
The reason the black livery cab guy that committed suicide had it so bad is that he couldn't pick up hails without threatening his license. And livery drivers mostly work corporate contracts and those clients want a license. So they want to keep the license. But even with the license, they get treated like second class shit to the preferred yellows. Uber's don't need to risk hails, they work by cell phone from Uber's database, so they have it better off. They pretend they are a relative or friend and they don't need anything but a regular driver's license.
Anyhow, I read up on the Uber situation in other articles, too, and what's happened since DeBlasio tried to limit Uber in 2015 (but failed because there were so many pro-Uber protests) is that it's look like it's doubled just recently. It's doubled because: the subways are a nightmare for many in the boroughs, you need to get somewhere fast in Manhattan or even in borough, you call an Uber, ain't no yellows out there gonna pick you up. So they are going to try to limit now somehow, but not drastically, so that the flood doesn't depress the prices further. And eventually trying to do this congestion pricing thing.. So only people who really have to be in Midtown with a vehicle in the day will chose to do so. They always give priority to the subway in Manhattan up to 96th street anyway, it's built that way, with express tracks and everything.
Which brings up the point about LA and great distances. The NYC Subway actually does cover incredible distances, most people who use it as visitors only realize Manhattan which is only a tiny tiny part of it. And now with the internet, they can't even fit the whole map usably on a laptop screen, much less a cell phone, this is it:
If you are inbetween lines where's there not a lot of coverage, you still have to take a bus or even two to the subway, or an Uber. Lots of people out at the ends of it depend upon it, they don't have a car. Now stops and parts of lines are shut down, so even more people have to do that or backtrack and the like on various trains. The traffic is bad everywhere in the day because everyone double parks for deliveries and pick ups and it's only two lane streets in the boroughs for the most part so mostly you end up with one lane. Put a big damn bus in that lane, which is what the MTA does, the big ones with extensions, tand you got very slow traffic. this is why before Uber, the unregulated minivan transport services were becoming so popular, because a minivan can move where a huge bus cannot, go around double parked, go much faster. Uber just replaced the old style minivans and car-for-hire radio dispatchers, they're probably the same immigrants, same cars, same work, same pay. Ain't much diff there. Same desire to avoid a big lumbering bus that takes forever in traffic. The dispute is really all about traffic in to and out and about Manhattan. And who gets preferential treatment at airports. Uber drop off and pick up are far from the airport terminals, taxi stand right outside (with a half hour long line and a $75 fare to Manhattan.)
If you actually read the Arcadis paper it's people metric has no input related to satisfaction of users with the public transportation system. Or whether the system is perceived to be improving or deteriorating.
It just measures whether people making trips or commutes use it. That there may be no practical options to using a crappy system is not looked at.
As long as you don't die (fatality metric) on a hot LIRR train, your delays, discomfort or discontent are not taken into account.
Um great minds think alike, on my way back from my physical therapy appt. right in the middle of the Bronx, driving, I was thinking of making absolutely this same point on this thread. From a different direction, but coming at that report just the same.
What they have in that report is the arrogant urban yuppie dream of quality of life. Like the Brooklyn hipsters I saw Friday night at a "DiscoPunkElectronica 2000" retro party. A young couple living in a high rise, down the elevator, take the bike to the subway, zip to work in Manhattan, their dinner meanwhile delivered by Blue Apron to the doorman along with the pantyhose from Amazon prime. When they need to get out of town they rent a Zip Car from the garage down the block
What do my Coptic Egyptian immigrant physical therapists in the Bronx dream of as quality of life. Well they hope someday not to have to schelp up 2 flights of elevated train steps with the baby and the stroller and the two year old spilling the cup of cheerios and down the steps to pick up the dry cleaning, hook it on the stroller, up the steps, down the steps again, drag it all on to the bus, 20 more minutes to go 13 blocks, get off, stop at the Deli for milk and diapers, pay a fortune for the small sizes, but it also would have cost a fortune to rent a car to go to the supermarket once a week. What they would like someday for quality of life: a car and a driveway to park it in! And a little attached house with a little yard, maybe with a basement they could rent now and the kids could use when they get older. So they don't have to be on the bus and subway all the time, and have a place to put the diaper bag so that they don't have to carry it all the time, can shop at a big discount grocery store and get gallons of milk and big boxes of diapers and then drive right up to their house and unload the kids and groceries and dry cleaning right there at your door! The stroller? Oh now that's just for walks in the park, you keep it in the trunk. That's what they need, all they really want, a little house and a car and a place to park it, for quality of life. Like lots of their family have in New Jersey now, having escaped life in the "dense" (and dirty, filthy, exhausting, crowed) urban location.
Hahaha...Very true.
I almost expired once in the LIRR on a cool spring day from the heat, windows would not open. If the doors didn't occasionally open at stops neophytes like me would have become "fatality statistics", a 15% contribution to the survey's City People Rating, just below the top value Percent Who Use System.
The Arcadis thing was all about numbers, no surveys or questioning the public on satisfaction, why they use public transit, or don't use it.
Yup. Because they're just trying to get contracts. Best to not say anything too positive or negative, the idea is show off ex-per-tease. Look: we can spreadsheet with the best of ya!
I am not a spreadsheet person, I a picture and word person.
I saw Mumbai made it to #75 even though their Local leaves much to be desired:
Here's who's below them, in reverse order because that's how it pasted, # 100 to #76:
Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Hanoi Kuala Lumpur Cairo Undisclosed Bangkok Undisclosed Lima Jakarta Indianapolis Perth Houston Tampa Johannesburg Undisclosed Kolkata Detroit Denver Dallas Atlanta Pittsburgh Buenos Aires
The presence of Denver, Tampa, Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh below Mumbai tells me: you get a lot of points for having any kind of train at all, no matter how often it runs over people.
Edit to add: I get why # 97 thru 100 are "Undisclosed", but what might be the reason for the "Undisclosed" between? Something like: they are client...they are blackmailing them to become a client...they are being sued by them...
Everyone loves train vacation pics.
aw geez, c'mon, not even just a tiny smidgen of interventionism, like say, a single Peace Corps engineer?
I know, I know, we don't have a honest person to spare back here in third world NYC. And you send one guy and he wants to take along his buddy and next thing you know, you've got: Vietnam! But still.
What's wrong with Vietnam? We got a lot of war movies out of it, even made a hometown kid famous. Do we get to win this time?
So you can start an alternative to Uber for Manhattan/NYC - SteamTrunk for SteamPunks. Just a safe place near the street for stuff you don't want to lug up, not that you'd want to drive or anything silly. I had the same thing for my bikes - just a spot at ground level not to lug up 4 flights. And people used to tell me to take the baby seats out so no one'd steal them, if you can believe it. Like, get real. And maybe that's the killer app for drones as well - not pizza delivery or cheap shit from Amazon, but simply all your crap lofted from ground to 4th or 8th floor window. Ain't fun when the kid's asleep and you're unpacking and climbing...


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Mayor Coleen J. Seng and representatives of the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation today announced that more than $1 million has been raised for the Sunken Gardens Renovation Project. Nearly 70 percent of that total is from private donations, and the campaign is now more than halfway to its goal of $1.7 million. The campaign called "Polishing the Gem: Preserving Our National Treasure" will fund the first major renovation of the Gardens in its 73-year history.
"The aging infrastructure at the Sunken Gardens is creating safety concerns, limiting accessibility and increasing maintenance," said Mayor Seng. "The renovation is necessary in order for us to preserve this treasure for future generations. I want to thank the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation for doing an excellent job leading the campaign to renovate one of the public's favorite park areas in our City."
The renovation of the Gardens at 27th Street and Capitol Parkway will include a new handicapped-accessible entrance, a restored cascading water feature, restrooms, maintenance storage, renovated lily pools, an automated irrigation system, lighting, an entry pavilion and new sculptural elements.
About $665,000 has been collected from private individuals, businesses and foundations. Major corporate and foundation donors to the campaign at this point are the J.C. Seacrest Trust; Rotary International (Downtown and East); the Winnett Trust; the Ameritas Charitable Foundation; Campbell Nurseries; the Rogers Foundation; Union Bank; the Abel Foundation; the TierOne Bank Foundation; and the Pegler Foundation. The City has committed $200,000 of keno funds and $159,000 of in-kind contributions to the project.
"The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation wants to thank all of the generous donors who have stepped up to the plate and graciously helped us reach the one million dollar mark," said Foundation President Clancy Woolman. "While we still need to raise $700,000 to reach our goal, we are confident that the community's generosity will help us attract the needed funding to restore the beauty to this 73-year-old gem."
Co-Chairing the campaign for the Foundation are Mike Seacrest and Roger and JeNeane Dodson. They hope to complete the campaign this year and begin construction in 2004. The renovated Garden would be unveiled in the spring of 2005. Parks and Recreation Director Lynn Johnson said the City has selected the Clark Enersen Partners to complete the renovation design.
More information is available on the campaign web site, www.lincolnsunkengardens.com, which can also be reached from the City web site, www.lincoln.ne.gov. Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation, 2740 "A" Street, Lincoln, NE 68502.
Media Release

subset: commoncrawl


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Photo: "cold setting" my vertical bottle frame allows my travel french press to fit on my bike. It will help tomorrow morning.
I'm going to try to make the full trip to work one last time before I move. Tomorrow, my wife and I have an appointment to meet a manager at our new apartment. Unfortunately, the bus can't get me there before they close, so I'm also going to ride straight from work to the apartment complex, thus beating the bus and getting to the apartment on time.
I didn't get to ride much tonight. Just a little bit to navigate around campus and to run some errands. My wife left my car at the college last night, so I had to drive home from JCCC with my bike in the hatch. I'll obviously make up for the mileage tomorrow.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
One last time...
Photo: "cold setting" my vertical bottle frame allows my travel french press to fit on my bike. It will help tomorrow morning.
2 comments:
- Sefauna said...
Love you sweetie, be careful! Call me when you get to work in the morning.
- June 15, 2007 2:11 AM
- Apertome said...
Awesome. I have a mug that fits in my water bottle holder too -- mine doesn't have the French Press, but I put iced coffee in mine most of the time. Fellow cyclists get a kick out of seeing a coffee mug in my water bottle cage.
- June 15, 2007 9:56 AM
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By leaving a link or e-mail address in my comments (including your blogger profile or website URL), you acknowledge that the published comment and associated links will be available to the public and that they will likely be clicked on.


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During this season of love we once again find ourselves mourning the loss of innocents at the hand of yet another madman. Millions of us reach out in empathy for the families that directly bear the horror, understanding that one of our own could too easily have been among the dead. The unfathomable has become commonplace, an epidemic of deranged killers that threatens not only our lives but our way of life, our sense of security, and even our very beliefs.
It is hard to imagine what would drive a person to kill for the sake of killing, or kill strangers to avenge some perceived personal affront. You may become a target simply because you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or just because you are.
The deranged have forever been and will forever be among us. Both criminals and the criminally insane operate by profiling and targeting their prey. Whether it is the taking of a wallet or the taking of a life, these are calculating cowards that act when odds are overwhelmingly in their favor. Once they have experienced success with a plan they tend to stick to that modus operandi - and teach and learn from each other.
They have seen and learned that schools, malls and movie theaters are excellent places to easily execute large numbers of unarmed people. The media coverage will be swift and global, guaranteeing their notoriety. (How do you like me now?)
While the deranged have learned, American society has not. The frightening escalation in the frequency of these horrific events inevitably brings the condemnation of firearms and cries to curtail 2nd Amendment rights. The NRA is derided for advocating the arming of citizens to protect themselves against armed citizens. The easy access to and proliferation of guns must be addressed.
Yet there has always existed in this country a massive inventory of guns in the hands of citizens. Surprisingly, since the 1970s the number of households with guns has declined; so too have violent crime rates in America. It is not an increase in the quantity of guns that has caused a spike in mass killings - a phenomena that has been spinning up mostly within the last generation - it is due to an increase in the crazed who are emboldened to copy what their predecessors have done.
On the other side of the world, the same day as the elementary school shooting in Connecticut came a slasher to an elementary school in China, stabbing 22 youngsters.
Take away the guns and they will bring knives. Take away the knives and they will bring clubs. Put in metal detectors and they will prop open a back door. The criminally insane will not be denied their notoriety.
As I advocated after the Columbine killings and again after the Virginia Tech killings, we must get serious - right now - about protecting our children. There aren't enough funds to place an armed School Resource Officer in every school or in every campus building. We should immediately train and arm select teachers. It won't eliminate the madmen and cowards, but they will move on to other killing fields.
Whether or not you personally believe in the prudence of going armed, let's get this done for the sake of our children.
Columnist Michael Raymond can be reached at email@example.com.


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Mang Mountain National Forest Park, located in the northern foot of Nanling Mountains, south of the county in Hunan Yizhang Mang Shan Nature Reserve. Still save 6000 hectares of virgin forest, is the largest forest park in Hunan Province. Here is the world's best preserved and most representative of the original sub-tropical forest, evergreen broad-leaved forest. Has more than 1,700 species of plants, 300 species of animals.
Hunan is a province of the People's Republic, is located south of the Yangtze River. Most areas in the south of Dongting Lake, hence the name Hunan. Xiangjiang River runs through the territory of North and South, also known as Xiang. According to legend, the Xiangjiang River in the past few plant hibiscus, Tan Tang Dynasty poet used the "Autumn Hibiscus country thousands of miles" of the sentence, Hunan, it has "Hibiscus country, "said. Hunan, Jiangxi east, west, Chongqing, Guizhou, southern border of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei Province north. Jurisdiction of 13 prefecture-level cities and 1 autonomous prefecture, a total of 136 counties (county-level cities or municipal districts) or more administrative units, the provincial capital of Changsha City based.


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This homestay has an exotic location, panoramic views, well appointed rooms, special sightseeing tours, peaceful atmosphere and better privacy altogether make the four homestay an ideal staying choice for perfect holidays with family and loved ones. At this homestay we have created an atmosphere that is caring and warm. Our priority is your comfort and convenience. We provide you an ever memorable experience.
Far away from the maddening crowd you discover here a nostalgic loneliness of the long lost wild. The environment here will surely inspire that hidden poet in you. For all nature lovers, the experiences they will come across here will be forever unforgetful. Situated on a just 400 meters away from Kumily town, but away from the hustle and bustle of the city, its a perfect home away from home, hosted by family members.You will be treated as our own family unless you prefer to be a guest. The very sound of the word Thekkady conjures up images of elephants, unending chains of hills and spice-scented plantations.
In the Periyar forest of Thekkady is one of the finest wildlife reserves in India and spread across the entire district are picturesque plantations and hill towns that hold great apportunities for treks and mountain walks.The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary: Lying close to the plantations, in the rich jungles of Periyar in Thekkady is one of the world's most fascinating natural wildlife reserves.
CheersBye © 2019


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Karen Moore, 56
Karen Moore, 56, Wabash, died at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Autumn Ridge Healthcare Center in Wabash. She was born Dec. 29, 1956 in Warsaw.
Funeral services will be held at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Ave. Wabash on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw at a later date.
The memorial guest book for Karen may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.
Posted on 2013 Sep 25


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Job Search / Re: Thinking about starting my own practice..can I do that with just a JD?« on: November 18, 2012, 04:04:53 AM »
Unfortunately, none without a license. Man up and take the exam. It's really not that bad. However, in some areas there can be a decent living made doing background type work (research, drafting etc.) for other lawyers. This is particularly so in areas where solo-practitioners and small groups are more the norm.


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One of our most popular sheds. A bigger space that's great for smaller sections, this shed's a decent step up from our entry level models. It's perfect for lawnmowers, tools, bikes, kids toys, garage overflow, and any other storage demands that could crop up in the future. As with all Trade Tested sheds, this unit is in stock and ready for collection or speedy next-day dispatch.
Durable and attractive, this shed is made from double pressed, high-grade, galvanised steel. It is sturdy, won't warp or lose its shape, and it comes with a 12 year no-rust warranty.
The shed door is hinged for easy assembly and better reliability. It also has a handy lockable latch for security.
We know sheds Over the last decade of selling sheds in New Zealand, we feel like we've learnt what Kiwis want. We've taken every nugget of customer feedback, along with the vast experience of our shed assembly crew and refined it into what has fast become New Zealand's favourite shed.
Interlocking u-channels mean that assembly is simple, eliminating all the fit issues you'll find on a lesser shed. The integrated door jamb helps keep the weather out, while the rigid profile steel panels and 12 Year No-rust Warranty mean your shed will be looking great for years to come.
With a huge range of sizes and configurations in stock, we'll always have the right shed for you ready to go.
Designed for New Zealand conditions, by a bunch of shed-mad Kiwis, you know it's going to be good.
• Hinged door with lockable latch
• Hot-dipped, 0.32mm galvanised steel
• 12 Year No-rust Warranty
Colour: Zinc
External dimensions (including roof overhang): 1.55m (W) x 1.75m (D) x 2.02m (H)
Footprint dimensions: 1.55m (W) x 1.55m (D)
Internal dimensions: 1.51m (W) x 1.51m (D) x 2.0m (H)
Back wall: 1.8m (H); Front wall: 2.0m (H)
Door size: 1.95m (H) x 0.73m (W)
Carton Dimensions: 2.06m (L) x 0.47m (W) x 0.13m (D)
Carton weight: 61kg
Flooring: Trade Tested recommends using one of our timber floor kits, a concrete slab or pavers for your foundation. A strong and level foundation will improve the structural integrity of your assembled shed.
Sheds are kitset and come with assembly instructions. Our expert customer service team are on hand to help if you need it.
Trade Tested takes every precaution to prevent damage during delivery and our packaging is designed to withstand some of the toughest treatment in transit. However superficial delivery wear is sometimes beyond our control.
Our friendly and knowledgeable gurus are trained to answer all your questions as quickly as possible. So if there's anything you need to know just give us a call during business hours, or send us an email any time.
garden shed
7 days ago2019-02-14 19:05:45
nice solid shed, very easy assembly
Great shed
4 months ago2018-10-23 21:21:29
Great shed! Takes a fair bit of time to put together though. (For a non builder)
about 1 year ago2017-12-09 23:16:45
Very happy with garden shed excellent for the price.
Garden shed 1.55 X1.55
about 1 year ago2017-10-02 09:10:40
Great product Great price
garden shed
about 1 year ago2017-08-28 22:39:06
Great shed easy to put up,plenty of room for garden tools ext.very good.☺
Met expectations
7 months ago2018-07-26 09:32:12
Shed looks fine once constructed. Instructions and diagrams are inadequate so assembly is not for the faint hearted.
Garden shed
8 months ago2018-06-19 22:03:23
Well labelled and some parts easy to assemble,but some of the diagrams in the book are hard to see how they fit together especially around the door area and assembley
Ironsand garden shed
10 months ago2018-05-05 21:22:31
The instructions for this were disappointing, vague and misleading. Several times we had to disassemble parts to be able to get to the next stage. The shed itself is ok once we had it together. Took a lot longer to assemble also.
Great garden shed
about 1 month ago2019-01-21 02:24:08
Great customer service, shed arrived fast, took a bit of time to assemble it, but very pleased with the outcome. Great value. Would recommend this product.
Rivergum Shed
about 1 year ago2017-10-02 07:41:49
Great product, well priced and quick and helpful service
garden Shed
about 1 year ago2017-03-23 02:15:19
all parts in box, in the main easily assembled. Quick delivery
Good shed, manual is somewhat lacking
9 months ago2018-05-15 19:39:33
It was relatively easier to assemble the shed and I am no fan of DIY. The assembly manual does need some work though - it starts off well but there is a measure of confusion towards the end. All said, it is a good product and I am happily filling it up with gardening stuff. Buying from tradetested is easy and the goods arrived really quickly. The delivery person even helped to carry the stuff to my backyard.
Easy to assemble
about 1 year ago2017-07-06 08:52:48
Found shed to be easy to assemble and finished product square and level. Very happy.


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ASBMB members in the news this month include Juan S. Bonifacino, Titia de Lange, Yibin Kang, Phoebe Leboy, Yosef Shiloh, Stephen T. Warren, Meir Wilchek, Michelle Williams, Helen M. Blau, Philip C. Hanawalt and Carol L. Prives.
Bonifacino elected PABMB vice chairman
Juan S. Bonifacino recently was elected vice chairman of the Panamerican Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. PABMB aims to foster and support the growth and advancement of biochemistry and molecular biology within the Americas. The association disseminates information relating to biochemistry and molecular biology education, sponsors meetings and courses, and facilitates the exchange of faculty and students between institutions engaged in research and training.Bonifacino received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires and moved to the National Institutes of Health to do a postdoctoral fellowship. He later became chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch.
Bonifacino's research looks at the molecular mechanisms that determine protein localization and fate in the secretory and endocytic pathways and diseases that result from dysfunction of these mechanisms. In particular, he has conducted research on signals and adaptor proteins that mediate protein sorting in the endosomal-lysosomal system.
The Vilcek Foundation recently announced the 2011 winners of its annual prizes honoring the contributions of foreign-born scientists and artists. The sixth annual Vilcek Prize for Biomedical Science, given in recognition of a sustained record of innovation and achievement, was awarded to Dutch-born Titia de Lange, the Leon Hess professor and head of the laboratory of cell biology and genetics at Rockefeller University. De Lange received the award for her research on mechanisms that help maintain genome stability. Her work has led to a greater understanding of how telomeres protect chromosome ends and what happens when telomere function is lost during the early stages of tumorigenesis.
The Vilcek Foundation also presented Yibin Kang with its 2011 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The prize recognizes foreign-born scientists and artists not more than 38 years old who have made outstanding contributions in the early stages of their professional careers. Currently an associate professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, Kang's research contributes to the general understanding of the molecular basis of cancer metastasis. His work focuses on the identification of genes and pathways that control metastasis and their role in the propensity of cancer cells to metastasize to different organs.
The Association for Women in Science announced the selection of Phoebe Leboy as a 2010 AWIS Fellow at its 40th Anniversary and Fellows Reception held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this past spring.
In her presentation, AWIS President Joan Herbers noted: "We are honoring Phoebe Leboy for her excellent and long-term efforts in furthering the mission of AWIS through her work as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and her selfless service as a member of the board and president of AWIS. For 40 years, she has highlighted inequities faced by women in the STEM disciplines and worked diligently and successfully to reduce them."
Leboy is a professor of biochemistry emerita at the University of Pennsylvania. Her laboratory studies changes in gene expression associated with the formation and maintenance of skeletal tissue.
Yosef Shiloh, a David and Inez Myers professor in cancer research at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, was selected to receive the 2011 Israel Prize, Israel's most distinguished national honor. The prize is awarded by the Israeli Ministry of Education to Israeli citizens who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen profession.
Earlier this year Shiloh was the first Israeli to receive the 51st annual G.H.A. Clowes Award from the American Association for Cancer Research. He was honored for his studies on the cellular DNA damage response and the rare genomic instability syndrome ataxia-telangiectasia.
Shiloh has been investigating ataxia-telangiectasia and the defect in the DNA damage response that leads to this disease for more than 30 years. He revolutionized the field when his lab identified the ataxia-telangiectasia gene in 1995 and successfully cloned it, calling it ataxia-telangiectasia mutated. The identification of the ATM gene opened many new avenues of inquiry and allowed research to race forward. Since then, the Shiloh laboratory has expanded its studies to the mode of action of the ATM gene product – the ATM protein kinase – and the extensive signaling network that it activates in response to DNA damage.
Stephen T. Warren, the William Patterson Timmie professor of human genetics and Charles Howard Candler chairman of the department of human genetics as well as professor of biochemistry and pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, will receive the March of Dimes/Colonel Harland Sanders Award for Lifetime Achievement in the field of genetic sciences.
Established in 1986, the March of Dimes/Colonel Harland Sanders Award is given annually to an individual whose lifetime body of research and education has made a significant contribution to the genetic sciences.
Warren is a world-renowned researcher who identified the long-sought genetic abnormality responsible fragile X syndrome. This disorder is an inherited genetic condition that involves changes in the X chromosome and specifically the FMR1 gene. It is the leading cause of inherited intellectual disability.
Wilchek awarded Israel Chemical Society medal
Meir Wilchek, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, was awarded the Israel Chemical Society Medal. He shares the award, which is the society's highest honor, with Eli Hurvitz, an industrialist who transformed Teva into Israel's largest company and a world leader in producing generic drugs.
Wilchek is best known for developing the modern concept of affinity between biological molecules. In 1968 he and his colleagues created a method for affinity chromatography, which revolutionized the isolation of biochemical materials and opened the door to new opportunities in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, nanotechnology, physics and many other fields. This method has contributed to many developments in the life sciences and medicine.
President Obama has named Michelle Williams, University of Washington professor of epidemiology and global health in the School of Public Health, as one of the nation's outstanding mentors in science, math and engineering.
Williams, an expert in maternal and infant health, was among 11 individuals and four organizations selected as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The awards are given by the White House each year to individuals or organizations to recognize the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science or engineering, particularly those who belong to groups that are underrepresented in those fields. Williams is director of the UW's Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program and director of the Reproductive Pediatric and Prenatal Epidemiology Training Program at the UW. She also is co-director of the Center for Prenatal Studies at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and an affiliate investigator at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
The American Association for Cancer Research has recognized three American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology members whose work has significantly contributed to progress in the fight against cancer.
Helen M. Blau was awarded the Seventh Annual AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship. Blau is the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter professor and director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology in the microbiology and immunology department at the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is known for her research on cellular reprogramming, regulation of cell fate and skeletal muscle regeneration, and stem cell biology. By perturbing the intracellular or extracellular milieu, she can probe the regulatory network that determines cell fate and how it can be altered.
Philip C. Hanawalt, the Morris Herzstein professor of biology at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of DNA repair, received the Fifth Annual AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship for international collaboration. In 1963, Hanawalt and his student David Pettijohn first reported DNA repair replication in E. coli. That observation, along with findings from the groups of Richard Setlow and Paul Howard-Flanders, constituted the discovery of the excision repair of damaged DNA, launching a new biological field that continues to grow and provide remarkable insights into the etiology of cancer, aging and human hereditary disease.
Carol L. Prives, the Da Costa professor of biology at Columbia University, was awarded the 14th Annual AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship for her exceptional contributions to our understanding of the regulation and function of p53 as a major tumor suppressor. Prives was among the first to make the critical discovery that p53 is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein that functions as a transcription factor. This laid the groundwork for unraveling how p53 works.
Photos copyright 2011 AACR.
More from the current issue


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Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari 2014: How We RolledPosted in Events on March 7, 2014
For as long as I can remember, I've been addicted to playing in the dirt and like many of my Four Wheeler Network colleagues we can't seem to get enough of it. We're always devising plans or excuses to go out for the weekend and bomb around in the dirt. Although deadlines and stories are always in the back of our minds, we manage to set aside some free time at least a couple of times a year where we all hit the dirt and live it up for a good solid weekend full of wheeling, partying and sometimes no showers. Yeah, we're a dirty bunch of scoundrels.
Usually our annual reunion trip that we look forward to the most takes place on the first weekend of March during the Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari (More On That Here) in Northern Ocotillo Wells. We seem to gravitate towards this event like glitter on a stripper.
As in years past, we spent the weeks prior to TDS scrambling to get our desert cruisers in running shape to meet up with the rest of our rag tag group of family, friends and magazine editors, staffers and publishers alike for a weekend full of wheeling in and around the famed Notches of TDS.
Normally the first weekend of March makes for the perfect desert weather with blue skies and hardly a cloud in sight but this year gave birth to one of the nastiest storms we've ever seen at TDS which made us second guess whether we were wheeling on Mars rather than Earth.
The following is what happens when you let a bunch of magazine guys and off-road freaks congregate in the desert for a whole weekend of unsupervised mayhem!
As the days grew closer to the event, we weren't quite sure if we would all be out in the desert ready to wheel through the trails and Notches. Our good friend John Cappa had been making some great progress on his M1008 CUCV truck after adding a PSC Hydraulic Ram Assist steering setup to help turn his 39-inch Super Swamper Boggers in tight spots. Cappa was starting to say he might not make it out there because he wanted to trailer his truck, so of course we egged him on and talked him into driving it out there like a real man. Much to our surprise, he listened to us.
Next we decided to talk Hot Rod's Publisher, Jeff Dahlin, into coming out with us. It didn't take much arm twisting since Jeff is a well-seasoned veteran of TDS with 12 stints under his funny looking 'Morty' belt. Jeff's plan was to drive out in his Camburg-equipped long travel Ford Bronco, aka Off-Road Magazine's Project Juice, but unfortunately a bad ECM kept his long legged steed from coming out to the desert to strut it's stuff in the whoops.
Instead, he decided to hop in the passenger seat of my ugly old Ford Bronco that had just been prepped for life in the desert by Solo Motorsports of Covina, CA, who thrashed on the Bronco in the weeks prior to TDS to give it a proper long-travel suspension both front and rear. We're never really quite sure if this Bronco will make it very far every time we drive it but it always seems to do well and keeps on kicking butt despite looking like a pile of junk as you can see from this old photo from its stock days at Pismo.
Next on the list was our good friend Doug Mitchell who owns Off-Road Magazine's Project All-Mighty Dime S-10 Blazer. Doug has been coming out to TDS for quite a few years now despite having the curse of TDS reach out and touch his Blazer on at least one occasion. His little S-10 has sure come a long way and was crawling around the Notches and bombing around the desert like a champ thanks to his new Sky Manufacturing Solid Axle Swap kit with Jeep Wagoneer Dana 44 axles underneath his rig.
As usual there was quite a bit of last minute work going on and since Jeff and I would be riding in the Bronco for more than a few hours while hitting some rough roads, I went ahead and ordered up a brand new set of Corbeau Baja RS reclining suspension seats. These seats are incredibly clean and we opted for Corbeau's seat brackets with the double locking sliders to keep everything secure over hard bumps.
The one thing we didn't count on was buying the wrong shade of spray paint for our rattle-can touch up job so that our Bronco would photograph well. Oh well. We're planning on having some paint laid on in the near future.
Like clockwork, we made it about 17 miles before we had our first roadside casualty. Luckily our buddy's dad is a TV repairman and had an ultimate set of tools. It didn't take long before we had this thing sitting pretty at its new desert outpost. Word to the wise, transmission fluid is highly flammable so always carry a good extinguisher and know how to properly use it. Trust us; you don't want to deal with a tranny fire on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
There's nothing quite like rising up early to a desert sunrise, especially when sleeping in the back of your rig. We've found that a full air mattress will fit perfectly between the wheel wells of a full-size Bronco and provides the greatest sleep you can get while camping off the beaten path.
After stealing some of Cappa's SpaghettiOs, we loaded up our gear and hit the road in search of some high-speed fun. We seriously can't stand driving in Southern California traffic on Fridays but a nice leisurely stroll through a lonesome desert highway always seems to relax us like nothing else.
After airing down our tires, we decided to see who had the fastest 4x4 in the group. The Blue '75 Jeep Cherokee Chief FSJ has some serious wheel travel and had the most power in the group courtesy of a rowdy fuel-injected 350 c.i. Chevy V-8 engine. It was able to scoot across the dirt real well. Our ugly old Bronco was soaking up the whoops with ease and was getting ready to pass Cappa's M1008 CUCV truck when the 6.2L Diesel clattered to full speed and roosted the Bronco, pelting it with rocks and cracking the windshield in the process. The CUCV won this round.
With our small team of dirt bags ready to wheel the notches, we headed over to the Vendor's area to see what cool products we could find before the dust storm shut everything down for the day.
On the way there we found our buddy Verne Simons from Jp in his trusty little Flatty. When Verne wasn't looking one of us who shall remain nameless decided to jump in the Flatty and readjust all the mirrors so they faced the sky.
After grabbing a bite to eat we walked around the vendor's area to see if we could spot any cool products or rigs and we weren't disappointed. From Off Road Evolution's EVO1 King of The Hammers racer as well as the RESQ1 Jeep Wrangler chase truck to….
… Heavy Duty RCV axle shafts for 2 ½ ton Rockwell axles.
Before heading out into the 'Notches', we saw a Duramax Chevy stuck in the sand so we helped him push his tow rig to a safe spot. It was at this point when we realized his Wildwood toy hauler also needed to be rescued from the soft sand, so we hooked up our trusty Bronco with stock gears and 35 inch tires to see if we could pull the trailer out. The Bronco squatted down low but walked right out of the soft sand like an agile desert tortoise. Good Karma is always a great thing to have on your side when wheeling in the middle of nowhere.
After getting sand blasted by only the first of many dust storms, we ventured out into the notches to get our TDS 'Natcho' fix. It's fun to crawl around through the notches and with fullsize rigs; it sure makes for some interesting lines to keep from crunching in beloved body panels.
We always joke that wheeling in the Notches of Ocotillo Wells is probably what it would be like to cruise around on the moon's surface. Dahlin coined the term Moon Rovin' one year at TDS and ever since then we take it easy at night and say we're going Moon Rovin'.
The rear tailgate window in our Bronco seemed to quit working while we were out in the dirt and every time we hit a fun section of whoops, the rear window would get all excited and jump up and down as we floated over the bumps. We finally figured out that we could keep it in place with a few key pieces of cardboard but not before we drove through the worst dust storm of the weekend with the rear window in the down position. We're still cleaning sand out of the truck a week later.
This is one guy who knows how to party! What was once a run of the mill Suzuki Sidekick is now the life of the party in the dirt thanks to a Sawzall and a lot less sheet metal.
One of these creatures makes a loud grunting sound before eating its prey and the other one is just the biggest bear ever. One of the cool things about Ocotillo is all the fossils that have been found in the area - like the short faced bear - the largest bear ever known to man. It was 6 feet tall on all fours and weighed 1800 pounds but we think Cappa could have taken one of these guys down with the aid of a sharp rock while running around in a loin cloth.
Just in case you don't believe the level of ruggedness that is Cappa, here's a shot from TDS a few years ago when we talked him into jumping our old '76 Honda XL70 over a huge jump and didn't tell him the front brake lever was broken.
That'll buff right out..
The 4x4 going uphill always has the right of way. It's purely a momentum thing.
This guy's wife isn't going to be too impressed when she sees what happened to her Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ while her husband went out for ice cream. He definitely had the crowd roaring like wild school children.
It's always bittersweet hitting that last trail ride of the TDS Desert Safari and we can't wait to do it all over again next year.


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Here is an easy-to-make Pirate vest and eyepatch for your favorite little pirate. Made from felt and shoelaces, there is no sewing required to make this pirate vest.
Items needed:
- Black felt material (if 36" wide or more, 1/2 yd will work)
- One pair of Shoelaces 54" cord-type
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Elastic cord for eyepatch
- Chalk (optional, for marking)
- Fold felt fabric in half, so that the length from the folded edge is 18 inches (or more if working with wider fabric).
- Note that the folded area will serve as the shoulder area, so this must not be cut.
- We started with a piece (folded) that was 14 x 18 inches, but prior to cutting your material you might need to make an adjustment in size, depending on the child. You might need to work larger or smaller, as the case may be.
- Referring to the pattern, (you may want to draw chalk lines prior to cutting) cut out area for the side of the shoulder and the side taper.
- Next ... cutting ONLY the top (front) cut straight up the center front. Then cut diagonal lines, as shown, to form the front.
- Use a hole punch to make six holes (front and back) about an inch apart. Only cut one thickness of fabric at a time.
- Lace sides with a shoelace and tie off at end of lacing. Tie off ends, about even with the bottom of the vest, then cut off excess.
- Cut Eyepatch from area cut from side shoulder. Make two small holes to tie elastic cord through.
- Now your Pirate is ready to go!


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Revised excerpts from the 16th JRD Tata lecture, delivered in New Delhi, 19 August 2013.
This is a difficult time for the Indian economy. Growth has slowed, with industry shrinking over the last two successive months, wholesale price inflation has risen to 5.8%, and the rupee has been losing value sharply. There is reason to be upset about this and to demand more from policy makers. Yet, as I argue in this lecture, this is not India's biggest problem. The nation's biggest challenge at this critical juncture is a moral and an ethical one. This, for India, is a moment of moral churning. Skullduggery and corruption, cutting across party lines, have been rampant, eating into the moral fabric of the nation, leaving ordinary people befuddled and in despair. This is breeding a corrosive cynicism, leading people to believe that maybe this is the only way to be, that petty corruption and harassment is simply the new normal, whereby we should complain when we are left out of the gravy train and merrily join in if and when we get a foothold on that train. Yes, the economy has not done well over the last year or two. But once we look beyond the proximate causes we will realize that one important factor for the economy not doing well is the corrosion of values like trust and trustworthiness and their concomitant, poor governance.
As far as the current economic situation goes, conditions are grim, with a growth slowdown and a sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee. Nevertheless, the gloom and the pessimism spiral we see in India is disproportionate. It is driven in large part by the disenchantment with politics and is not borne out in reality. Let us look at the numbers. Some commentators have compared the current predicament with 1991; but in truth there is no basis for this. The growth now is around 5%, then it was around 1%; India's foreign exchange reserves are now enough for 7 months of imports, then it was enough for 13 days of imports; in absolute terms, in the early 1990s India used to have on average a forex reserve of approximately 4 billion dollars, now it carries approximately 280 billion dollars. And, importantly, now it has a floating exchange rate; in the early 1990s it had a fixed exchange rate. Conducting international trade with a fixed exchange rate is like driving a car without shock absorbers. In a fixed exchange rate regime a large current account deficit can cause a sudden shock to the economy, whereas now it is likely to be absorbed, in large part, by a depreciating currency. And that is what has happened.
Another factor contributing to the excessive gloom in India is a failure to recognize that the entire global scenario is grim. Indeed, in relative terms, India's performance measured by GDP growth is not poor at all. If one takes the list of over 40 nations--almost all the important ones in the world--for which the Economist magazine presents data and forecasts in its back pages, in the first quarter of this calendar year India was the 6th fastest growing economy. And in 2013 India is expected to be among the top three performers, behind China, and lock-step with Indonesia.
Given what is happening on the trade front and the sharp slowdown in manufacturing, it is possible, even likely, that growth will slow down further during the course of this year. But that is the short run prognosis. With its very rapid growth from 2003 to 2011, averaging over 8%, the nation has enough internal resilience to get back to a rapid growth path in two years, unless there is major policy bungling.
Let me turn to policy. Today the Indian economy is in the midst of a crisis in the foreign exchange market. The current account deficit is at a historical high and the rupee has been depreciating sharply over the past few weeks. In responding to this, ideally the emphasis should be on promoting foreign exchange inflows rather than placing restrictions on foreign exchange outflows. Curbs on outflows can, ironically, exacerbate the problem in the long run since people hesitate to bring foreign exchange into the country for fear that they will not be able to take it out again.
The right strategy is to convert the crisis into an alibi for promoting exports, boosting medical tourism, and taking steps to make India into an educational hub. All of these are foreign exchange earners and well within the realm of the possible. To boost any of these activities, the Indian government does not have to do much but rein in its bureaucratic transactions costs and improve the ethos of doing business. Given India's high quality doctors and nurses, medical tourism will flourish on its own if the visa rules and process of entering India are made more inviting for medical tourists. Visas need to be processed quickly and return visas made automatic. In addition, simple moves like creating special channels in airports for such visitors to clear immigrations and customs quickly can make a difference. When I worked as a bureaucrat in India I used to go through immigrations and customs within minutes using special channels meant for political leaders and senior bureaucrats. Why not convert those into channels for political leaders, senior bureaucrats and sick people?
India needs to think of intelligent ways to improve the culture of governance. Teach ordinary police to stop cars of VIPs--be they members of parliament or corporate leaders--that, for instance, illegally go through the traffic sign, and fine them. This would require instruction right from the top, assuring ordinary police that the top leadership will stand behind them in such cases, because currently the Indian police would not have the courage to do so. This will give police personnel dignity in their work and curb their penchant to cheat and take petty bribes. And, as a useful by-product, this will teach VIPs some much-needed humility.
On the short-term problem of foreign exchange management, I have written at length elsewhere (see my paper with Aristomene Varoudakis). Central banks can do better than what they currently do if they are willing to use some novel ways of intervening. In the meantime one general principle is worth keeping in mind. Most central banks are wary of using their forex reserves. While such caution is useful, it can also be overdone. To understand this, consider the extreme case in which the forex reserves are never used; they are simply kept invested in some relatively liquid assets. In that case the market soon learns to ignore the reserves, because reserves that are never used are like there being no reserves. To discipline private market players it is important to occasionally buy and sell in the open market and take punitive action against those who manipulate the forex market.
Culture is a difficult thing to consciously change. But it would be wrong if for that reason we go to the other extreme and treat culture as immutable. There are recorded histories of how a nation known for its tardiness has become highly punctual over a short period of time; how a people historically known to be lazy have become models of industry. Thanks to traditional economists' propensity treat culture as irrelevant to economic functioning, there is very little research on the connection between culture and economic performance and on his cultural norms and habits can be changed. However, private firms and those marketing particular brands have long been aware that behavior and preferences can be changed, through advertising, through the creation of role models. There is no reason why the government cannot take up in earnest the effort to break the culture of corruption. Through the use of education, role modeling and even speeches, leaders can break the equilibrium of pervasive corruption and cynicism in which the nation is currently trapped.
Bureaucrats and the police do not have to behave the way traditional economics textbooks say all human beings behave, namely, making money wherever they can. Having dignity and honor in what one does can be a deterrent from taking bribes. Of course, alongside training and education, one should use intelligent law and a revision of bureaucratic and administrative procedures to improve governance. I have earlier argued that India should amend its Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to make bribe giving legal even while increasing the punishment for bribe taking in the case of harassment bribes. I had argued that this will cause bribery to decrease because the giver and the take would not collude to hide information about bribery once that has taken place. And knowing this, the bribe taker will be more hesitant to take a bribe in the first place. Controlled experiments, now seem, with some caveats, to confirm this theoretical claim (see paper by Abbink, Dasgupta, Gangadharan and Jai).
What we do know about culture is that it has a propensity to become an equilibrium, so that no one wants to individually breakaway for it even when they realize that collectively they will be better off by changing their behavior (see Akerlof, G. 'Economics of Caste, and of the Rat Race and Other Woeful Tales,' Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1976; Basu, K. and Weibull, J. 'Punctuality: A Cultural Trait as Equilibrium,' in R. Arnott, B. Greenwald, R. Kanbur and B. Nalebuff, Economics for an Imperfect World: Essays in Honor of Joseph Stiglitz, MIT Press, 2003) .
India has to make a big effort to initiate bureaucratic reform so as to make it easier for people to start, operate and even close businesses. On this front, the nation has some distance to go (see World Bank's Doing Business 2013), but one attractive feature of equilibrium behavior is that when it changes, the change can be large. So if India makes the effort to break the culture of corruption, cumbersome governance and accompanying cynicism, it is possible to make a vast improvement. Given that the fundamentals of the Indian economy are strong, with investment and savings as high as in the East Asian economies in the heydays of their growth, a strong engineering and management sector and long-standing entrepreneurial culture, once these facilitating social and cultural practices are put in place, the nation can grow at outstanding rates.
- Tags:
- India
- South Asia
- economy
Other than Ratan Tata, where
Other than Ratan Tata, where are the social, political and business leaders who are speaking out about corruption? Certainly not Ambanis or Mittals or even PM Singh-- they have a vested interest in maintaining things the way they are. For every one Indian who wants to change the system, the are one hundred standing to guard the established order.
Excellent article. Might be
Excellent article. Might be useful to try to do an "attribution analysis" of the "fall of India" across :
1. Moral degradation of people
2. Failure to carry out meaningful economic reforms from 2009 onwards
3. Failure to be prepared for QE and then for QE easing
4. Series of scams from 2010 - Commonwealth Games, 2G, Mining, Coal, Railways, and hence Anna Hazare and hence slow-down by bureaucracy
5. Now, failure to encourage "export-oriented" industries from going berserk & expanding rapidly.
Well written, well argued ...
Well written, well argued ... Everybody will agree with you that we need to change to get rid of the feeling that `petty corruption and harassment are the new normal'. As they will on your prescription on promoting exports. Your suggestions on medical-tourism are innovative. (I have always personally advocated that we should relax short term/transit visa rules for neighbouring countries to promote India as a travel hub, the way Singapore or Malaysia have done.)
However, these are all long term measures. What would you suggest for the immediate short term? How does one rescue the rupee? A sovereign bond? Another high cost NRI bond? Selling the gold stashed in Tirupati? (the last one is a bit of a joke, which may yield results if taken seriously!)
Or would it be wiser to let the Rupee to sink further even if it means more pain?
While this is an excellent
While this is an excellent article, and I wholeheartedly agree with most of the suggestions, the question is that who will act on these?
Kaushik Basu says - "Teach ordinary police to stop cars of VIPs--be they members of parliament or corporate leaders--that, for instance, illegally go through the traffic sign, and fine them" - How can this suggestion be implemented? Thousands of Indians have wonderful ideas like this, but they are powerless to implement them.
In addition to the moral introspection that the author is recommending, we have to also implement the conclusions of that churning. Simply discussing and debating would not lead to any change. And at present the ordinary Indian citizen is powerless to implement any such change.
The next question to address is - okay now we know what to do, but who will do that??


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Josepth Tame decided to map out and run a half marathon as a message of thanks to Steve Jobs for his awesome achievements at Apple. What was special about the route he chose to run? Well it was in the shape of the Apple logo.
The route was recorded using the Runkeeper app and two iPhones. Joseph is no stranger to this type of running art. He has previously run routes which resemble the Twitter bird and an elephant.
Asked why he wanted to create an Apple logo, Tame said that having an iPhone had really changed his life in Tokyo. In Japan it is like a lifeline, even more so now that it can warm him when an earthquake is about to hit.


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This past month I had the honor of helping out my friend, Ken, with centerpieces for a Black History Month Luncheon with a guest list of over 200 people with 22 tables. The budget was tight, but he put together 22 pots with beautiful white petunias. He then added these funky circles to the center of each arrangement that I made for him.
Ken printed out a copy of the list with the name of each famous person, so that the guests had a source to look up who was the dignitary they were "seated with" for the luncheon. Obviously people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Condoleezza Rice were easy ones. But I put a few tougher gets...like Congressman John Lewis's image was back in 1961 when he participated in the Freedom Rider events during the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. When the guests arrived, they were able to mingle from table to table honoring each amazing Black American.
So many times we spend a ton of time and effort to make centerpieces beautiful or different. It was nice to add meaningful element that was also somewhat educational. The guests really appreciated it. I enjoyed helping out a friend.


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The Luckiest team ever. After Gretchen getting her "face-lift" and Meredith breaking his foot, they managed a lucky 4th. I think they were the last to be on the "I totally loved the 4th placers" trend.
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Both good and interesting ecological news to share from Planet Squirrel. Over the last week or so we actually started catching squirrels again! We have recently put four new collars on, including one this morning. The peculiar news is that all four were females. One seemed pregnant (she was huge–2lbs!) and a second seemed to be nursing young. Females must have great food demands right now and are willing to take chances for the high return of peanut butter and corn. Can you blame them?
The telemetry map has not been updated for some time. We have put too much data on it for the system to sort out, so Cody is working on a new map that will have tons of additional data. Stay tuned….


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Kandy needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 366 designs submitted by 72 freelance designers.
The Itty Bitty Bakery
We are a small boutique Toronto bakery that specializes in cupcakes. We bake because it's our passion. We are mutable, and are always testing out new recipes in our kitchen to keep things interesting. The personality we are trying to get across is - cute, fun, and perhaps a little bit whimsical because who doesn't love cupcakes?!
Anyone who loves cupcakes, and can appreciate the whimsical "little kid again" feeling that they can give you!
The name "The Itty Bitty Bakery" is required in some form in the logo, with the "THE" part not featured as prominently. We are looking for a logo representing some form of a cupcake. We love chibi, japanese cartoon style, pastel as well as bright colours (especially purple!) - think big eyes (not human, more cartoon), rosy cheeks and the like. We aren't too particular about the writing style, it just has to work with the overall design of the logo. Keep in mind that it has to be easily translatable because it will be on stickers, etc. Have fun with it!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.