Podcasts about Metropolitan Transportation Authority

May 7, 2025 - State Sen. Dean Murray, a Long Island Republican, and Ken Pokalsky, a vice president of The Business Council of New York State, express their objections to an evolving plan to fund the state's share of a $68 billion capital plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which would include cutting the payroll tax for small New York City area businesses and raising it for large employers.

Program would connect city with Newburgh Two area residents have been awarded $100,000 by New York State to explore a bike-sharing program that would connect Beacon and Newburgh. Thomas Wright, a Beacon resident and head of the city's Greenway Trail Committee, and Naomi Hersson-Ringskog, an urban planner who lives in Newburgh, were awarded the funding through a Clean Mobility program overseen by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). It aims to add zero-emission connections to public transportation in underserved communities. The award is not to create a bike-share program but to plan how one could work. Wright, who works in Newburgh, and Hersson-Ringskog will be paired with WXY Architecture + Urban Design to develop a blueprint for a program similar to New York City's Citi Bike initiative. Wright and Hersson-Ringskog said they envision stations with eight to 10 bikes each, some electric, which users could check out for a fee or perhaps at no charge because of sponsors. The duo foresee their plan leading to a public-private partnership like Citi Bike's, which partners with the New York City Department of Transportation and Lyft, the ridesharing company. A combination of private funding, sponsors and memberships support the program. Officials on both sides of the Hudson River have indicated they're supportive of bikes for transportation, Hersson-Ringskog said. In Beacon, Mayor Lee Kyriacou has endorsed the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, a 7.5-mile linear park that Scenic Hudson is planning between Beacon and Cold Spring. The city is equally enthusiastic about a proposed Beacon-to-Hopewell rail trail. Both projects would significantly increase safe bike routes. Beacon also has applied for funding from Dutchess County for a rehab of Beekman Street, which leads to the Metro-North station. The project, still several years away, could include bike lanes that would build on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's "first mile, last mile" initiative for environmentally friendly ways for passengers to connect to trains. In Newburgh, Hersson-Ringskog's nonprofit, Dept of Small Interventions, in 2020 partnered with the city's Transportation Advisory Committee to create a community bike action plan, while monthly "critical mass" community rides take place from April to October. "You feel proud of your community that you're not starting from zero," Hersson-Ringskog said. She and Wright are also working to create the "Regional Connector," a 1-mile path that would connect the Metro-North station in Beacon to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. That effort, they say, could unify a growing network of trails. A bike-share program could accelerate the campaign, Wright said, "by providing a means of mobility which gives users much greater range. When you add in e-bikes, the options are further multiplied." WXY plans to survey residents in both cities (see linktr.ee/newburgh.beacon.bike), while Wright and Hersson-Ringskog will make presentations to community groups. WXY will also help with data analysis, mapping and exploring partnerships for maintenance, operations and funding. "We hope to uncover the voice of a broad cross-section of the communities that desires this," Hersson-Ringskog said. "Here you have a transportation system that could really unite Beacon and Newburgh. We're stronger together, essentially." The bike-share grant was one of 29 - totaling $2.9 million - that NYSERDA announced in March. Projects elsewhere in the state will explore the feasibility of charging hubs, scooter-share programs and electric-vehicle car shares. Ten of the 29 are in the Hudson Valley, including in Kingston, Poughkeepsie and New Paltz. With "transformational" developments being considered in the region, Wright said he believes "multi-modal systems" that can alleviate congestion without polluting the environment "are so important to think about."

Cites support for NYC toll, interest in Lawler seat A Philipstown resident who represents Putnam County on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board rejected a demand by the county executive that he resign because of his support for congestion pricing in lower Manhattan and his interest in the U.S. House seat held by Rep. Mike Lawler. Neal Zuckerman, a Democrat who chairs the MTA board's Finance Committee, served on the Metro-North Commuter Council for six years before being appointed in 2016 to the MTA board with a recommendation from then-County Executive MaryEllen Odell, a Republican. He was reappointed, to a term that ends in 2026, by the state Senate in 2023 with a recommendation from Byrne, also a Republican. Byrne, a former Assembly member elected as county executive in 2022, is an ally of Lawler and a critic of the MTA's 3-month-old congestion-pricing program, which launched on Jan. 5 with a $9 toll for passenger and small commercial vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street. Zuckerman supports the toll, which is higher for buses and trucks, and raised $48 million in the first month while reducing traffic and travel times in lower Manhattan, according to the MTA. In an April 3 letter, Byrne claimed that Zuckerman "conveyed a genuine desire to work across the aisles regardless of political differences" during a meeting in 2023 for his reappointment but had since "outright opposed the policy positions" of the county and "openly assailed several officials duly elected by the people of Putnam County." He called on Zuckerman to resign "in a manner which is dignified and appropriate." Byrne also referenced news reports about Zuckerman's interest in seeking the 17th District congressional seat held by Lawler, a Republican in his second term. Philipstown is within the district's borders. Those reports "make clear that you intend to present yourself as a candidate for public office and seem to be using your position in furtherance of that pursuit," said Byrne. "It is imperative that we have a representative on the board who is dedicated to the position." Byrne copied his letter to President Donald Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Gov. Kathy Hochul, both U.S. senators from New York, Lawler, four members of the state Legislature, the MTA board chair and the chair of the county Legislature. Individual legislators were also asked to sign a separate letter from Bill Gouldman, who represents Putnam Valley, calling for Zuckerman's resignation. Lawler said in a statement on Wednesday that Byrne's letter "speaks for itself. If Neal Zuckerman is not representing the interests of Putnam County residents on the MTA board, he should resign." In a letter responding to Byrne, Zuckerman said that chairing the board's Finance Committee has enabled him to champion projects that benefit Putnam riders, who use both the Harlem and Hudson lines. Those projects include repairs at the Cold Spring and Garrison stations and funding in the 2025-29 capital plan to buttress the Hudson Line against flooding, he said. He said his support for congestion pricing "should come as no surprise" since he had voted in 2019 for a capital plan that relied on it. "At recent board meetings, I have lamented the added burden of yet another fee on residents of our region," he wrote. But the program, enacted by state law in 2019, will help fund $15 billion (25 percent) of the MTA's capital plan for 2025-2029, which will "improve the system that is essential to the livelihoods of Putnam County commuters and, indeed, for the region's economy," said Zuckerman. He said that 69 percent of Putnam residents who visit the congestion zone get there by train but will benefit from the toll collected from drivers. If Zuckerman decides to pursue Lawler's seat, he could face at least four other Democrats declaring their candidacies: Beth Davidson, a Rockland County legislator; Jessica Reinmann, founder of the nonprofit 914Cares in Westchester County; Cait Conley,...

March 25, 2025 - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hoping that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state legislature can reach a consensus in budget negotiations on billions in additional capital funding for the downstate transit system. Our guest is Jamie Torres-Springer, president of construction and development for the MTA.

The digitization and literal disembodiment of every sphere of human reality advances with terrifying rapidity—from the Social Security system to the New York subway system. Rather than dropping swipe-cards and bringing back tokens, returning to what was a manifestly superior and more rational system, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority moves to a still more dystopian "contactless" credit system. Similarly, rather than phasing out automobiles, our corporate overlords are now imposing driverless cars, a further step toward making the human race redundant altogether and portending the ultimate abolition of humanity. In Episode 270 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg continues his Spring ritual of reading the George Orwell essay "Some Thoughts on the Common Toad"—which brilliantly critiqued technological hypertophy, and articulated an imperative for humanistic revolution and scaleback of the mega-machine way back in April 1946. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 68 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 69!

New York officials are in the final stage of the state's budget process, following March 13 passage of the Assembly and Senate individual spending and revenue proposals for fiscal 2026. It's now up to a three-way negotiation between the Legislature's two chambers and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who has her own plans for a budget that's likely to top $252 billion—including a host of tax changes that don't completely align with what the Democratic-led lawmakers want. As in recent years, lawmakers have proposed raising taxes on the highest-income earners and corporations, which Hochul has rejected in the past. There are divergent approaches to how much to expand the state's child tax credit. And the Senate wants to tailor the governor's idea of sending New Yorkers sales tax rebates—a salve to inflation—to just seniors rather than all taxpayers. Other issues include an expansion of New York's film tax credit program to benefit more independent movies and whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's funding needs will disrupt the various tax proposals. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax state editor Benjamin Freed talks with New York correspondent Danielle Muoio Dunn and Bloomberg Government Albany correspondent Zach Williams about the budget process, the political stakes for Hochul ahead of her 2026 re-election campaign, and the odds that lawmakers wrap up the budget by their April 1 deadline—or at least the first night of Passover. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

No commitments yet as feasibility study continues Although it's not yet known if Dutchess County will commit to a 13-mile rail trail connecting Beacon and Hopewell Junction, a planning firm it hired told the City Council on Monday (March 3) that it has found no major roadblocks. "This is all buildable," Tom Baird, an engineer from Barton & Loguidice, the Albany firm conducting a feasibility study with the county, told the council. "There aren't big obstacles, there aren't major environmental concerns. We don't have any real hazardous materials to worry about, either." Dutchess County released a report on conditions along the Beacon Line, an abandoned rail spur, in November. A final report, with detailed concepts, cost estimates and phasing recommendations, should be finished by the summer. The Monday presentation to the City Council can be viewed at highlandscurrent.org/rail-trail-deck. The proposed trail would begin at the Beacon Metro-North station, a stone's throw from the Hudson River, then wind for 4 miles around the city's southern perimeter before running parallel with Tioronda Avenue and the east end of Main Street. Major crossings would include Churchill Street and East Main Street (at the dummy light). The trail would run underneath Route 9D (at Tioronda Avenue) and hug northbound Route 52 (Fishkill Avenue) to the city line. The trail would connect with the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail near the bridge at Madam Brett Park, where the planners said a trailhead could be located. Scenic Hudson, which is building the Fjord Trail between Beacon and Cold Spring, is a member of the Beacon-to-Hopewell Trail Advisory Committee. Once the rail trail leaves the city, it would veer back and forth over Fishkill Creek on its way through the Village of Fishkill and the towns of Fishkill and East Fishkill. At Hopewell, it would connect with the Dutchess Rail Trail, the Maybrook Trailway and, overlaying both, the 750-mile Empire State Trail. The abandoned rail line is owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. A year ago, Metro-North, an agency of the MTA, "railbanked" the line, reserving the right to revive service, although an agency representative told The Current in February 2024 that it had no plans to do so. The important takeaway from the conditions study is that "the majority of the corridor is in really good condition," said Chris Hannett, another Barton & Loguidice engineer, on Monday. There are two options for constructing a trail, although one would be a much heavier lift. A "rail-with-trail" conversion, in which the tracks remain in place, would present many challenges, including a 20- to 25-foot buffer required between the tracks and any trail. Bridges in the corridor, which are no longer safe for trains, would have to be rebuilt, adding significant cost and environmental impacts, and right-of-way acquisitions would be required. The second option, a "rail to trail," would permit the reuse of bridges and ballast stones, the rocks used to stabilize the tracks, but the rails would be removed. A rail to trail would minimize environmental impacts, with little and possibly no rights-of-way needed. When the study began, Metro-North's abandonment of the line had not been approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board, so the engineers studied both options. The final report will include both but won't recommend either, instead letting "the engineering and the cost speak for itself, as well as the environmental impacts," Baird said. The planners anticipate a 12-foot-wide path made with a crushed-stone mix or asphalt, depending on the location. It would likely be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and could be lighted because of its proximity to dense urban areas. Baird said the county is conducting the study because funders often consider projects "and some will scratch their heads [and say], 'Can they really do that?' " With a report analyzing environmental impacts and other factors, "it...

$15 billion is the amount congestion pricing is expected to yield for MTA infrastructure investment—to bring trains, tracks, yards, and signals to a state of good repair, increase accessibility, and expand subway service. As congestion pricing is challenged by the Trump administration, this speaks to the larger question of the fiscal and regulatory relationship between the federal government and New York. In this episode we are joined by Polly Trottenberg, who served most recently as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation and before that as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation, as well as a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Polly brings her experience at both the federal and City level to unpack the future of transportation policy and funding.

It's been another wild week as the Trump administration took some time off from breaking all the laws to break the rules of civil procedure. Will the Supreme Court let them get away with it? Links: AIDS VACCINE ADVOCACY COALITION v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69627654/aids-vaccine-advocacy-coalition-v-united-states-department-of-state/   Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Duffy https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.637159   Dellinger v. Bessent Supreme Court docket https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24a790.html Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod Patreon: patreon.com/LawAndChaosPod  

President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia visited Kyiv to meet with top Ukrainian officials. This visit came amid strong accusations exchanged between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the war.The Transportation Department revoked its approval for New York City's congestion toll, which charges drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stated she would fight the termination, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed a lawsuit challenging the move.A federal judge held a hearing with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and federal prosecutors regarding the mayor's criminal charges. The judge stated he would rule on a government request to drop the charges against the mayor.The polar vortex reached its peak across much of the United States, with millions facing record-breaking cold and heavy snow. The average low temperature in the continental United States was just 13.7 degrees.Two people were killed when two small, single-engine aircraft collided mid-air near Tucson, Arizona. Two people were aboard each aircraft. An investigation is underway.

Happy eww year! New Year's Eve is one of the booziest holidays — it's common to usher in a hangover along with the new year. You'll typically feel the worst of it — the headaches, muscle aches, nausea and anxiety — the morning after heavy drinking when your blood alcohol concentration is near zero. In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, a postal worker was stabbed to death in a fight with a woman over a spot on line at a Harlem deli — marking at least the third murder in New York City in just the first two days of the new year. New Jersey is making a last-ditch attempt to block Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's controversial congestion toll — which is set to kick in Sunday for drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street. And in Washington, President Biden has rejected the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel — affirming his vow in March to block the acquisition.

Michael Goodwin: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is an uncontrolled money pit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(The Center Square) — The nation's first congestion pricing system got underway in New York over the weekend after a last-ditch legal challenge failed to block the controversial new tolling program. New York's new toll for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street began just after midnight on Sunday after a U.S. District Court judge late Friday denied New Jersey's push to keep the plan from going into effect. Under the program, passenger cars will pay a $9 toll between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. New York officials say the toll will reduce tailpipe pollution and provide more funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the public transit system.

Dec. 16, 2024 - State Senator Dean Murray, a Long Island Republican, makes the case for imposing financial control board on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In this episode, Noah McClain, Assistant Professor of Sociology talks with the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about security and technology vulnerabilities within New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This is the third episode in our 11-part series, Technology vs. Government, featuring former California State Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. Thank you so much to our generous sponsor for this episode, the Wall Street Journal. Activate your free school-sponsored subscription today at: WSJ.com/UCRiverside About Noah McClain: Noah McClain (PhD, New York University) is a sociologist with interests spanning the sociologies of cities, law, inequality, complex organizations, work, policing, and security, and how these intersect with technologies high and low. Dr. McClain has published a broad range of articles dealing with these topics in venues such as the Journal of Consumer Culture, Poetics, and Information, Communication, and Society. He has served on the faculties of Illinois Tech, and the Bard Prison Initiative, where he was also a postdoctoral research fellow. He is also a former investigator of police misconduct for the City of New York. Learn more about Noah McClain via https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-mcclain-2b415769 Interviewer: Lloyd Levine (Former California State Assemblymember, UCR School of Public Policy Senior Policy Fellow) Watch the video version of this episode via: https://youtu.be/kKr6yODUQGQ Music by: Vir Sinha Commercial Links:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpp⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://spp.ucr.edu/mpp⁠⁠⁠  This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: ⁠⁠⁠https://spp.ucr.edu/⁠⁠⁠  Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via ⁠⁠⁠https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast⁠⁠⁠. 

In the second hour of the Greg Kelly Show, Greg continued talking about the Mark Robinson recent scandal and how there are double standards between Democrats and Republicans. At the bottom of the hour Greg invited James Flippin with whom he talked about Biden attending his last UN summit as president, the Bob Mendez sentencing and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CBS News chief political analyst John Dickerson and senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe break down the first debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump as concerns emerge.CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa says people close to President Biden say there is no push for him to give up the nomination at the Democratic convention amid concern from some in his own party over the president's debate performance.CBS News political contributor Joel Payne and former national communications director for the Republican National Committee Doug Heye discuss what to expect after some Democrats expressed concern over President Biden's performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.Eleven bars are part of Bon Appétit magazine's best new bars in the country list. They include a bar and underground listening room full of vinyl records in Austin, Texas, along with a Chicago speakeasy that you get to by going through a Chinese takeout restaurant. Bon Appétit editor in chief Jamila Robinson reveals the list.Bernie Wagenblast, a transgender woman who's one of the iconic voices of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, writes a note to her 18-year-old self, who had not transitioned yet for the CBS News series "Note to Self."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trucking Association of New York filed a federal lawsuit in May against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which developed the toll scheme, arguing the higher fees unfairly and unconstitutionally target the trucking industry. The trucking association's lawsuit is among at least eight seeking to block the congestion fee plan, which is slated to launch June 30. Under the transit authority's plan, trucks would be subject to a charge of $24 or $36 per trip, depending on their size. Most drivers in private passenger cars, in contrast, should expect to pay about $15, with lower rates for motorcycles and late-night entries into the city, according to the proposal finalized in March. Kendra Hems, the trucking association's president, said the industry will have no choice but to shoulder the increased costs, as truck operators don't have flexibility on their driving routes or schedules, which are generally set by the businesses they serve. That, she said, will only lead to price increases on countless goods, as the trucking industry moves nearly 90% of products in New York City. “As any responsible business does, we deliver when our customers ask us to deliver, which is during prime business hours,” said Joe Fitzpatrick, founder of Lightning Express Delivery Service and a member of the trucking association's board. “That will not change now, but what will change is higher costs for New Yorkers as a result.” The association suggests that the transit authority revise its plan to exempt the industry from the fee, limit trucks to being tolled just once a day or toll them at the same rate as passenger vehicles. A Manhattan federal court judge last month heard arguments in lawsuits brought by unionized public school teachers, politicians, and other New Yorkers. In New Jersey, a federal court judge has also heard arguments in legal challenges brought by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, and others. Many of those lawsuits argue the tolling scheme was approved by federal transportation officials without proper scrutiny and that the court should order transit officials to conduct a more comprehensive environmental study before rolling out the plan. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Superfund law approved, but others don't get to floor Environmentalists and lawmakers began the final week of New York's legislative session with optimism, as several key pieces of climate legislation moved through the Senate and Assembly. Then, on June 5, Gov. Kathy Hochul surprised everyone by announcing that she was "indefinitely pausing" New York City's plan to charge drivers for entering Manhattan below 60th Street, which was to begin at the end of June. The congestion-pricing plan had been expected to raise $1 billion a year for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, revenue that would help the agency obtain a $15 billion bond for upgrades, including on Metro-North's Hudson Line, which serves the Highlands. The announcement and its effect on the MTA's budget upended negotiations on two climate-related bills, according to Richard Schrader, director of New York government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council. New York is attempting to reach ambitious goals set in 2019 by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which says that, among other benchmarks, at least 70 percent of New York's energy must come from renewable sources by 2030. "We're behind the eight ball," said Schrader. "I don't think it's fatal. But man, we have to move quickly." Not everyone was on board with congestion pricing. New Jersey sued to stop it, and Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Pat Ryan, whose districts include Philipstown and Beacon, respectively, are against it. But as recently as last month, the governor endorsed it. Last week, Hochul changed course, saying she feared the plan would weigh on New York City's economy. Steven Higashide, a Beason resident who is director of the clean transportation program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, believes "blowing a $15 billion hole in the MTA capital program will have a much larger impact on New York's ability to recover from the pandemic. This could mean higher fares if the MTA has to borrow more money for basic repairs. It's hardly a win for the Hudson Valley." For passenger vehicles, the congestion-pricing toll was set at $15 during the day and $3.75 at night, with discounts for lower-income drivers, disabled commuters and those who pay tunnel tolls. According to an analysis by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, it would have affected only 2 percent of Putnam County commuters and 1.1 percent in Dutchess. The state has already spent $500 million to install cameras and hire staff, money that can't be recouped, said Neal Zuckerman, a Philipstown resident who represents Putnam County on the MTA board and is chair of its finance committee. The MTA had planned to spend billions of dollars on upgrades such as emissions-free electric buses, making more subway stations accessible to riders with disabilities, improving the pumping system to combat subway flooding and improving signals to reduce delays. Zuckerman said that finding funds to provide basic services is now the priority. "We can never re-enter the era that we were in the '70s," he said. "We're all focused on figuring out how we can make the MTA fiscally sustainable." Schrader noted that it's unclear if the governor's order, made at a news conference, is binding. "We don't see anything in terms of a legal brief or any type of a [formal] memo of understanding," he said. Nevertheless, advocates believe Hochul's announcement killed the momentum for two climate bills, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (NY HEAT), by forcing legislators to focus on the MTA budget gap. The nonprofit Beyond Plastics has been lobbying for the Packaging Reduction Act, which would require packaging to be reusable or recyclable and exclude 15 chemicals, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), PFAS, formaldehyde and mercury. Companies that use packaging that can't be recycled would be responsible for disposal costs. "It's about the polluters taking responsibility for their pl...

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's approval of a zone tolling program in New York City, aimed at combating traffic congestion and funding mass transit, faces legal challenges and public outcry, echoing debates over tolling in Portland amidst regional transportation funding gaps. https://tinyurl.com/z6advpn5 #NewYorkCity #ZoneTolls #CongestionPricing #TinaKotek #RegionalMobilityPricingProgram #I205Tolling #InterstateBridgeReplacement #I5Tolling #GregJohnson #OregonDepartmentOfTransportation #WashingtonStateDepartmentOfTransportation #I405Tolls #TacomaNarrowsBridgeTolls #ClarkCountyWa #Portland #ClackamasCounty #RoadUsageCharge #GasTax #MetropolitanTransportationAuthority #FederalHighwayAdministration #AndrewCuomo #AbernethyBridge #RoseQuarter #MoveAheadWashington #HB2017 #OregonLegislature #WashingtonLegislature #UrbanMobilityStrategy #WashingtonCounty #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Description: Today's conversation between Tina Marie St.Cyr and Special Guest Michael Riegel delves into Michael's journey from corporate to small business ownership, highlighting his transition into coaching and executive leadership development. Michael shares insights from his book, "The Little Book of Big Ideas for Construction Professionals and Those Who Work with Them," emphasizing universal leadership principles applicable beyond the construction industry.Biography: Michael Riegel is a coach, consultant, author, speaker, and trainer working across industries with a focus on technical and processdriven organizations. He developed an expertise in managing technical professionals, creating high-performing teams, and helping leaders grow and exceed their individual and corporate goals. As a technical professional himself, Michael brings insights and perspectives on the challenges and organizational dynamics that can thwart analytical, technical, and structured-thinking professionals. In his coaching work, he focuses on building emotional intelligence, communication skills, collaboration, cooperation, and leadership skills, especially for technical professionals who work with nontechnical leaders and teams. Michael's coaching approach leverages his experience working in organizations and emphasizes practical solutions to management and leadership challenges. His clients include Washington Gas and Light, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Carolinas AGC, Wayfair, Electives, and Udemy. He designed and is facilitating the Carolina AGC Construction Business Academy including business assessments, action planning, and leadership coaching. Michael is a strategic partner to the National Association of Women in Construction to build greater awareness of coaching and professional development benefits to traditionally underserved professionals, industries, and companies. Michael is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, and is the author of Build Like The Big Primes: A Contractor's Guide to Building Your Business While Balancing Your Life and The Little Book of Big Ideas for Construction Professionals.Links: Website: https://www.michaelriegel.comWebsite: https://www.aecbusinessstrategies.com Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-riegel-acc-pmp-8739024

Is rising crime in NYC a barometer for the whole country? Is rising crime in NYC a barometer for the entire country? Is crime a problem in the subway? According to the NY Times? Although surveys by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway, show that a number of riders feel unsafe, data has not always confirmed the public's perception. Crime rates jumped during the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2020, but the subway became safer last year. Still, some riders are anxious. “Perception becomes reality for people,” said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the authority's Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, a watchdog group. “If you look at crime reports that numbers are going down, but you hear your neighbors say that they're afraid to ride, then that becomes your reality.” Officials have also installed hundreds of additional surveillance cameras, including in subway cars. Subscribe now and become part of the conversation, as we seek justice and understanding in the complex world of real crime stories.

HHFT will host meeting on Monday at Dutchess Manor At the Wednesday (March 6) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board, James Labate and Henry Feldman, who represent the village on the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Data Committee, submitted a report requesting HHFT take another look at two of its alternative routes. HHFT's preferred route would be to have the Cold Spring portion of the trail begin at Dockside Park and follow the shoreline closely to Little Stony Point. The Labate-Feldman report contends that Alternative Route 2, which runs north from the Cold Spring train platform toward Little Stony Point, avoiding Dockside Park, is the "least obtrusive and most efficient" of five routes identified as alternatives to HHFT's preferred route. HHFT has rejected Alternative Routes 2 and 3 in part because they entail blasting rock to achieve a 25-foot setback mandated by Metro-North. But Labate asserted blasting would not be needed along Alternative Routes 2 and 3, noting that Metro-North's walkways and platforms in Cold Spring don't have a 25-foot setback. He also said there are multiple examples of trails that abut railroad tracks. The report recommends that the consultant conducting pedestrian analysis for HHFT's preferred route do similar modeling for Alternative Routes 2 and 3, "which have multiple positive attributes the village would prefer." Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley and other elected officials met with HHFT representatives on Feb. 29 to examine the two alternative routes. On March 6 Foley said Alternative Route 2 presents the fewest impacts on residential properties and is worthy of discussion. "What this boils down to is what MTA [the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns Metro-North] is willing to tolerate in terms of setbacks," Foley said, adding that she, Nelsonville Mayor Chris Winward and Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel will continue the conversation with Metro-North. MJ Martin, HHFT's director of development and community engagement, said on March 7 that Metro-North has said the trail must adhere to a 25-foot setback from the middle of its tracks. "If there's any movement on that, it could potentially change how various alternative routes are ranked," she said. "But every route has to meet a series of considerations." HHFT will host a session at Dutchess Manor on Monday (March 11) to review its Alternative Route Analysis and the Shoreline Trail design. Registration is open at hhft.org for a discussion on April 3 about visitation projections and visitor management strategy. In other business… The Village Board awarded a $16,190 contract to Livingston Energy to install four electric vehicle charger ports on Main Street. The March 6 meeting included the board's first discussion of the 2024-25 budget. Foley said the village had sold 199 residential parking stickers as of March 6. Cold Spring officers will be issuing warnings until March 31. Paid parking on Main Street begins April 5. Cold Spring received a "clean opinion" in an audit of its finances for the year ending May 31, 2023. CPA John Costilow said there were "no instances of non-compliance."

[This blog will always be free to read, but it's also how I pay my bills. If you have suggestions or feedback on how I can earn your paid subscription, shoot me an email: cmclymer@gmail.com. And yes, I am available for speaking engagements.]Folks, I'm starting a new feature on my blog. Every Monday morning, I'll be sending you five items that I hope will start your week off right, give you a smile, make you laugh, make you think, and just make you feel good.Because the current state of our world—and particularly our country's politics—is, well, pretty fraught, I figure we can all use a breather from stressful news items and pay a bit of attention to some of the good happening around us.It's called Five Things You Should Know, and I hope it makes your Monday mornings a little brighter and more bearable moving forward.1. Caitlin Clark Becomes All-Time NCAA ScorerWhen Caitlin Clark was in 2nd grade, she wanted to play competitive basketball, but her father couldn't find a girls league. So, she joined a boys team at her grade level and wound up winning the state tournament that year. Some parents on other teams protested that girls shouldn't be permitted to play on boys' teams.Yesterday, Ms. Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, for both women and men, when she overtook Pete “Pistol Pete” Maravich, breaking the legend's iconic record that had stood for more than half a century.This is the crowning individual achievement for Ms. Clark, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. Along the way, she's won every award at the collegiate level and shattered attendance records in arenas across the country.2. The Voice of the NYC Subway System is a Trans WomanSince 2009, if you've taken the subway in New York City, chances are pretty high that you've heard an authoritative yet comforting voice guide passengers around town and offer friendly advice. For millions of New Yorkers, that voice has become something of an institution in their daily lives. It belongs to Bernie Wagenblast, who initially built a long career as a radio journalist before being hired for her voice by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority more than 15 years ago. She also now records announcements for New Jersey Transit and the Kennedy and Newark airports.Ms. Wagenblast came out publicly as a trans woman in 2022. Her journey is extraordinary and makes me smile.I deeply admire her.3. Medical School Will Be Tuition Free After $1 Billion DonationLast week, Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, announced to that institution's student body that tuition will be now be free, thanks to her donation of $1 billion, thought to be one of the largest individual financial contributions to a college or university in history. Dr. Gottesman credited her husband, David “Sandy” Gottesman, a Wall Street investment banker and former board member at Berkshire Hathaway, for the enormous amount of the donation. He passed away in 2022. They had been married for 72 years.The video of the audience reaction to Dr. Gottesman's announcement is a must-see.4. CVS and Walgreens Will Begin Selling Abortion Pills This MonthOn Friday, the two largest pharmacy chains in the country announced they would begin selling mifepristone, the abortion pill, in its stores this month. It will initially be offered at Walgreens pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California and at CVS pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.Both chains plan to expand access to the pill in a slow rollout beyond those states over time where abortion is still legal. It will not be accessible by mail.There's currently a pending case regarding mifepristone on the Supreme Court docket that's shaping up to have far-ranging consequences for reproductive freedom, FDA regulations, and much more. A date for oral arguments in that case has not yet been set.5. I'm Speaking at the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festival This WeekendEvery March, a few hundred thousand folks gather in Austin, Texas for the better part of two weeks to take part in the latest and most trendy topics in politics, tech, education, music, film, and television.It's an enormous and exciting gathering, and I'm lucky to be taking part in it this year, alongside Prof. Robin Maril, Willamette University School of Law; Andy Marra, Exec. Director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund; and Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, the state's largest LGBTQ rights organization.The four of us will be discussing LGBTQ rights in the context of the 2024 election in a panel entitled “Defending Democracy: LGBTQ Activism and Power in 2024.”Unfortunately, it will not be live-streamed, but I encourage folks attending SXSW to come to our session and learn more about our goals in the fight for equality this year.Charlotte's Web Thoughts is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Charlotte's Web Thoughts at charlotteclymer.substack.com/subscribe

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In just a few months, congestion pricing will come to New York City. Most drivers will have to pay a $15 fee to enter Manhattan below Central Park. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority hopes congestion pricing will lead to reduced traffic, less pollution and more money for roads and public transportation infrastructure. But the program took nearly two decades to come to fruition, and there are a lot of details still being worked out before it is implemented. Host Pat Kiernan speaks with his Spectrum News NY1 colleagues about what congestion pricing means for New Yorkers.

KKTV 旺年會｜每月銅板價訂閱，輕鬆追日劇看動漫！買一送一最後倒數 ➟ https://go.fstry.me/47bwk8S —— 以上為 Firstory DAI 動態廣告 —— ------------------------------- 通勤學英語VIP加值內容與線上課程 ------------------------------- 通勤學英語VIP訂閱方案：https://open.firstory.me/join/15minstoday 社會人核心英語有聲書課程連結：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/554esm ------------------------------- 15Mins.Today 相關連結 ------------------------------- 歡迎針對這一集留言你的想法： 留言連結 主題投稿/意見回覆 : ask15mins@gmail.com 官方網站：www.15mins.today 加入Clubhouse直播室：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k 訂閱YouTube頻道：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/3rhuuy 商業合作/贊助來信：15minstoday@gmail.com ------------------------------- 以下是此單集逐字稿 (播放器有不同字數限制，完整文稿可到官網) ------------------------------- Topic: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He's a construction worker from Queens who's lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News. 就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。 How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.” 他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」 Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York's Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He's a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He's 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I'd pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said. 對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」 He doesn't remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend's home this past week, he was unimpressed. 他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。 Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It's the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter. 另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。 He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter. 他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。 All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff. 這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。 Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper's non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did. 每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。 At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be. 在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。 And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs. 對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。 “You need those old-school people because they know what they're doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News' staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.” 布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」 The New York Post, The Daily News' longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper's unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink. 每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。 Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/ Next Article Topic: Dumplings tempt New Yorkers with pizza, peanut butter flavors - and no human contact New Yorkers can now get their dumpling fix from an automat with no human contact, and the adventurous can order flavors ranging from pepperoni pizza to peanut butter and jelly. 紐約客現在可由一套不需要與人接觸的自動販賣機為他們料理餃子，喜歡嘗試新鮮的人可從義式臘腸披薩到花生醬、果醬等口味中選購。 While the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop in the city's East Village offers traditional pork and chicken bite-sized treats, chicken parm or Philly cheesesteak are also on the menu. 位於這座城市東村的布魯克林餃子店，提供一口大小的傳統豬肉、雞肉餡點心，菜單上也有焗烤雞肉，或是費城牛肉起司三明治。 Spurred by the pandemic and technology advances, the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is delivering food via automat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 在這場疫情以及科技進步的帶動下，布魯克林餃子店正透過自動販賣機，全年無休24小時出餐。 "Embrace technology, because technology is something that has to be embraced by hospitality（business）to thrive," said the shop's owner Stratis Morfogen. 「擁抱科技，因為餐旅（業）要蒸蒸日上，就得擁抱科技」，店老闆史特拉狄斯．摩佛根說。 Next Article Topic: New York lawmakers pass bill allowing gender-neutral "X" option in govt documents 紐約州議員通過法案 允許政府文件中可選擇中立性別「X」 The New York state assembly has passed a bill that would allow people who do not identify as either male or female to use "X" as a marker to designate their sex on drivers' licenses. 紐約州議會通過一項法案，允許認為自己既不是男性也不是女性的民眾，在駕照上標記其性別為X。 The new marker would help transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals' identity be recognized in government documents, according to a statement from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell. 根據州眾議院議長希斯堤和州眾議員歐唐納發出的聲明，這項新註記會有助於跨性別、非二元性別和雙性人的性別認同，獲得政府文件承認。 "The provisions in this bill will make life safer, reduce the stigma and affirm the identities for so many of our friends and neighbors," O'Donnell said in the statement. 歐唐納在聲明中說，「這項法案中的該項條文，將讓人生活更安全，減少污名，並且確認我們廣大鄉親朋友的身分認同。」 Next Article Topic: Looking Back on 100 Years of New York City Drinking Culture, From Gritty to Elegant The history of drinking in America goes straight through the heart of New York. As with so many aspects of the city, that history has run from gritty to stylish and back again. 美國的飲酒歷史直接穿越紐約的心臟，就像這座城市的許多方面一樣，這段歷史經歷了從粗獷到風雅，再回到當初的過程。 For generations, taverns and saloons were largely places for men to gather, drink, gamble and chew tobacco. Those places could be discerning, as with Fraunces Tavern, a still-existent bar patronized in the 18th century by the likes of George Washington and his soldiers, or more suited to the average Joe, like McSorley's Old Ale House, which opened in the mid-19th century and, until 1970, admitted only men. 數世代以來，酒館和酒吧大多是男人聚集、喝酒、賭博與嚼菸草的地方。這些地方可能是比較有品味的，像是18世紀喬治華盛頓和他旗下軍人經常光顧、至今依然存在的弗朗西斯酒館，也可能是更適合一般人的，像是19世紀中葉開業，且在1970年前只接待男性的麥克索利酒吧。 By the time McSorley's had opened, many American bartenders had made a a of inventing what we now think of as craft cocktails. The atmosphere at these locales was often hostile and crude.Prohibition changed all that. The idea of bars as hospitable, welcoming spaces gained traction when liquor sales became illegal. 當麥克索利開業時，許多美國酒保已具備發明現今所謂精調雞尾酒的專長。這些地方的氣氛常常是不友善而且粗魯的。 With the advent of speak-easies, owners and bartenders suddenly had a new clientele: women. The social appeal of speak-easies pulled them into new and vibrant communal spaces. Alongside the new customers came bar stools, live jazz and a new breed of cocktails. 禁酒令改變了這一切。當賣酒變成非法時，酒吧是個好客、歡迎人的場所的想法才流行起來。隨著地下酒吧的出現，業主和酒保突然有了一個新的客群：婦女。地下酒吧的社會吸引力將她們拉進新的、充滿活力的公共空間。除了新客群，還出現了酒吧高腳凳、現場爵士樂與新一代雞尾酒。 Despite the end of Prohibition in 1933, these changes to New York's drinking culture endured, opening up the cocktail scene to a broader audience. 禁酒令雖於1933年廢止，紐約飲酒文化的這些變化卻持續了下來，將雞尾酒的舞台向更廣泛的觀眾開放。 By the 1960s and into the ‘80s and ‘90s, bar culture in New York had become as varied and textured as the city itself. Cocktail bars got yet another revival at the Rainbow Room, where Dale DeGroff took over the drinks program. In the Village, the Stonewall Inn and others became centers for gay culture, while uptown venues like the Shark Bar attracted a mostly African-American clientele. 到了1960年代並進入1980和1990年代，紐約的酒吧文化已變得跟城市本身一樣多采多姿。 雞尾酒酒吧在戴爾．第格洛夫接管酒單的彩虹廳又迎來一次流行。在紐約格林威治村，石牆酒吧等處所成了同性戀文化的中心，而鯊魚酒吧等曼哈頓上城場所則吸引了以非洲裔美國人為主的客群。 Today, despite an unfortunate turnover rate, modern New York cocktail bars are doing their best to foster a sense of community and hospitality. 現今，儘管翻桌率很低，但現代的紐約雞尾酒酒吧正盡最大努力營造一種社群意識和好客氣氛。 It's this spirit that an editorial writer for The Brooklyn Eagle captured in an 1885 column (quoted by David Wondrich in his book “Imbibe”). “The modern American,” the paper observed, “looks for civility and he declines to go where rowdy instincts are rampant.” 這正是《布魯克林鷹報》一位主筆1885年在專欄中提到的精神（大衛·旺德里奇在所著《飲酒》一書中引用了這段文字）。該報評論道：「現代美國人追求文明有禮，他拒絕去那些粗暴本能猖獗的地方。」 But American bars are not by definition civil. Luckily, it's as easy to find your watering hole fit today as it was a century ago. 但從定義上說，美國酒吧並非文明的。幸運的是，今天很容易找到適合你的酒吧，跟一個世紀前一樣。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/335069/web/

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approves a congestion pricing plan for lower Manhattan. A Bridgeport official accuses John Gomes supporters of ballot stuffing during the mayoral election. The South Fork wind farm has started to deliver power to Long Island. And could Tom Suozzi get his old seat in Congress back in a vote to replace George Santos?

The panel discusses the outlook for mass transportation across the US amid waning federal pandemic emergency aid and lagging ridership as metropolitan area commuters continue to work from home. This episode includes a remembrance of our great friend and colleague, Richard Ravitch, the former New York State lieutenant governor, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Volcker Alliance director, and tireless advocate for fiscally sustainable state and local budgeting, who passed away on June 25. Our panel of experts includes Janno Lieber, chair and chief executive officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; former US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx; Kurt Forsgren, managing director and sector lead for transportation in US Public Finance at S&P Global; Frank Jimenez, senior fiscal policy analyst, California Legislative Analyst's Office; and Leslie Richards, general manager and chief executive officer, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Notable Quotes: “I made the case that it was insane for New York [to not receive funding to avert a fiscal cliff], when 85% of our commuters use mass transit. It was an intense equity issue.” - Janno Lieber “What is clear in the post-COVID era is that the critical role that transit plays is not going to change. We have to rethink how we make decisions. We know that cities, regions and transit are intrinsically related – we know that our futures are tied together; that the stronger a transit system is, the stronger the region it operates in is as well.” - Leslie Richards “Ultimately in the final budget package, the legislature provided $5.1 billion to support transit agencies across the state over a four-year period. This funding is on top of the state's baseline funding which supports transit agencies and is funded by fuel taxes and vehicle fees.” - Frank Jimenez “Whether that is in the form of sales taxes, or as New York has done with congestion pricing, I think we're going to have to look at new ways to generate income from local and state sources to support our transit systems.” - Anthony Foxx “Even for transit agencies where we have sales tax or other forms of tax that make up the bulk of revenues, we felt like the ridership loss is likely to impact their operating funds and have ripple effects across their enterprise.” - Kurt Forsgren Be sure to subscribe to Special Briefing to stay up to date on the world of public finance. Learn more about the Volcker Alliance at: volckeralliance.org Learn more about Penn IUR at: penniur.upenn.edu Connect with us @VolckerAlliance and @PennIUR on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Special Briefing is published by the Volcker Alliance, as part of its Public Finance initiatives, and Penn IUR. The views expressed on this podcast are those of the panelists and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Volcker Alliance or Penn IUR.

------------------------------- 強化英語課程資訊 ------------------------------- 「社會人核心英語」有聲書課程連結：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/554esm ------------------------------- 15Mins.Today 相關連結 ------------------------------- 歡迎針對這一集留言你的想法： 留言連結 官方網站：www.15mins.today 加入Clubhouse直播室：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k 訂閱YouTube頻道：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/3rhuuy 主題投稿/意見回覆 : ask15mins@gmail.com 商業合作/贊助來信：15minstoday@gmail.com ------------------------------- 以下有參考文字稿～ 各播放器有不同字數限制，完整文稿可到官網搜尋 ------------------------------- Topic: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He's a construction worker from Queens who's lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News. 就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。 How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.” 他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」 Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York's Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He's a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He's 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I'd pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said. 對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」 He doesn't remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend's home this past week, he was unimpressed. 他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。 Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It's the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter. 另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。 He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter. 他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。 All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff. 這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。 Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper's non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did. 每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。 At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be. 在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。 And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs. 對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。 “You need those old-school people because they know what they're doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News' staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.” 布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」 The New York Post, The Daily News' longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper's unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink. 每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。 Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/ Next Article Topic: Dumplings tempt New Yorkers with pizza, peanut butter flavors - and no human contact New Yorkers can now get their dumpling fix from an automat with no human contact, and the adventurous can order flavors ranging from pepperoni pizza to peanut butter and jelly. 紐約客現在可由一套不需要與人接觸的自動販賣機為他們料理餃子，喜歡嘗試新鮮的人可從義式臘腸披薩到花生醬、果醬等口味中選購。 While the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop in the city's East Village offers traditional pork and chicken bite-sized treats, chicken parm or Philly cheesesteak are also on the menu. 位於這座城市東村的布魯克林餃子店，提供一口大小的傳統豬肉、雞肉餡點心，菜單上也有焗烤雞肉，或是費城牛肉起司三明治。 Spurred by the pandemic and technology advances, the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is delivering food via automat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 在這場疫情以及科技進步的帶動下，布魯克林餃子店正透過自動販賣機，全年無休24小時出餐。 "Embrace technology, because technology is something that has to be embraced by hospitality（business）to thrive," said the shop's owner Stratis Morfogen. 「擁抱科技，因為餐旅（業）要蒸蒸日上，就得擁抱科技」，店老闆史特拉狄斯．摩佛根說。 Next Article Topic: New York lawmakers pass bill allowing gender-neutral "X" option in govt documents 紐約州議員通過法案 允許政府文件中可選擇中立性別「X」 The New York state assembly has passed a bill that would allow people who do not identify as either male or female to use "X" as a marker to designate their sex on drivers' licenses. 紐約州議會通過一項法案，允許認為自己既不是男性也不是女性的民眾，在駕照上標記其性別為X。 The new marker would help transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals' identity be recognized in government documents, according to a statement from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell. 根據州眾議院議長希斯堤和州眾議員歐唐納發出的聲明，這項新註記會有助於跨性別、非二元性別和雙性人的性別認同，獲得政府文件承認。 "The provisions in this bill will make life safer, reduce the stigma and affirm the identities for so many of our friends and neighbors," O'Donnell said in the statement. 歐唐納在聲明中說，「這項法案中的該項條文，將讓人生活更安全，減少污名，並且確認我們廣大鄉親朋友的身分認同。」 Next Article Topic: Looking Back on 100 Years of New York City Drinking Culture, From Gritty to Elegant The history of drinking in America goes straight through the heart of New York. As with so many aspects of the city, that history has run from gritty to stylish and back again. 美國的飲酒歷史直接穿越紐約的心臟，就像這座城市的許多方面一樣，這段歷史經歷了從粗獷到風雅，再回到當初的過程。 For generations, taverns and saloons were largely places for men to gather, drink, gamble and chew tobacco. Those places could be discerning, as with Fraunces Tavern, a still-existent bar patronized in the 18th century by the likes of George Washington and his soldiers, or more suited to the average Joe, like McSorley's Old Ale House, which opened in the mid-19th century and, until 1970, admitted only men. 數世代以來，酒館和酒吧大多是男人聚集、喝酒、賭博與嚼菸草的地方。這些地方可能是比較有品味的，像是18世紀喬治華盛頓和他旗下軍人經常光顧、至今依然存在的弗朗西斯酒館，也可能是更適合一般人的，像是19世紀中葉開業，且在1970年前只接待男性的麥克索利酒吧。 By the time McSorley's had opened, many American bartenders had made a a of inventing what we now think of as craft cocktails. The atmosphere at these locales was often hostile and crude.Prohibition changed all that. The idea of bars as hospitable, welcoming spaces gained traction when liquor sales became illegal. 當麥克索利開業時，許多美國酒保已具備發明現今所謂精調雞尾酒的專長。這些地方的氣氛常常是不友善而且粗魯的。 With the advent of speak-easies, owners and bartenders suddenly had a new clientele: women. The social appeal of speak-easies pulled them into new and vibrant communal spaces. Alongside the new customers came bar stools, live jazz and a new breed of cocktails. 禁酒令改變了這一切。當賣酒變成非法時，酒吧是個好客、歡迎人的場所的想法才流行起來。隨著地下酒吧的出現，業主和酒保突然有了一個新的客群：婦女。地下酒吧的社會吸引力將她們拉進新的、充滿活力的公共空間。除了新客群，還出現了酒吧高腳凳、現場爵士樂與新一代雞尾酒。 Despite the end of Prohibition in 1933, these changes to New York's drinking culture endured, opening up the cocktail scene to a broader audience. 禁酒令雖於1933年廢止，紐約飲酒文化的這些變化卻持續了下來，將雞尾酒的舞台向更廣泛的觀眾開放。 By the 1960s and into the ‘80s and ‘90s, bar culture in New York had become as varied and textured as the city itself. Cocktail bars got yet another revival at the Rainbow Room, where Dale DeGroff took over the drinks program. In the Village, the Stonewall Inn and others became centers for gay culture, while uptown venues like the Shark Bar attracted a mostly African-American clientele. 到了1960年代並進入1980和1990年代，紐約的酒吧文化已變得跟城市本身一樣多采多姿。 雞尾酒酒吧在戴爾．第格洛夫接管酒單的彩虹廳又迎來一次流行。在紐約格林威治村，石牆酒吧等處所成了同性戀文化的中心，而鯊魚酒吧等曼哈頓上城場所則吸引了以非洲裔美國人為主的客群。 Today, despite an unfortunate turnover rate, modern New York cocktail bars are doing their best to foster a sense of community and hospitality. 現今，儘管翻桌率很低，但現代的紐約雞尾酒酒吧正盡最大努力營造一種社群意識和好客氣氛。 It's this spirit that an editorial writer for The Brooklyn Eagle captured in an 1885 column (quoted by David Wondrich in his book “Imbibe”). “The modern American,” the paper observed, “looks for civility and he declines to go where rowdy instincts are rampant.” 這正是《布魯克林鷹報》一位主筆1885年在專欄中提到的精神（大衛·旺德里奇在所著《飲酒》一書中引用了這段文字）。該報評論道：「現代美國人追求文明有禮，他拒絕去那些粗暴本能猖獗的地方。」 But American bars are not by definition civil. Luckily, it's as easy to find your watering hole fit today as it was a century ago. 但從定義上說，美國酒吧並非文明的。幸運的是，今天很容易找到適合你的酒吧，跟一個世紀前一樣。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/335069/web/

New York has received a critical federal approval for its first-in-the-nation plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, part of an effort to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for the city's public transit system. The program could begin as soon as the spring of 2024, bringing New York City into line with places like London, Singapore, and Stockholm that have implemented similar tolling programs for highly congested business districts. Under one of several tolling scenarios under consideration, drivers could be charged as much as $23 a day to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, with the exact amount still to be decided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is overseeing the long-stalled plan. The congestion pricing plan cleared its final federal hurdle after getting approved by the Federal Highway Administration, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “With the green light from the federal government, we look forward to moving ahead with the implementation of this program,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement. People headed into Manhattan already pay big tolls to use many of the bridges and tunnels connecting across the Hudson, East and Harlem Rivers. The special tolls for the southern half of Manhattan would come on top of those existing charges. The new tolls are expected to generate another $1 billion yearly, which would be used to finance borrowing to upgrade the subway, bus and commuter rail systems operated by the MTA. The state Legislature approved a conceptual plan for congestion pricing back in 2019, but the coronavirus pandemic combined with a lack of guidance from federal regulators stalled the project. The plan has been sharply opposed by officials in New Jersey, where people bound for Manhattan by car could see the costs of commuting skyrocket. Taxi and car service drivers have also objected, saying it would make fares unaffordable. Some MTA proposals have included caps on tolls for taxis and other for-hire vehicles. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

On this day, June 27th, in legal history, the Federal Housing Administration came into being. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was established in 1934 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program during the Great Depression. On June 27, 1934, the National Housing Act was passed which functionally created the FHA. The primary goal of the FHA was to stabilize the housing market and increase homeownership opportunities for Americans. It did so by providing mortgage insurance to lenders, enabling them to offer loans with lower down payments and longer repayment terms if those loans complied with certain underwriting conditions.The FHA played a significant role in expanding homeownership, particularly for low-income and first-time homebuyers who were previously unable to secure traditional mortgages. It introduced standardized underwriting guidelines, making it easier for lenders to assess borrower creditworthiness. Additionally, the FHA established regulations for home construction and safety standards to improve housing conditions.During its early years, the FHA primarily facilitated the construction of single-family homes. However, after World War II, it expanded its programs to include multi-family housing, aiding the construction of rental properties and helping address housing shortages.Over time, the FHA's role evolved, and it became a vital institution in the mortgage market, ensuring the availability of affordable home loans. However, it faced criticism for some of its practices, including redlining, a discriminatory practice that disproportionately affected minority communities by denying them access to mortgage loans.Despite its shortcomings, the FHA continues to operate today as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), supporting affordable housing initiatives and promoting access to mortgage financing for a wide range of borrowers.KPMG LLP, one of the Big Four accounting firms, is planning to lay off nearly 5% of its US workforce, amounting to approximately 2,000 positions, citing challenging economic conditions and low turnover rates. This marks the second round of layoffs for the firm in 2023 and deviates from its earlier strategy of offering incentives to retain employees during the "Great Resignation" trend. The job cuts are expected to be completed by late summer, and affected employees will receive severance packages and access to career services and healthcare benefits. KPMG's decision aligns with similar actions taken by competitors like Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and Grant Thornton, who have also reduced their consulting businesses due to declining demand. Despite the layoffs, KPMG reported a 14% increase in revenue for its US affiliate in the previous year and expressed optimism about future growth opportunities. The firm's leaders noted a significant disparity between workforce size and the resources required to deliver services, citing economic headwinds and low attrition rates as contributing factors. While staff in tax and audit practices received immediate notifications, professionals in the advisory business and other areas were told they would have to wait until later in the summer to learn their fate. Unlike its counterparts, PwC has not announced any layoffs driven by market conditions but instead informed its staff to expect bonus pay and merit raises, with increased in-office presence.KPMG Cutting US Workforce 5% in Second Round of 2023 Layoffs (1)The County of Los Angeles has severed ties with law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith following the release of racist, sexist, and antisemitic emails by two former senior partners. The county will no longer assign new matters to the firm and will review existing cases to determine if they should be transferred to other outside lawyers on a case-by-case basis. County counsel Dawyn Harrison emphasized the importance of promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism in law firms contracted by the county. The LA County counsel's office assigns cases to contract law firms for various government departments and has an apportioned budget of around $186 million for the current fiscal year. Lewis Brisbois has represented clients such as the LA County's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Sheriff's Department, and Board of Supervisors. The firm is currently in discussions with the county but declined to provide further comment. This development follows the departure of leaders from Lewis Brisbois' labor and employment group, who left to launch a competing firm and subsequently prompted the release of offensive emails. Lewis Brisbois, known for its work in insurance defense, has undergone leadership changes and is now led by managing partner Gregory Katz.LA County Cuts Ties With Lewis Brisbois After Racist Emails (1)Rite Aid, the drugstore chain burdened by a $2.9 billion debt, has ended its relationships with two law firms, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and Littler Mendelson, due to personal connections between their partners and Rite Aid's former and current senior executives. The decision was made to ensure that "related persons" do not have a significant interest in the company's legal matters. Rite Aid cited the presence of the sister of its former chief legal officer at Bradley, which represented the company in opioid-related litigation, and a Littler partner who is the brother of Rite Aid's chief financial officer. The company did not disclose the names of the lawyers involved. Rite Aid recently appointed Christin Bassett as its acting legal chief following the departure of its former chief legal officer, Paul Gilbert. Thomas Sabatino Jr., previously the top lawyer at Tenneco Inc., will succeed Gilbert as the legal group leader. Rite Aid is currently dealing with various legal issues, including opioid litigation and a growing debt load. Bondholders have engaged Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as they prepare for discussions on restructuring the company's debt.Rite Aid Cuts Loose Law Firms With Personal Ties to ExecutivesThe U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a Republican appeal to defend a Louisiana electoral map that was challenged as discriminatory. The map, drawn by the Republican-led state legislature, was accused of unlawfully discriminating based on race. A federal judge had ordered the creation of two congressional districts where Black voters would be the majority, potentially benefiting Democratic chances in the upcoming elections. The Supreme Court's dismissal allows the case to proceed before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans for review before the 2024 congressional elections in Louisiana. Black voters and civil rights groups had sued, claiming that the map disenfranchised and discriminated against Black Louisianans by packing them into one district and diluting their voting power in others. The ruling follows a similar decision in an Alabama case, where the Supreme Court found that the Republican-drawn map violated the Voting Rights Act by diminishing the voting power of Black Alabamians.US Supreme Court tosses race-based dispute over Louisiana electoral map | ReutersThe U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an inventor's bid to challenge a patent ruling based on the grounds that one of the judges involved is facing a competency probe. Inventor Franz Wakefield argued that the investigation into Judge Pauline Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit raised concerns about due process and warranted a new hearing. However, the Supreme Court denied the petition without providing a written opinion. Wakefield had sued several tech companies for patent infringement, but the patent was invalidated in 2021 by a Delaware federal court and affirmed by a three-judge panel at the Federal Circuit that included Judge Newman. Wakefield claimed that the presence of a judge with a mental disability on the panel undermined the principle of a fair and impartial hearing. Judge Newman, who is 96 years old, has denied the claims and filed a lawsuit to halt the competency probe.US Supreme Court won't reconsider ruling by judge facing competency probe | ReutersIn this week's column, I lay out and compare some tax rates in the United States and Norway, pointing out that the top federal tax bracket in the US for 2023 is 37%, while in Norway, it reaches 55.8% – but the top US rate in 1944 was a staggering 94%, applied to income over $200,000 (equivalent to $3.45 million today). I acknowledge that advocating for such a high rate would be difficult. Instead, I propose a compromise: maintaining the current rate structure but adding a 100% tax rate for individuals earning over $1 billion.The proposed tax would apply to both income and capital gains, without any loopholes or exceptions. At the outset I acknowledge the complexity of implementing such a tax, given the intricacies of the US tax code, but I'd argue that the lack of proper regulation ensuring billionaires pay their fair share is a result of political unwillingness rather than administrative obstacles.There are a limited number of billionaires who earn over $1 billion per year in income, it is an elite group, and taxing just this elite group would generate relatively modest revenue (that is, approximately $6 billion per year). However, there are massive unrealized gains held by billionaires, which amount to around $2.7 trillion in the US. I thus suggest implementing a mark-to-market tax, requiring billionaires to recognize gains and losses on their investments at the end of each tax year.By applying a mark-to-market tax rate of 100% on gains and income above $1 billion, I argue that it would prevent the further growth of billionaires' wealth and could generate significant revenue. For example, if the year ended today, it could raise around $335 billion from the top billionaires alone. I conclude by highlighting the ease of administering such a targeted tax due to the relatively small number of billionaires in the US (724). That said, the main obstacle to implementing a 100% tax rate is not administrative feasibility but rather the political challenges and resistance from a nation that aspires to wealth. It's Time to Slap America's Billionaires With a 100% Tax Bracket Get full access to Minimum Competence - Daily Legal News Podcast at www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

May 12, 2023 - Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Advisory Rachael Fauss breaks down the state investments into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in order to solve its fiscal crisis and improve services.

Move Free益節--母親節限時優惠【Podcast聽眾隱藏福利】熱銷UC-II迷你錠禮盒現省$200還享免運快速到貨及滿額贈活動點擊連結搶購，只到5/6！https://link.fstry.me/3Lp6571 母親節禮物還沒準備好嗎？就送媽媽維持靈活及健康的好物吧！益節美國原裝進口，官網品質有保證 —— 以上為 Firstory DAI 動態廣告 —— 歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He's a construction worker from Queens who's lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News. 就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。 How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.” 他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」 Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York's Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He's a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He's 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I'd pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said. 對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」 He doesn't remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend's home this past week, he was unimpressed. 他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。 Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It's the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter. 另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。 He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter. 他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。 All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff. 這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。 Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper's non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did. 每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。 At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be. 在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。 And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs. 對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。 “You need those old-school people because they know what they're doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News' staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.” 布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」 The New York Post, The Daily News' longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper's unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink. 每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。 Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/ Next Article Topic: Dumplings tempt New Yorkers with pizza, peanut butter flavors - and no human contact New Yorkers can now get their dumpling fix from an automat with no human contact, and the adventurous can order flavors ranging from pepperoni pizza to peanut butter and jelly. 紐約客現在可由一套不需要與人接觸的自動販賣機為他們料理餃子，喜歡嘗試新鮮的人可從義式臘腸披薩到花生醬、果醬等口味中選購。 While the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop in the city's East Village offers traditional pork and chicken bite-sized treats, chicken parm or Philly cheesesteak are also on the menu. 位於這座城市東村的布魯克林餃子店，提供一口大小的傳統豬肉、雞肉餡點心，菜單上也有焗烤雞肉，或是費城牛肉起司三明治。 Spurred by the pandemic and technology advances, the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is delivering food via automat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 在這場疫情以及科技進步的帶動下，布魯克林餃子店正透過自動販賣機，全年無休24小時出餐。 "Embrace technology, because technology is something that has to be embraced by hospitality（business）to thrive," said the shop's owner Stratis Morfogen. 「擁抱科技，因為餐旅（業）要蒸蒸日上，就得擁抱科技」，店老闆史特拉狄斯．摩佛根說。 Next Article Topic: New York lawmakers pass bill allowing gender-neutral "X" option in govt documents 紐約州議員通過法案 允許政府文件中可選擇中立性別「X」 The New York state assembly has passed a bill that would allow people who do not identify as either male or female to use "X" as a marker to designate their sex on drivers' licenses. 紐約州議會通過一項法案，允許認為自己既不是男性也不是女性的民眾，在駕照上標記其性別為X。 The new marker would help transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals' identity be recognized in government documents, according to a statement from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell. 根據州眾議院議長希斯堤和州眾議員歐唐納發出的聲明，這項新註記會有助於跨性別、非二元性別和雙性人的性別認同，獲得政府文件承認。 "The provisions in this bill will make life safer, reduce the stigma and affirm the identities for so many of our friends and neighbors," O'Donnell said in the statement. 歐唐納在聲明中說，「這項法案中的該項條文，將讓人生活更安全，減少污名，並且確認我們廣大鄉親朋友的身分認同。」 Next Article Topic: Looking Back on 100 Years of New York City Drinking Culture, From Gritty to Elegant The history of drinking in America goes straight through the heart of New York. As with so many aspects of the city, that history has run from gritty to stylish and back again. 美國的飲酒歷史直接穿越紐約的心臟，就像這座城市的許多方面一樣，這段歷史經歷了從粗獷到風雅，再回到當初的過程。 For generations, taverns and saloons were largely places for men to gather, drink, gamble and chew tobacco. Those places could be discerning, as with Fraunces Tavern, a still-existent bar patronized in the 18th century by the likes of George Washington and his soldiers, or more suited to the average Joe, like McSorley's Old Ale House, which opened in the mid-19th century and, until 1970, admitted only men. 數世代以來，酒館和酒吧大多是男人聚集、喝酒、賭博與嚼菸草的地方。這些地方可能是比較有品味的，像是18世紀喬治華盛頓和他旗下軍人經常光顧、至今依然存在的弗朗西斯酒館，也可能是更適合一般人的，像是19世紀中葉開業，且在1970年前只接待男性的麥克索利酒吧。 By the time McSorley's had opened, many American bartenders had made a a of inventing what we now think of as craft cocktails. The atmosphere at these locales was often hostile and crude.Prohibition changed all that. The idea of bars as hospitable, welcoming spaces gained traction when liquor sales became illegal. 當麥克索利開業時，許多美國酒保已具備發明現今所謂精調雞尾酒的專長。這些地方的氣氛常常是不友善而且粗魯的。 With the advent of speak-easies, owners and bartenders suddenly had a new clientele: women. The social appeal of speak-easies pulled them into new and vibrant communal spaces. Alongside the new customers came bar stools, live jazz and a new breed of cocktails. 禁酒令改變了這一切。當賣酒變成非法時，酒吧是個好客、歡迎人的場所的想法才流行起來。隨著地下酒吧的出現，業主和酒保突然有了一個新的客群：婦女。地下酒吧的社會吸引力將她們拉進新的、充滿活力的公共空間。除了新客群，還出現了酒吧高腳凳、現場爵士樂與新一代雞尾酒。 Despite the end of Prohibition in 1933, these changes to New York's drinking culture endured, opening up the cocktail scene to a broader audience. 禁酒令雖於1933年廢止，紐約飲酒文化的這些變化卻持續了下來，將雞尾酒的舞台向更廣泛的觀眾開放。 By the 1960s and into the ‘80s and ‘90s, bar culture in New York had become as varied and textured as the city itself. Cocktail bars got yet another revival at the Rainbow Room, where Dale DeGroff took over the drinks program. In the Village, the Stonewall Inn and others became centers for gay culture, while uptown venues like the Shark Bar attracted a mostly African-American clientele. 到了1960年代並進入1980和1990年代，紐約的酒吧文化已變得跟城市本身一樣多采多姿。 雞尾酒酒吧在戴爾．第格洛夫接管酒單的彩虹廳又迎來一次流行。在紐約格林威治村，石牆酒吧等處所成了同性戀文化的中心，而鯊魚酒吧等曼哈頓上城場所則吸引了以非洲裔美國人為主的客群。 Today, despite an unfortunate turnover rate, modern New York cocktail bars are doing their best to foster a sense of community and hospitality. 現今，儘管翻桌率很低，但現代的紐約雞尾酒酒吧正盡最大努力營造一種社群意識和好客氣氛。 It's this spirit that an editorial writer for The Brooklyn Eagle captured in an 1885 column (quoted by David Wondrich in his book “Imbibe”). “The modern American,” the paper observed, “looks for civility and he declines to go where rowdy instincts are rampant.” 這正是《布魯克林鷹報》一位主筆1885年在專欄中提到的精神（大衛·旺德里奇在所著《飲酒》一書中引用了這段文字）。該報評論道：「現代美國人追求文明有禮，他拒絕去那些粗暴本能猖獗的地方。」 But American bars are not by definition civil. Luckily, it's as easy to find your watering hole fit today as it was a century ago. 但從定義上說，美國酒吧並非文明的。幸運的是，今天很容易找到適合你的酒吧，跟一個世紀前一樣。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/335069/web/ Powered by Firstory Hosting

Nov. 22, 2022 - Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing a fiscal cliff as ridership levels continue below pre-pandemic levels and might not bound back for years. Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Advisor Rachael Fauss explains the looming hole in the transit budget and how it should be filled in the future.

Nov. 22, 2022 - Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing a fiscal cliff as ridership levels continue below pre-pandemic levels and might not bound back for years. Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Advisor Rachael Fauss explains the looming hole in the transit budget and how it should be filled in the future.

Nov. 22, 2022 - Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing a fiscal cliff as ridership levels continue below pre-pandemic levels and might not bound back for years. Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Advisor Rachael Fauss explains the looming hole in the transit budget and how it should be filled in the future.

Improving data-driven efforts. Three guests joined the podcast to discuss their research and insight into the advancement of data in local government. They shared their new definition of data-driven local government and the methodology of their research. Ruth Puttick is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Open Innovation Team. Lauren Su is the Director of Certification for What Works Cities. Lisa Mae Fielder is the Acting Manager of Data & Analytics at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Host: Toney Thompson

The Lymphatic System may not be the most popular of the anatomical systems, but understanding this unsung hero is fundamental to the work we do. Join Allison as she describes what lymph is, what this system does, and how it compares to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers of the New York City subway system. This beautifully intricate component of who we are deserves a deeper understanding, some love, and, perhaps, a raise.   Host:                   Contact Allison Denney: rebelmt@abmp.com             Allison's website: www.rebelmassage.com                      Allison Denney is a certified massage therapist and certified YouTuber. You can find her massage tutorials at YouTube.com/RebelMassage. She is also passionate about creating products that are kind, simple, and productive for therapists to use in their practices. Her products, along with access to her blog and CE opportunities, can be found at rebelmassage.com.               Allison's column in Massage & Bodywork magazine:     “The QL and the Psoas: The Epitome of Codependency” by Allison Denney, Massage & Bodywork magazine, January/February 2022, page 24.    “The Hand: A User's Guide,” by Allison Denney, Massage & Bodywork magazine. November/December 2021, page 81.   “Feelization: Connect with Clients on a Deeper Level,” by Allison Denney, Massage & Bodywork magazine, September/October 2021, page 85.   This podcast sponsored by:     Rebel Massage Therapist: http://www.rebelmassage.com   The Academy of Lymphatic Studies (ACOLS): acols.com   Rebel Massage Therapist: My name is Allison. And I am not your typical massage therapist. After 20 years of experience and thousands of clients, I have learned that massage therapy is SO MUCH more than a relaxing experience at a spa. I see soft tissue as more than merely a physical element but a deeply complex, neurologically driven part of who you are. I use this knowledge to work WITH you—not ON you—to create change that works. This is the basis of my approach. As a massage therapist, I have worked in almost every capacity, including massage clinics, physical therapy clinics, chiropractor offices, spas, private practice, and teaching. I have learned incredible techniques and strategies from each of my experiences. In my 20 years as a massage therapist, I have never stopped growing. I currently have a private practice based out of Long Beach, California, where I also teach continuing education classes and occasionally work on my kids. If they're good.   website: www.rebelmassage.com     FB: facebook.com/RebelMassage     IG: instagram.com/rebelmassagetherapist     YouTube: youtube.com/c/RebelMassage     email: rebelmassagetherapist@gmail.com     The Academy of Lymphatic Studies (ACOLS) promotes the quality and integrity of continuing education to practitioners in the field of lymphedema and edema management. Manual lymphatic drainage helps to reduce edema of various genesis, including posttraumatic and post-surgical edema, as well as several pathologies, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, and chronic pain. Highly skilled manual lymphatic drainage therapists with advanced training are instrumental in supporting the healing process in patients recovering from oncology treatments as well as cosmetic, reconstructive, and gender affirming surgery. ACOLS offers Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) Certification and Complete Lymphedema Therapy Certification courses in both in-person and hybrid options. With 150 annual course offerings all over the country, students can find the right course for them.    Website: acols.com   Facebook: facebook.com/AcademyofLymphaticStudies   LinkedIn: llinkedin.com/company/academy-of-lymphatic-studies-llc   Instagram: instagram.com/lymphaticstudies   Email: admissions@acols.com    

Over his many decades in public life, Richard Ravitch has worked in the private sector and the upper echelons of New York state government. The former Lieutenant Governor and Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair is now on the Board of Directors of the Volcker Alliance, the non-profit established a decade ago by former Fed Chair Paul Volcker that aims to bolster the public sector workforce and keep government spending honest. Ravitch served as Lieutenant Governor under Gov. David Paterson through 2010.

VALUE FOR VALUE Thank you to the Bowl After Bowl Episode 169 Executive Producers: Mitch, Boolysteed, Rev CyberTrucker, harvhat, Pheonix, PhoneBoy, Boo-Bury, SeeDubs, Quirkess, NA Millennial, Thor the Wonder Hammer, Fletcher, SirVo Thank you Gigi for joining us on Bowls With Buds! Solid State Pinball Supply We had an awesome time watching Dooshbar and his smoking hot wife process our pasture-raised chickens and hanging out with BillyBon3s! ON CHAIN, OFF CHAIN, COCAINE, SHITSTAIN Podbean censors titles if you didn't know so Bowl After Bowl Episode 167 may be Big Titty Milk or Big Milk KC Bitcoin Meetup with CaptainSiddh TOMORROW 6 PM Central BTC fire sale going on -- buy the dip! Celsius is rekt TOP THREE 33 33 children, 3 teachers waited desperately for over an hour during Uvalde massacre, per analysis (NBC) 65% of men think they're healthier than others, 33% skip annual exams 33-year-old man unhappy with haircut shot barber and was going to 'execute' him but his gun jammed, says report (KCMO)    COOFIN' 33 new cases: Beijing, Vadodara (India), Mizoram (India), Himachal Pradesh (India), Chandigarh (India) Jabs could be approved for children under 5 as early as next week Monkeypox spreads worldwide, 1472 cases in 33 non-endemic countries Study suggests a "high-CBD extract has a high potential in the management of pathological conditions in which the secretion of cytokines is dyrsregulated," like severe COVID-19 or other infectious or inflammatory diseases BEHIND THE CURTAIN Two lawsuits dismissed challenging Drug Enforcement Administration hemp rules US State Department 2021 International Religious Freedom Report released In US v. Cannon, judge upholds decision that Pennsylvania man on pretrial cannot use medical weed because it's federally illegal US Supreme Court taking up Bilodeau v. United States, a case about the scope of protections provided by a congressionally-approved medical weed rider Environmental Protection Agency emails workers memo reminding them cannot smoke pot Government Accountability Office analysis of US Border Patrol enforcement data released Cannabis Administration Opportunity Act (CAOA) could be filed this month Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission says fall 2023 is the earliest products will be available in the state but could take until 2024 California Superior Court rules High Times must pay $5 million in back rent for a would-be dispensary in San Francisco's Union Square Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed SB99 into law, streamlining the expungement process, and HB1344 legalizing MDMA IF/WHEN the FDA approves it for prescription drug use Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB 4392 into law so courts can no longer deny petitioners' requests to have their criminal records expunged due to pot drug test failure Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announces next steps to issue 185 recreational licenses Illinois judge issues temporary restraining order, freezing operations for 48 craft grow licenses amid a legal challenge to the award process Two Michigan bills would ban fake urine Missouri medical growers must destroy products, surrender licenses New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says fentanyl-laced marijuana and cocaine is being smuggled over the northern border New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is being sued by a worker who claims he was demoted, subjected to random drug testing, and forced to attend drug counseling for legal medical pot use North Carolina legislators send SB 762 to the governor's desk to permanently legalize hemp CEO of Oklahoma-based medical pot company replied to a sales rep from Vangst (which just published a report on LGBT+ representation in the weed workforce): "I don't communicate with ignorant cunts that cannot figure out what a woman is. You're a she/her/hers? Please die so God can rectify his mistake." July 1, Oregon becomes the first state to ban synthetic cannabis products sold at grocery stores and other retailers South Dakota voters rejected a constitutional amendment requiring ballot initiatives get 60% support in order to be enacted -- legalization advocates highlighted this as a possible impediment to passing reform in November German officials are taking a step in the right direction to legalize pot by holding five hearings to discuss policy change with a   plan earlier this year with FAQ: Cannabis - but safe Guam's recreational regulations took effect Thailand's partial cannabis legalization law took effect New United Arab Emirates law cracks down on those promoting images of drugs on clothes, car METAL MOMENT Tonight, the Rev.CyberTrucker brings us Angelo Bissanti's cover of I've No More Fucks to Give by Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. Is there a song you want to hear? Call the Metal Moment request line: (816) 366-8333 FIRST TIME I EVER... This week, bowlers called in to tell us about the First Time They Ever got a pet. Next week, we want to hear about the First Time YOU Ever bought something with Bitcoin. FUCK IT, DUDE. LET'S GO BOWLING. Sanctions sought against FBI over Civil War gold dig videos Boston transit agency to try urine sensors on elevators Amarillo Zoo surveillance picture shows strange creature at perimeter fence Zoo staff forced to intervene after dog enters gorilla enclosure   Dog blamed for starting fire that damaged Kansas City home Elephant tramples India woman, attends funeral and tramples corpse Alabama man convicted of littering after placing a flower box at foot of fiancee's grave Indian man reportedly divorces wife because she only cooked instant noodles Shark sliced in half washes up on beach, makes people wonder what predator attacked it Texas cat escapes coyote showdown  Baby emu learns to run with help of electric wheelchair custom built for it      

Batista v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Batista v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority

In this special episode of Recalibrate Reality, Scott Rechler moderates an RPA Assembly panel with Janno Lieber, Chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development, Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder and Creative Director of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, and Yael Taqqu, Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company, on what the future holds for our central business districts.  Recalibrate Reality is presented in collaboration with 92nd Street Y.

Topic: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing   Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He's a construction worker from Queens who's lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News. 就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。 How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.” 他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」 Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York's Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He's a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He's 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I'd pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said. 對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」 He doesn't remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend's home this past week, he was unimpressed. 他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。 Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It's the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter. 另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。 He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter. 他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。 All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff. 這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。 Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper's non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did. 每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。 At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be. 在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。 And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs. 對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。 “You need those old-school people because they know what they're doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News' staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.” 布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」 The New York Post, The Daily News' longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper's unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink. 每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。 Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/   Next Article   Topic: Dumplings tempt New Yorkers with pizza, peanut butter flavors - and no human contact New Yorkers can now get their dumpling fix from an automat with no human contact, and the adventurous can order flavors ranging from pepperoni pizza to peanut butter and jelly. 紐約客現在可由一套不需要與人接觸的自動販賣機為他們料理餃子，喜歡嘗試新鮮的人可從義式臘腸披薩到花生醬、果醬等口味中選購。 While the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop in the city's East Village offers traditional pork and chicken bite-sized treats, chicken parm or Philly cheesesteak are also on the menu. 位於這座城市東村的布魯克林餃子店，提供一口大小的傳統豬肉、雞肉餡點心，菜單上也有焗烤雞肉，或是費城牛肉起司三明治。 Spurred by the pandemic and technology advances, the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is delivering food via automat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 在這場疫情以及科技進步的帶動下，布魯克林餃子店正透過自動販賣機，全年無休24小時出餐。 "Embrace technology, because technology is something that has to be embraced by hospitality（business）to thrive," said the shop's owner Stratis Morfogen. 「擁抱科技，因為餐旅（業）要蒸蒸日上，就得擁抱科技」，店老闆史特拉狄斯．摩佛根說。   Next Article   Topic: New York lawmakers pass bill allowing gender-neutral "X" option in govt documents 紐約州議員通過法案 允許政府文件中可選擇中立性別「X」   The New York state assembly has passed a bill that would allow people who do not identify as either male or female to use "X" as a marker to designate their sex on drivers' licenses. 紐約州議會通過一項法案，允許認為自己既不是男性也不是女性的民眾，在駕照上標記其性別為X。 The new marker would help transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals' identity be recognized in government documents, according to a statement from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell. 根據州眾議院議長希斯堤和州眾議員歐唐納發出的聲明，這項新註記會有助於跨性別、非二元性別和雙性人的性別認同，獲得政府文件承認。 "The provisions in this bill will make life safer, reduce the stigma and affirm the identities for so many of our friends and neighbors," O'Donnell said in the statement. 歐唐納在聲明中說，「這項法案中的該項條文，將讓人生活更安全，減少污名，並且確認我們廣大鄉親朋友的身分認同。」   Next Article   Topic: Looking Back on 100 Years of New York City Drinking Culture, From Gritty to Elegant   The history of drinking in America goes straight through the heart of New York. As with so many aspects of the city, that history has run from gritty to stylish and back again. 美國的飲酒歷史直接穿越紐約的心臟，就像這座城市的許多方面一樣，這段歷史經歷了從粗獷到風雅，再回到當初的過程。 For generations, taverns and saloons were largely places for men to gather, drink, gamble and chew tobacco. Those places could be discerning, as with Fraunces Tavern, a still-existent bar patronized in the 18th century by the likes of George Washington and his soldiers, or more suited to the average Joe, like McSorley's Old Ale House, which opened in the mid-19th century and, until 1970, admitted only men. 數世代以來，酒館和酒吧大多是男人聚集、喝酒、賭博與嚼菸草的地方。這些地方可能是比較有品味的，像是18世紀喬治華盛頓和他旗下軍人經常光顧、至今依然存在的弗朗西斯酒館，也可能是更適合一般人的，像是19世紀中葉開業，且在1970年前只接待男性的麥克索利酒吧。 By the time McSorley's had opened, many American bartenders had made a a of inventing what we now think of as craft cocktails. The atmosphere at these locales was often hostile and crude.Prohibition changed all that. The idea of bars as hospitable, welcoming spaces gained traction when liquor sales became illegal. 當麥克索利開業時，許多美國酒保已具備發明現今所謂精調雞尾酒的專長。這些地方的氣氛常常是不友善而且粗魯的。 With the advent of speak-easies, owners and bartenders suddenly had a new clientele: women. The social appeal of speak-easies pulled them into new and vibrant communal spaces. Alongside the new customers came bar stools, live jazz and a new breed of cocktails. 禁酒令改變了這一切。當賣酒變成非法時，酒吧是個好客、歡迎人的場所的想法才流行起來。隨著地下酒吧的出現，業主和酒保突然有了一個新的客群：婦女。地下酒吧的社會吸引力將她們拉進新的、充滿活力的公共空間。除了新客群，還出現了酒吧高腳凳、現場爵士樂與新一代雞尾酒。 Despite the end of Prohibition in 1933, these changes to New York's drinking culture endured, opening up the cocktail scene to a broader audience. 禁酒令雖於1933年廢止，紐約飲酒文化的這些變化卻持續了下來，將雞尾酒的舞台向更廣泛的觀眾開放。 By the 1960s and into the ‘80s and ‘90s, bar culture in New York had become as varied and textured as the city itself. Cocktail bars got yet another revival at the Rainbow Room, where Dale DeGroff took over the drinks program. In the Village, the Stonewall Inn and others became centers for gay culture, while uptown venues like the Shark Bar attracted a mostly African-American clientele. 到了1960年代並進入1980和1990年代，紐約的酒吧文化已變得跟城市本身一樣多采多姿。 雞尾酒酒吧在戴爾．第格洛夫接管酒單的彩虹廳又迎來一次流行。在紐約格林威治村，石牆酒吧等處所成了同性戀文化的中心，而鯊魚酒吧等曼哈頓上城場所則吸引了以非洲裔美國人為主的客群。 Today, despite an unfortunate turnover rate, modern New York cocktail bars are doing their best to foster a sense of community and hospitality. 現今，儘管翻桌率很低，但現代的紐約雞尾酒酒吧正盡最大努力營造一種社群意識和好客氣氛。 It's this spirit that an editorial writer for The Brooklyn Eagle captured in an 1885 column (quoted by David Wondrich in his book “Imbibe”). “The modern American,” the paper observed, “looks for civility and he declines to go where rowdy instincts are rampant.” 這正是《布魯克林鷹報》一位主筆1885年在專欄中提到的精神（大衛·旺德里奇在所著《飲酒》一書中引用了這段文字）。該報評論道：「現代美國人追求文明有禮，他拒絕去那些粗暴本能猖獗的地方。」 But American bars are not by definition civil. Luckily, it's as easy to find your watering hole fit today as it was a century ago. 但從定義上說，美國酒吧並非文明的。幸運的是，今天很容易找到適合你的酒吧，跟一個世紀前一樣。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/335069/web/

This week your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Doris Cheng of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger (https://www.walkuplawoffice.com/)   Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review   Episode Details: Acclaimed California trial lawyer and former San Francisco Bar Association president Doris Cheng of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger shares how she successfully represented a grieving mother after her son was fatally struck by a city bus while riding his bike. On May 15, 2017, Maria Renteria's son, Luis Alvarez, Jr., rode his bike in the right lane of a Los Angeles street until he came upon a stopped Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) bus and, adhering to the rules of the road, moved to the left lane to pass the bus. In an attempt to return to the right lane and travel in front of the bus, Luis was struck by the bus, dragged 70 feet and killed on impact. Trial lawyer Doris Cheng argued that the bus driver failed to be aware of her surroundings and did not adhere to her training, while defense counsel countered that the bus driver should not be held to a higher standard of care than Luis or any bicyclist. In spite of the defense's tactics, which included revealing the estrangement between Luis and his mother due to Luis's father's chronic abuse, a Los Angeles County jury assigned a percentage of negligence to both LACMTA and Luis, awarding Maria $1,400,000 in damages for the tragic loss of her son. In this in-depth discussion, Doris Cheng discusses everything from dealing with bad facts in voir dire to when to abandon the conventional "rules of the road" formula, instead focusing on the fundamental rules of persuasion: ethos, pathos and logos.     Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents   Guest Bio: Doris Cheng A frequent guest lecturer and adjunct professor, Ms. Cheng has trained lawyers and judges nationally and internationally. As part of the Rule of Law Initiative, she has had the privilege of training trial lawyers and judges in Mexico, Kosovo, and Macedonia.  She has also collaborated and trained with civil practitioners in Singapore and Belfast. This past year, she led trial skills training for criminal prosecution offices in Glasgow, Scotland and multiple Caribbean countries. Ms. Cheng is also the Program Director of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Western Region Advocacy Teacher Training Program. In 2012, she was awarded the Robert E. Keeton Award for outstanding service by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. She is the 2015 recipient of the University of San Francisco Professional Achievement Award. Ms. Cheng is involved in local bar associations and community organizations. She is the current President (former Secretary) of the San Francisco Bar Association and immediate Past President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.  She is a former Chair of the Civility Matters! Program and current national representative for the American Board of Trial Advocates (San Francisco Chapter).  She is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She serves on the Kaiser Arbitration Oversight Board. She is a co-author of the eminent Rutter Group California Practice Guide on Personal Injury, and the trial practice guide, Mastering the Mechanics of Civil Jury Trials. Following the induction of new Fellows of The American College of Trial Lawyers, Doris Cheng gave a speech to all the new inductees about being awarded such an elite honor. Read Full Bio   Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2

Alexandra talks about sexual wellness, closing the pleasure gap, non-binary perspectives, and Dame's three-year-long court battle against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Their historic triumph over the MTA validates both the existence of the woman-owned company as well as of female pleasure and wellness. This is also a giant win for free speech and anti-censorship.

Alexandra Fine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dame which launched in 2014 after joining forces with Janet Lieberman, an MIT-trained engineer. Dame is a woman-powered company in every way and that's why you're hearing this story during March 2022 which is also Women's History Month. Al is a lifelong student of sexual health, having earned her Master's in clinical psychology with a concentration in sex therapy from Columbia University. A Forbes' 30 Under 30 awardee, Al has transformed her role as a CEO into one of a dedicated activist for women's health, gender equity, and prioritizing pleasure. On the show, Alexandra talks about sexual wellness, closing the pleasure gap, non-binary perspectives, The Sims BDSM, and a ton more. Our conversation is mostly focused on Dame's three-year-long court battle against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Their historic triumph over the MTA validates both the existence of the woman-owned company as well as of female pleasure and wellness. Ensuring that company has the right to advertise on subways, buses, and commuter rail. Places that have long welcomed male-focused brands like Ro (Roman), Hims, as well as breast enhancements, and more. This is a big deal since the MTA transports over 11 million passengers a day. That's a lot of customers. This is also a giant win for free speech and anti-censorship. Congrats to Dame Products and the team. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/DreamNation/support

The Forgotten Identity: Disability at Work What You Will Learn: How Victor found his way to DEI work and to shining a light on the important issues around disability at work and its overlap with other minority identities Why Victor's goal in his role as Commissioner for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is to bring awareness to disability and accessibility issues What big wins and significant progress Victor has been able to facilitate in his role, including helping New York's park system become the most accessible in the world How around 11% of New York City's population lives their lives with disability, and why people's fear of self-disclosure makes underreporting a real challenge Why many of the technological innovations developed specifically for people with disability benefit all of us Why laws and systems to support people with disability in the workplace are crucial for allowing people to thrive in their roles Why the disparity between New York's pre-pandemic unemployment rate for non-disabled people (4%) and people with disability (79%) highlights key challenges Why people with disability experience employment discrimination far more often than most of us may realize What's next for Victor, and why making New York more accessible for people with disability is taking place at all levels of the city's government and infrastructure About Victor Calise As Commissioner for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (PWD) under both the Bloomberg and the de Blasio administrations, Victor sets policy, advises the Mayor, agencies, creates public/private partnerships and initiatives, advocates for the passage of legislation; chairs the Accessibility Committee of the NYC Building Code and is responsible for helping to make New York City the most inclusive city in the world. In addition, as a Board Member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Victor plays an integral role in the planning and decision-making for the largest public transportation system in the United States. Spending the early part of his life as a plumber and later working in parks and playground design, Victor has a keen understanding of design and construction. He worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation Capital Projects Division, leading efforts to make one of the world's largest and most complex urban park systems universally accessible. Diversity is a workforce's biggest strength and Victor has worked to find diverse employers and candidates. He has secured relationships with businesses in technology, retail, finance, transportation, state and city government, hospitality, not-for-profits, and healthcare. Achieving gainful employment for these diverse candidates requires a network of public and private academic institutions, state vocational rehabilitation services, and service providers. He has achieved positive sustainable outcomes. Victor is a global expert in disability. He works and consults with not-for-profits, funders, technology companies, educators, and corporations. He has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has participated in numerous panel discussions in many US cities as well as Europe, South America, and the Middle East. On December 21, 2018, the Republic of Italy bestowed the honorific title of Knighthood in the Order of Merit to Victor for his work promoting stronger relations for people with disabilities between NYC-Italy. Resources: AccessibleNYC annual report: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mopd/initiatives/accessiblenyc.page How to Connect with Victor Calise: Website: https://www.nycgovparks.org/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/victorcalise/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYCCalise How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Currently Chief Financial Officer at the Major League Baseball Players Association, Tatia's focus on several sports organizations throughout her career was originally a happy accident, a result of her helping a friend's sports apparel company. Her B.S in Material Science Engineering would suggest a different path – the science and industrial space where she started. She discovered the key was to be prepared for an appealing pivot.As a black woman in business and not an athlete, even having earned an MBA, her overall challenges required her to work harder, be well prepared, show high competence and brand herself well. And the challenges made her bolder and resilient. She has been able to guide culture and drive innovation in a variety of industries including sports, transportation, media, publishing and service organizations.Her core values are: desire for continuous learning; compassion; provide opportunity for others; always do your best; and practice humility.Tatia defines a work legacy as what she'd like people to think of her; what people say when you're not in the room; and most importantly, what impact she had on others. Diligently she monitors her impact daily. That's dedication! – to making a positive difference, and course correct when necessary.With several senior executive positions under her belt, Tatia's legacy journey continues with sharpening leadership skills and fueling her participation on more Boards, both non-profit and for-profit. They will be fortunate to have her.TakeawaysThink seriously about the types of people and organizations you want to work with.Be bold, resilient and full of integrity.Use your success to serve. She asks herself regularly what service she has provided for others.Quotes“My actions are data points to me.”“Be a member of the change culture.”“Use your success to serve and to provide opportunity.”BioTatia Mays-Russell is a senior operations and finance executive with a strong record of cultivating change, guiding culture and driving innovation in several industries including sports, transportation, media, publishing and service organizations. She partners with business leadership to develop and lead strategic initiatives for start-ups, turnarounds and high growth scenarios. Tatia has worked in executive positions at Pfizer, the NBA, the National Lacrosse League, Scholastic, Deloitte and New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Currently, she is the Chief Financial Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association.Tatia holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.She is an active member of several community service-focused organizations including serving as Audit Chair on both the Board of Studio in a School, which fosters New York City youth's creative and intellectual development and the USA Badminton Board.How to Reach Tatia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatia-mays-russell-5a86362/Email: tmaysrussell@gmail.com

October 6, 2021 - Senate Transportation Committee Chair Tim Kennedy, a Buffalo-area Democrat, discusses the current state of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after a wild 18 months, which has seen ridership disrupted by the pandemic and billions of federal dollars invested in to stabilizing the organization.

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K209: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing   Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He's a construction worker from Queens who's lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News. 就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。 How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.” 他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」 Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York's Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He's a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He's 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I'd pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said. 對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」 He doesn't remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend's home this past week, he was unimpressed. 他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。 Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It's the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter. 另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。 He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter. 他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。 All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff. 這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。 Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper's non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did. 每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。 At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be. 在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。 And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs. 對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。 “You need those old-school people because they know what they're doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News' staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.” 布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」 The New York Post, The Daily News' longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper's unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink. 每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/  

" The investigation into Andrew Cuomo revealed a pattern of harassment, back to school panic as states hold onto their mask mandate bans, the AAP calls for the FDA to approve the vaccine for kids as pediatric Delta cases rise, and a tribute to a very special Scoocher. Governor Cuomo photo courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York via Wikimedia Commons 00:00 - Welcome to Radio Dispatch 00:30 - Alex Appreciation 13:42 - John on the Cuomo report and infrastructure bill 37:51 - Pediatricians push for a faster approval of the pediatric vaccines 56:46 - Credits, “haircut” by Amindi 57:56 - Finish "

The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated at his residence in Port-au-Prince early Wednesday. Moise, 53, had been involved in a dispute with the opposition over the terms of his presidency. ——- The Japanese Prime Minister announced a six-week state of emergency for Tokyo with the Olympics opening in just two weeks as virus infections spread across Tokyo. The ban will be the fourth for Tokyo since the pandemic began and is set to begin from next Monday to Aug. 22. The Summer Olympics, already delayed a year by the pandemic, begin July 23 and close Aug. 8. —— Elsa, now a post-tropical cyclone, battered the East Coast with heavy rainfall and gusty winds on Friday. Flash flood watches were in effect for Maine on Friday evening after flooding in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston during the day. Yesterday's severe weather disrupted flight schedules at LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said there were system-wide delays for buses due to Elsa and that the storm impacted service along some subway and rail lines. ——- In Florida, rescue teams were able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible following the demolition Sunday of the remaining part of the Champlain Towers South building. An incoming storm, which was weakened from a hurricane, fast-tracked the demolition process, according to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. Officials announced today that the death toll of the devastating partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in Surfside, Florida last month rose to 86. ——— Rudy Giuliani's law license was suspended in Washington, DC, after he temporarily lost his license in New York for pushing election lies. The appeals court in DC said Giuliani would be suspended from working as an attorney in the city "pending outcome" of his situation in New York. —— On Thursday, Pfizer Inc. announced it will seek clearance from U.S. regulators in coming weeks to distribute a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine to heighten protection against infections, as new virus strains rise. Meanwhile, hospitalizations related to Covid-19 are rising in the U.S. after a long decline, federal data showed, providing evidence of the human toll the Delta virus variant is taking on unvaccinated Americans. ——- On Monday, Canada announced exemptions for fully-vaccinated people looking to enter the country. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers will still have to fulfil testing and quarantining requirements when entering the country. —— On Thursday afternoon, a 6.0 quake followed by more than 60 aftershocks struck in Antelope Valley, California, close to the Nevada border, and felt in the San Francisco Bay Area. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sabah-fakhoury/message

June 11, 2021 - New York Daily News transit report Clayton Guse helps us make sense of the leadership changes at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In a nation that ranks only 13th globally for infrastructure quality, the new focus in Washington on infrastructure investment has the potential to be transformative. For public transportation specifically--so vital to New York City and New York state, and drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic--significant new funding stands to multiply the infrastructure investment with historic gains in equity of access, economic opportunity, and social justice for communities harmed by 20th-century infrastructure development. Hear transportation expert Robert Paaswell of CCNY and Michael Garner, chief diversity officer of the MTA, in conversation with City College President Vincent Boudreau on building a fairer future that benefits residents, riders, education, businesses, and minority- and women-owned enterprises.   Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau Guests: Robert Paaswell, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at CCNY's Grove School of Engineering and Director Emeritus of the University Transportation Research Center; Michael Garner, Chief Diversity Officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and President of the New York (founding) chapter of One Hundred Black Men. Recorded: April 21, 2021

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the UK medical regulator... so could it be a game-changer? We ask Penny Ward, Visiting Professor in Pharmaceutical Medicine at King’s College, London. Plus we hear from Evan Spiegel, the creator of Snapchat, about the idea behind his app sensation. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the MTA, is in trouble. Many people are shunning public transport in the city because of the coronavirus pandemic and passenger numbers are down by more than 70%; we hear from workers on New York's transport system. And the BBC's Elizabeth Hotson looks at how food outlets have been adapting to the covid challenge.

How passenger fears and remote working are prompting a crisis in public transport. Manuela Saragosa speaks to Pat Foye, chairman of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is facing a multi-billion-dollar hole in its finances. Mohamed Mezghani, secretary general of the International Association of Public Transport, describes the challenge of getting commuters back onto trains and subways. Nicole Gelinas, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explains why transport systems like New York's are so central to a city's economic success. (Photo: Passengers on New York's subway system, Credit: Getty Images)

Scott Rechler is the CEO of RXR Realty, served on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, served as Vice Chairman of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and is Chairman of the Regional Plan Association. An expert on real estate development and operations, Scott has a unique perspective on what the future of work looks like - both how offices will look, and how teams will collaborate. In this episode, we start with a far-out visioning exercise about how the world will transform, and draw out lessons on leading today, leading through transformation, and being a good citizen.

Scott Rechler is the CEO of RXR Realty, served on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, served as Vice Chairman of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and is Chairman of the Regional Plan Association. An expert on real estate development and operations, Scott has a unique perspective on what the future of work looks like - both how offices will look, and how teams will collaborate. In this episode, we start with a far-out visioning exercise about how the world will transform, and draw out lessons on leading today, leading through transformation, and being a good citizen.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Threatens Massive Job & Service Cuts The Metropolitan Transpiration Authoritys Dooms Day Budget threatens to cut more than 9000 jobs and 40% of the train and bus services for riders. Joining us to talk about the MTAs pandemic panic is John Samuelsen International President of the 150,000 worker strong Transport Workers Union The MTA says get back, Samuelsen's union will Fight Back!

Andrew Wilcox discusses So Much to Do: A Full Life of Business, Politics, and Confronting Fiscal Crises, a memoir by Richard Ravitz, former head of the New York State Urban Development Corporation and of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Keeping At It, by former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker; The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis; JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917‒1956, by Fredrik Logevall; Being Nixon: A Man Divided, by Evan Thomas; and These Truths, A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore

It feels like a lifetime since the coronavirus pandemic transformed Americans’ daily lives, seven months ago, and fatigue is setting in even as the disease ravages new regions. The staff writer Jennifer Gonnerman talked with one of the people who has a unique perspective on those terrifying first weeks when the world seemed to be ending. Terence Layne is a bus operator for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a chief shop steward for the Transport Workers Union. The city’s transit workers were among the hardest hit of all essential workers, and over a hundred and twenty M.T.A. employees have died from the virus. Yet Layne kept showing up for his shift, day after day, even as the city streets went quiet.  Jennifer Gonnerman wrote about Terence Layne in the August 31, 2020, issue of the magazine.

Money is changing, but where do we go from here? Through high profile interviews and thoughtful analysis, join CoinDesk's Michael Casey and Sheila Warren of the World Economic Forum as they explore the connections between finance, human culture and our increasingly digital lives.In this inaugural episode media studies professor Lana Swartz and multimedia artist Nicky Enright join the discussion.Sushi, Hotdogs, Yams, Shrimp. The whimsical, food-obsessed names of DeFi protocols are antithetical to the stodgy imagery of the mainstream financial system they seek to disrupt. Banks' memes, by contrast, skew toward strength and durability. (Think of the rampart lions and Roman columns at the entrances of bank branches in old parts of London, New York or Paris.)DeFi's critics say the silly names betray the fact it's merely a fad and a game – or worse, a scam. It's all imaginary, they say. It's not real. The problem with that perspective is that all aspects of money, including the financial systems built on top of it, are imaginary. And, in case you're wondering, that's a feature, not a bug. Israeli historian Yuval Harari calls money “the most successful story ever told,” even more important to the evolution of society than religion, corporations and a host of other human-imagined institutions. Like those concepts, money's power hinges on the collective adoption of a common belief system. It takes a set of mutually understood rules and gives them symbolic representation in a token we call a currency. In exchanging that token, we reach agreements that reflect those rules and so enable commerce, collaboration, value creation and, ultimately, civilization. Storytelling and cultural creation have always been integral to how society fosters this belief system, how we've forged communities around currencies. It's why representations of money and the conversations around it are rich with iconography, foundational myths and stirring language.This process of collective imagination has become firmly tied to another powerful imaginary concept: the nation-state. This combination has been so effective that it has survived the introduction of new technologies and tokens over time. We've gone from shells to coins to banknotes to checks to credit cards to Venmo, and each time we've just accepted that a new transfer vehicle can convey the same rules and values we've always attached to our national currencies. This is a useful lens to apply to the many new ideas for money bubbling up in the crypto world. Whether it's bitcoin's bid to become a digital gold-like currency or the fight between Uniswap and SushiSwap to dominate liquidity in DeFi's lending markets, the semiotic process for creating memes and stories is vital to the establishment of a new system. National elites used such methods to get us to collectively imagine a bank-centric system of fiat currencies. Those of us who want to change that need to do something similar. We need to reimagine money.Imagined CommunitiesIf you have a $100 bill in your wallet, take a good look at it.On one side, there's Ben Franklin's balding head and torso, behind which are a quill, an inkwell with the Liberty Bell superimposed onto it, and an extract from the Declaration of Independence. There are also the seals of the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve, the signatures of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Treasurer, a serial number and other identifying numerals. On the other, we see Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where Franklin and other Founding Fathers signed the declaration, along with the words “In God We Trust.” On both sides, the number 100 appears numerous times in and around a highly ornate border. Combined with cotton threads and watermarks, the baroque design helps make the note difficult to counterfeit. But more importantly, the imagery appeals directly to patriotism. It's all associated with the nation-state to which the dollar, we are encouraged to believe, is indelibly linked. Now think about the actual value of the note, by which I mean the physical piece of paper. You could use it as a bookmark, maybe, make a paper plane out of it, or write a very small amount of information in very small print on it. But none of those uses add up to $100 in utility. A banknote's value comes almost entirely from our shared imagination, a commonality of beliefs fed by centuries of cultural production that forges a type of community. It's only because the payer and the payee share those beliefs that this piece of paper can function as an instrument for clearing that community's debts.Each tribe of cryptocurrency advocates is endeavoring to create the same sense of community and belief around its preferred token. How they attain that is a cultural challenge. What's Real?In November 2014, I created a video for The Wall Street Journal with Nicky Enright, a multimedia artist. We filmed him walking the streets of the Diamond District in New York's Midtown as he wore an A-frame sandwich board and held a wad of “Globos,” his personal currency, in hand. The beautifully ornate notes were on sale for a $1, he told passersby, in a special two-for-one deal. The interactions with people were fascinating. One of the most common questions was, “Is it real?” Enright's answer was always something like, “Of course it's real. You can see and hold it, right?” As a guest on this week's inaugural Money Reimagined podcast, Enright reflected on those exchanges, noting that “people will question the Globo in a way that they rarely, if ever, question their own currency” and yet the very same questions about what is “real” could be applied to the purely symbolic value of the dollar. The pertinent question for cryptocurrency advocates is: How do the purveyors and believers in a particular currency similarly get enough people to believe in it, to view it as “real?” And that's again where the cultural conversation comes in. It's why Bitcoin's culture is filled with ideas, phrases and iconography that help build community. Think of the word “HODL,” or the concept that Bitcoin is “The Honey Badger of Money,” or the almost religious devotion to the mysterious founding father, Satoshi. (By the way, it's irrelevant that these ideas, like DeFi's, seem frivolous to traditionalists. They are appropriately in line with the meme culture of the digital age, and consistent with the liberal conventions that internet culture unleashed, as names like Yahoo! and Google became corporate mainstays.)Community = GovernanceUniversity of Virginia media studies professor Lana Swartz, author of the newly published New Money: How Payment Became Social Media, has some thoughts on all this. As the second guest on this week's podcast, she reflected on the very early research that she and two colleagues did into Bitcoin's culture in 2013. At that time, she said, “there was a real fixation on the idea that Bitcoin would be free from human institutions, free from human foibles and free from the need for human governance… But then all these early Bitcoin people ever really did was to talk and create community, and create ways to govern themselves, and create ways to think about this project.”It's a great insight. Money is inseparable from community, and community is about values, the expression of which involves governance. (Not government per se, but governance.) This brings us full circle to DeFi, where tribes conduct meme warfare on Twitter and elsewhere to promote their tokens. Each of those tokens is tied to a protocol, which offers a different form of governance. The difference with traditional money is that the enforcement of each token's particular governance model comes via a decentralized network rather than the centralized institutions of a nation-state. That shift is what makes it so promising. But it's also why the cultural creation process is so challenging, as it must compete with the giant mindshare that traditional finance occupies. It's why the meme-ing must continue. The End of Wall Street As We Know It?Hats off to Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal for coming up with a killer graph. Sadly, I'm using that descriptive literally. The chart, which appeared Tuesday in Bloomberg's daily “Five Things to Start your Day” newsletter, maps the reservations at New York restaurants recorded by the website OpenTable and subway turnstile receipts from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, against the price of shares in SL Green, a real-estate investment trust focused on Manhattan office space. COVID-19 has done a number on all three. Source: BloombergI include this here, because when thinking about the future of Manhattan real estate, it's hard not to think about the future of Wall Street. Banks, brokerages and other financial institutions are giant contributors to the city's commercial rents, occupying large open-plan trading areas on multiple floors of some of NYC's prime real estate. But in the COVID-19 era, banks have learned that, with the help of new low-latency connectivity packages, their traders can work pretty well from home, offering the prospect that the firms can save millions in rents if they pare back their footprint in the city. An exodus from New York by bankers, traders and brokers would mark an end to an era. Hollywood's movies about testosterone-fueled trading floors will become period pieces. The bigger question is what it means for the idea of Wall Street as a New York institution and, by extension, for the city's outsized role in the regulation of the global financial system. There are plenty of reasons for banks to maintain a legal residence in New York. Most important, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has a unique role within the Fed's monetary system, as it conducts the open-market operations by which the central bank implements monetary policy. To act as a counterparty with FRBNY in those trades and gain access to that vital flow of monetary liquidity, banks need, at the very least, a capital markets subsidiary domiciled in New York. Their presence for that purpose in turn gives local regulators such as the New York Department of Financial Services a critical role in world finance.But it's not hard to imagine that a physical downgrading of banks' physical presence in New York could, over time, degrade the city's dominance. Will the rest of the U.S. continue to grant NYC its gatekeeping role?. And as central banks, potentially armed with digital currencies, move to expand the range of counterparties they deal with to include non-banks such as large companies and municipalities, New York's centrality in the process could be further diminished. It's yet another way in which the seismic events of 2020 could prove are setting it up as a turning point year for the world of finance. Further reading:Here in Venezuela, Doctors Struggle to Access Aid From Crypto Platform By José Rafael Peña GholamDigital Euro Would Provide Alternative to Cryptos, ECB President Lagarde Says By Dan PalmerIran Is Ripe for Bitcoin Adoption, Even as Government Clamps Down on Mining By Sandali HandagamaThe Currency Cold War: Four Scenarios by Jeff WilserOcean Protocol and Balancer Want to Do for Data What Uniswap Did for Coins by Ian AllisonHow Small Business Can Achieve 'Economies of Scale' by 2030 by Paul BrodySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Money is changing, but where do we go from here? Through high profile interviews and thoughtful analysis, join CoinDesk's Michael Casey and Sheila Warren of the World Economic Forum as they explore the connections between finance, human culture and our increasingly digital lives.In this inaugural episode media studies professor Lana Swartz and multimedia artist Nicky Enright join the discussion.Sushi, Hotdogs, Yams, Shrimp. The whimsical, food-obsessed names of DeFi protocols are antithetical to the stodgy imagery of the mainstream financial system they seek to disrupt. Banks’ memes, by contrast, skew toward strength and durability. (Think of the rampart lions and Roman columns at the entrances of bank branches in old parts of London, New York or Paris.)DeFi’s critics say the silly names betray the fact it’s merely a fad and a game – or worse, a scam. It’s all imaginary, they say. It’s not real. The problem with that perspective is that all aspects of money, including the financial systems built on top of it, are imaginary. And, in case you’re wondering, that’s a feature, not a bug. Israeli historian Yuval Harari calls money “the most successful story ever told,” even more important to the evolution of society than religion, corporations and a host of other human-imagined institutions. Like those concepts, money’s power hinges on the collective adoption of a common belief system. It takes a set of mutually understood rules and gives them symbolic representation in a token we call a currency. In exchanging that token, we reach agreements that reflect those rules and so enable commerce, collaboration, value creation and, ultimately, civilization. Storytelling and cultural creation have always been integral to how society fosters this belief system, how we’ve forged communities around currencies. It’s why representations of money and the conversations around it are rich with iconography, foundational myths and stirring language.This process of collective imagination has become firmly tied to another powerful imaginary concept: the nation-state. This combination has been so effective that it has survived the introduction of new technologies and tokens over time. We’ve gone from shells to coins to banknotes to checks to credit cards to Venmo, and each time we’ve just accepted that a new transfer vehicle can convey the same rules and values we’ve always attached to our national currencies. This is a useful lens to apply to the many new ideas for money bubbling up in the crypto world. Whether it’s bitcoin’s bid to become a digital gold-like currency or the fight between Uniswap and SushiSwap to dominate liquidity in DeFi’s lending markets, the semiotic process for creating memes and stories is vital to the establishment of a new system. National elites used such methods to get us to collectively imagine a bank-centric system of fiat currencies. Those of us who want to change that need to do something similar. We need to reimagine money.Imagined CommunitiesIf you have a $100 bill in your wallet, take a good look at it.On one side, there’s Ben Franklin’s balding head and torso, behind which are a quill, an inkwell with the Liberty Bell superimposed onto it, and an extract from the Declaration of Independence. There are also the seals of the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve, the signatures of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Treasurer, a serial number and other identifying numerals. On the other, we see Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where Franklin and other Founding Fathers signed the declaration, along with the words “In God We Trust.” On both sides, the number 100 appears numerous times in and around a highly ornate border. Combined with cotton threads and watermarks, the baroque design helps make the note difficult to counterfeit. But more importantly, the imagery appeals directly to patriotism. It’s all associated with the nation-state to which the dollar, we are encouraged to believe, is indelibly linked. Now think about the actual value of the note, by which I mean the physical piece of paper. You could use it as a bookmark, maybe, make a paper plane out of it, or write a very small amount of information in very small print on it. But none of those uses add up to $100 in utility. A banknote’s value comes almost entirely from our shared imagination, a commonality of beliefs fed by centuries of cultural production that forges a type of community. It’s only because the payer and the payee share those beliefs that this piece of paper can function as an instrument for clearing that community’s debts.Each tribe of cryptocurrency advocates is endeavoring to create the same sense of community and belief around its preferred token. How they attain that is a cultural challenge. What’s Real?In November 2014, I created a video for The Wall Street Journal with Nicky Enright, a multimedia artist. We filmed him walking the streets of the Diamond District in New York’s Midtown as he wore an A-frame sandwich board and held a wad of “Globos,” his personal currency, in hand. The beautifully ornate notes were on sale for a $1, he told passersby, in a special two-for-one deal. The interactions with people were fascinating. One of the most common questions was, “Is it real?” Enright’s answer was always something like, “Of course it’s real. You can see and hold it, right?” As a guest on this week’s inaugural Money Reimagined podcast, Enright reflected on those exchanges, noting that “people will question the Globo in a way that they rarely, if ever, question their own currency” and yet the very same questions about what is “real” could be applied to the purely symbolic value of the dollar. The pertinent question for cryptocurrency advocates is: How do the purveyors and believers in a particular currency similarly get enough people to believe in it, to view it as “real?” And that’s again where the cultural conversation comes in. It’s why Bitcoin’s culture is filled with ideas, phrases and iconography that help build community. Think of the word “HODL,” or the concept that Bitcoin is “The Honey Badger of Money,” or the almost religious devotion to the mysterious founding father, Satoshi. (By the way, it’s irrelevant that these ideas, like DeFi’s, seem frivolous to traditionalists. They are appropriately in line with the meme culture of the digital age, and consistent with the liberal conventions that internet culture unleashed, as names like Yahoo! and Google became corporate mainstays.)Community = GovernanceUniversity of Virginia media studies professor Lana Swartz, author of the newly published New Money: How Payment Became Social Media, has some thoughts on all this. As the second guest on this week’s podcast, she reflected on the very early research that she and two colleagues did into Bitcoin’s culture in 2013. At that time, she said, “there was a real fixation on the idea that Bitcoin would be free from human institutions, free from human foibles and free from the need for human governance… But then all these early Bitcoin people ever really did was to talk and create community, and create ways to govern themselves, and create ways to think about this project.”It’s a great insight. Money is inseparable from community, and community is about values, the expression of which involves governance. (Not government per se, but governance.) This brings us full circle to DeFi, where tribes conduct meme warfare on Twitter and elsewhere to promote their tokens. Each of those tokens is tied to a protocol, which offers a different form of governance. The difference with traditional money is that the enforcement of each token’s particular governance model comes via a decentralized network rather than the centralized institutions of a nation-state. That shift is what makes it so promising. But it’s also why the cultural creation process is so challenging, as it must compete with the giant mindshare that traditional finance occupies. It’s why the meme-ing must continue. The End of Wall Street As We Know It?Hats off to Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal for coming up with a killer graph. Sadly, I’m using that descriptive literally. The chart, which appeared Tuesday in Bloomberg’s daily “Five Things to Start your Day” newsletter, maps the reservations at New York restaurants recorded by the website OpenTable and subway turnstile receipts from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, against the price of shares in SL Green, a real-estate investment trust focused on Manhattan office space. COVID-19 has done a number on all three. Source: BloombergI include this here, because when thinking about the future of Manhattan real estate, it’s hard not to think about the future of Wall Street. Banks, brokerages and other financial institutions are giant contributors to the city’s commercial rents, occupying large open-plan trading areas on multiple floors of some of NYC’s prime real estate. But in the COVID-19 era, banks have learned that, with the help of new low-latency connectivity packages, their traders can work pretty well from home, offering the prospect that the firms can save millions in rents if they pare back their footprint in the city. An exodus from New York by bankers, traders and brokers would mark an end to an era. Hollywood’s movies about testosterone-fueled trading floors will become period pieces. The bigger question is what it means for the idea of Wall Street as a New York institution and, by extension, for the city’s outsized role in the regulation of the global financial system. There are plenty of reasons for banks to maintain a legal residence in New York. Most important, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has a unique role within the Fed’s monetary system, as it conducts the open-market operations by which the central bank implements monetary policy. To act as a counterparty with FRBNY in those trades and gain access to that vital flow of monetary liquidity, banks need, at the very least, a capital markets subsidiary domiciled in New York. Their presence for that purpose in turn gives local regulators such as the New York Department of Financial Services a critical role in world finance.But it’s not hard to imagine that a physical downgrading of banks’ physical presence in New York could, over time, degrade the city’s dominance. Will the rest of the U.S. continue to grant NYC its gatekeeping role?. And as central banks, potentially armed with digital currencies, move to expand the range of counterparties they deal with to include non-banks such as large companies and municipalities, New York’s centrality in the process could be further diminished. It’s yet another way in which the seismic events of 2020 could prove are setting it up as a turning point year for the world of finance. Further reading:Here in Venezuela, Doctors Struggle to Access Aid From Crypto Platform By José Rafael Peña GholamDigital Euro Would Provide Alternative to Cryptos, ECB President Lagarde Says By Dan PalmerIran Is Ripe for Bitcoin Adoption, Even as Government Clamps Down on Mining By Sandali HandagamaThe Currency Cold War: Four Scenarios by Jeff WilserOcean Protocol and Balancer Want to Do for Data What Uniswap Did for Coins by Ian AllisonHow Small Business Can Achieve 'Economies of Scale' by 2030 by Paul Brody

About Back in AmericaBack in America explores the American's identity, culture, and values.  In this podcast, journalist Stan Berteloot explores American life stories from his French perspective and questions the way we understand this nation. ​Each episode explores why and how Americans do what they do. While easy and entertaining to listen to, Stan doesn't shy away from difficult and personal questions and explores issues from different angles and perspectives. Every topic is game; politics, social issues, climate crises, gender issues, racial issues, sex, and diversity... and everything else in-between.Provocative ideas for inquisitive and open-minded listeners.  Read the episode's transcriptThe TrailerThese soundbites are taken from 12 episodes of Back in America, recorded between November 2019 and August 2020. They are representative of the diversity of the guests and of the topics addressed. Here are in order of appearance in the trailer the list of interviewees.  Eric MarshEric is a Black activist and social worker in Philadelphia.We speak about being a black man in America; the impact of slavery. The impact of Trump election; consumerism.Sheri Kurdakul Sheri is the CEO and founder of VictimsVoice an app that provides a legally admissible way for victims to document abuse incidents.Sheri speaks about her father’s abuse that started when she was a toddler, her recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, and how she reclaimed her life to become who she is today.Denis DevineDenis Devine a 46 years old man from Fishtown, Philadelphia. Denis, an ex-journalist, is the organizer of Dad's night a monthly meeting of men.For the last 6 years, Denis' Dads Night has brought together dads from his neighborhoods at different bars.This safe space allows men to address topics related to dad-hood, dads-related cause, and non-traditional understandings of masculinity.Elan LeibnerElan Leibner is the chair of the Pedagogical Section Council of North America and a teacher at the Waldorf School of Princeton. Elan grew up in Israel, lived in a kibbutz, and moved to the US at the age of 23. He was a class teacher at there for 18 years, before directing the Teacher Education program at Emerson College in England.John LamJohn Lam, is the principal dancer at the Boston Ballet.His parents immigrated to California from Vietnam. He grew up in an underprivileged household and discovered his love for dance at the age of four.Imani MulrainI met Imani at the Kneel for justice protest in Princeton.She was one of the speakers. She is a Prospective Molecular Biology Major at Princeton University.Gil LopezGil Lopez is the founder of Smiling Hogshead Ranch an urban garden in Queens New York. The Smiling Hogshead Ranch started 9 years ago as a “guerilla garden” on a set of abandoned railroad tracks. After many backs on forth with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Gil managed to secure a lease.Lieutenant Colonel Bryan PriceLieutenant Colonel Bryan Price talks to Back in America about the current racial unrest, about meritocracy, the values, culture, and identity of this country. We speak about the separation between the military and the government and of the current administration.Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Price is known for his published research on terrorism and counterterrorism. Mark CharlesMark is a candidate running as an independent for president of the United States. A man who's not white, not black but a dual citizen of The United States and The Navajo Nation.For three years he lived with his family in a one-room hogan with no running water or electricity out in a Navajo reservation. He dreams of a nation where 'we the people' truly means 'all the people'.Richard HeinbergRichard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels.Erden EruçErden Eruç, a Turkish-American adventurer, is the 1st man to do a solo a circumnavigation by human power. He has done it on a 24-foot ocean rowing boat. He & his wife Nancy Board joined Back in America to discussed the challenges and the mental health issues experienced by Erden upon return.Louise KekulahIn July 2020, according to the census bureau, nearly 25 million people would not be able to pay rent in the next month and almost 30 million people said they didn't have enough to eat.Without federal intervention, housing experts and advocates warn of an unprecedented wave of eviction in the coming month. Louise Kekulah is a woman who grew up in Liberia, Africa. Moved by herself in the US as a child. Had a baby, graduated from Rutgers, and now works as a counselor for families at risk of losing their children. 

1. Primary Politics Timestamp: 8:24 a. Millionaires for Humanity sign for more tax https://www.millionairesforhumanity.com/ b. Sarah Feinberg planning to cut the fat off MTA https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-cuts-nyc-transit-feinberg-20200713-xxvzjppk7bb4vg2fhprt6j6aym-story.html c. Operation Legand Commenced from DOJ https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-operation-legend d. Progressives have dominated Primaries in NY https://nypost.com/2020/07/17/progressive-jamaal-bowman-defeats-rep-eliot-engel-in-upset/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=push-notification&utm_campaign=progressive-jamaal-bowman-defeats-rep-eliot-engel-in-upset e. China plans to steal moves from USA?! https://babylonbee.com/news/tiktoks-chinese-spies-stealing-all-americas-most-top-secret-dance-moves 2. Mid Game Timestamp: 38:35 a. Evo got CANCELED! https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/07/03/world-renowned-esports-tournament-evo-canceled-co-founder-removed-after-allegations-sexual-misconduct/ b. A Little More Info. for PS5 DualSense Controller https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps5-dualsense-controller-everything-we-just-learne/1100-6479824/?ftag=CAD-03-10abf8b 3. Weird Topic Finale (WTF)- FEMALE BAKER COLLECTS OTHER WOMEN'S PISS TO MAKE BREAD?! Timestamp: 46:24 https://allthatsinteresting.com/louise-raguet?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ospush --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ellusion-empire/message

In this episode, Randy Clarke, President & CEO of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, Texas, discusses how his agency is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarke also shares information on Project Connect, a bold transit plan for Austin that will be put before voters in November.

In this episode, our hosts Samuel Roberts and Mabel O. Wilson are joined by Metropolitan Transportation Authority conductor, union member, and community organizer Tramell Thompson. Mr. Thompson speaks about the impact of the novel coronavirus on New York City transit workers including the dangers, disparities, and loss experienced by some of the City’s most essential workers.

In this episode, Kim Zar Bloorian and Yaakov Zar chat with Michael Ramin of Sharestates about the technology behind their service and the current market highs and lows. Michael Ramin is the head of Business Development at Sharestates. Since taking over this position in 2014. Michael has created alliances with some of the country's largest real estate developers and investors. To date, Michael's team has closed over $2.5 Billion in loan volume nationwide. Prior to Sharestates, Michael managed over 4,000 commercial and industrial properties for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York. Michael negotiated the acquisition and disposition of properties requisite to expanding and improving the transportation network for the MTA. Michael's extensive knowledge and experience in sales and marketing have helped Shatestates become one of the nation's largest private lenders in the real estate industry. Contact Michael via email at michael@sharestates.com.

 A few words before this episode.Gil who's interviewed here has been laid off since I recorded this episode and the NYC Compost Project and the curbside compost collection in NYC, for which he worked are coming to pass. Curbside compost pick-up will end on May 4 and the Compost Project will be completely mothballed in July, he told me. However, Gil’s spirit is still high.“I’m doing okay,” he wrote to me. “I was laid off last month but I received my first unemployment check today.  I’m am blessed beyond words to have my community garden to go to and be outside in the sun and soil basically whenever I want”.Now, on my side, I am sheltering in place with my wife and three daughters. We never expected to have Zoe, our 21-year-old at home with us again and are enjoying this extra time with her.I hope you, my listeners are well. Please stay home and stay safe!   In this episode, I am on the phone with Gil Lopez the founder of Smiling Hogshead Ranch an urban garden in Queens New York. The Smiling Hogshead Ranch started 9 years ago as a “guerilla garden” on a set of abandoned railroad tracks. After many backs on forth with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, they managed to secure a lease.Today the Ranch is an agriculture farm and community garden by day, and a social club and cultural venue. -- Gil, I have read that you see the more important effects of community gardens as being psychological, off-setting mindsets of commodification and enhancing ideas of community.The coronavirus is devastating our economy, deeply impacting our way of life and putting a stop to production and consumption. It is a costly reminder that in order to survive our communities must transition to a more resilient model.  Here are Gil’s recommendationsBookBasic Call To Consciousness by Akwesasne Notes  Documentaries (YouTube)HyperNormalisation: by Adam Curtis The Century of the Self

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com BROOKLYN STATION INAUGURATES NEW ELEVATORS In a formal ceremony on January 31, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) officially inaugurated the newly renovated Nostrand Avenue Station in Brooklyn, NYC, bringing the system closer to its goal of making all of its stations accessible, Newsday reported. The US$28-million makeover of the station included a number of improvements, including two new elevators. The station serves about 1,300 riders every weekday. “That means this station will truly be accessible for the first time for all who live, work and travel through this thriving neighborhood,” said LIRR President Phillip Eng. The upgrades to the station mean 106 of LIRR's 124 stations are now accessible. Two other stations — Murray Hill and Floral Park — are currently being fitted with elevators, and seven more will receive the upgrades under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2020-2024 capital program. Image credit: by Rachel Baron/Bklyner To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com NEW YORK GOVERNOR APPROVES ELEVATOR LICENSING BILL New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has approved a bill requiring licensing of the state's elevator mechanics but, in a deal worked out with lawmakers, has delayed it taking effect until January 2022, the New York Post reports. The bill was introduced after an August 2019 incident in which a man was crushed to death in an elevator in a Kips Bay apartment building. The "Elevator Safety Act" requires the state Labor Department to license mechanics and others involved in elevator maintenance; requires more extensive training and education; and creates a nine-member Elevator Contractors License and an Elevator Safety and Standards Board. It originally was written to take effect in June but the Legislature pushed it back in a compromise with the governor's office. However, the law moves up the date for NYC officials to comply with mechanic licensing from three years to two and allows the city's Department of Buildings to enact stricter licensing requirements. Image credit: courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, by Patrick Cashin To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn

275 is the number of meetings Veronica Vanterpool has attended since she was appointed to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She is one of four individuals appointed by the Mayor to the 21 member board. She joined the pod to discuss her time on the board, the important challenges facing the MTA, and more.

Episode 46. Greg Lindsay chats with Natalia Quintero, Transit Tech Lab's Program Director, about bringing in the most innovative and cutting-edge technology startups to remake New York's public transit. The Transit Tech Lab is a public-private initiative between the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Partnership for New York City. Natalia Quintero believes in finding innovative software solutions from all over the world, that can be responsive to the public transit needs of all New Yorkers.

Episode 46. Greg Lindsay chats with Natalia Quintero, Transit Tech Lab's Program Director, about bringing in the most innovative and cutting-edge technology startups to remake New York's public transit. The Transit Tech Lab is a public-private initiative between the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Partnership for New York City. Natalia Quintero believes in finding innovative software solutions from all over the world, that can be responsive to the public transit needs of all New Yorkers.

David Schwartz is a partner at Gerstman, Schwartz, Malito, LLP, a Government relations, and litigation law firm. He has spent his entire career practicing law as a litigator and for the past decade as a lobbyist and advocate on behalf of businesses, trade associations, not-for-profits, and individuals. He lobbies for a wide variety of large corporations, not-for-profits, trade associations, and individuals. He is also a prolific political fundraiser, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars nationally. He has been a regular guest, legal, and political commentator for the Fox News Channel, NBC Today Show, MSNBC, Headline News, CNN, WABC, Fox & Friends, WPIX, Court TV and for the ESPN morning show. He served the People of the State of New York as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County from 1993 through 1997. He also served as a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Inspector General Management Advisory Board; The American Bar Association; Brooklyn Bar Association; and has served as Vice-Chairman to the Criminal Courts Committee and Criminal Justice Committee - just to name a few. Contact David: Web: Gothamgr.com gerstmanschwartz.com Schwartzdefense.com Twitter: @schwartzdefense Phone: +1 516-880-8170 Contact Avrohom: web: http://asktheceo.biz email: avrohomg@asktheceo.biz Twitter: @avrohomg Instagram: @avrohomg Phone: +1 (845) 418-5340 Phone: +972-72-224-4449 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: [01:16] Tell us about your firm, and what you do. Disruptors of the Disruptors! [03:06] There is massive disruption taking place in every industry, thanks to the rapid advancements in technology, such as IoT, AI, Robotics, and so on. Regarding Uber, what did you do to fight against this disruptive technology on both the lobbying and legal fronts? [08:10] First Uber cap in the US. [11:10] What's the issue with Uber? Why did they get sued? Why stifle progress? [15:40] Data privacy protection is a big deal nowadays, with over 80 countries enacting some form of data protection legislation. As we all know, the European data privacy law, GRPR, took effect in May of 2018. What does this mean to American businesses? [22:23] Data breaches are happening at an alarming rate, with far reaching consequences. According to a report by AT&T, 25% of businesses prefer to spend their Cybersecurity budget on insurance, which means they're "covered" financially in the event of a breach, rather than shoring up their cyberdefenses. As a consumer, that does not give me a comfort feeling that my data is protected. What are the legal ramifications of an arrangement like this? [25:31] Basic encryption can solve 99% of your data security problems. [26:45] Buying Cybersecurity Insurance without a strong security strategy is like playing Russian Roulette! [29:52] Google spent $18M lobbying against GDPR in the US. [33:09] Let's say the unfortunate happens. A worst-case scenario. You got breached, all your customer's data was posted on the dark web, and your reputation was dragged through the mud. How do you recover and get back on track? Questions from the audience: [42:05] Ken Herron - CMO Unified Inbox, Orlando, FL - Will GDPR be coming to the US? [44:22] Sudha Jamthe - CEO IoT Disruptions and Author of 2030 The Driverless World, Silicon Valley - My question is related to KenHerron’s question about data privacy from a diff perspective. What do lobbyists in US want to stop in GDPR like law becoming a bill in US? Given the US stakeholders what is realistic to become data Laws in US? [49:25] Mirko Ross - CEO asvin.io in Germany commented - When data leaks cost more money than earnings they're collecting, the #US industries might turn around. [46:18] GDPR is an affirmative act that you must affirmatively agree, to the use of data by 3rd parties. [51:50] Praveen Swaraj, Telecom Manager, Dubai - Can you address the difference between privacy of data use by companies, and liability issues of sharing user data wth 3rd parties?

$17 billion is the preliminary budget for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2019, an increase of 2.1% from 2018. CBC's Director of Infrastructure Studies Jamison Dague breaks down the preliminary budget and discusses looming risks, such as subway car reliability and progress of the various "action plans" put in place this year.

February 28, 2018 Partly cloudy with high temperatures near 60. REPORT: ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS IN NJ ROSE 32% IN 2017 A report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League says the number of anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey increased by 32 percent in 2017, compared with the previous year, MyCentralJersey.com reports. New Jersey had the third highest number of incidents in the country, behind New York and California. Bergen County had the most incidents in New Jersey with 40, up from 28 in 2016. MURPHY CREATES JOBS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Tuesday creating an economic advisory panel modeled on the federal government’s Council of Economic Advisers, NJ Spotlight writes. The 12-member Jobs and Economic Opportunity Council will use data to analyze economic trends and conditions to help guide Murphy’s administration in such areas as job creation and job retention. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will be a member of the council. SUBWAY LINK BETWEEN NEW YORK AND NJ TO GET A LOOK The Port Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and NJ Transit have commissioned a study to look at ways of increasing commuting capacity across the Hudson River, and an extension of the No. 7 subway is one of the options that may get a look, The New York Times reports. The Port Authority’s executive director, Rick Cotton, said the subway option was one of a number of possibilities. BLACK LAWMAKERS PUSHING BACK ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA When he campaigned for office, Gov. Phil Murphy advocated the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey and many residents believe it will be only a matter of time before the Legislature takes action. But the Legislative Black Caucus has taken a skeptical view of the issue, The Record writes. In a three-hour hearing in Jersey City last week only two of the 17 people who testified to the caucus favored the concept of legal marijuana. “It will devastate the African-American community," said Bishop Jethro James of Paradise Baptist Church in Newark. ASIAN TICKS FOUND ON A SHEEP IN NJ The longhorned tick, which is native to East Asia, has been found on a sheep in New Jersey, NPR reports. The tick, which multiplies quickly by essentially cloning itself, was found on a sheep last August in Hunterdon County. This is the first recorded instance of all life stages of the ticks being found on unquarantined animals in the United States, authorities say. How the ticks ended up on the sheep remains a mystery.

“The future is bright. There is a transportation revolution going on in LA and the country.” Phil Washington spent 24 years in the United States Army before moving into the transit industry. Now CEO of LA Metro, Washington has spent 18 years between two agencies (Denver and LA Metro). LA Metro is in charge of transit, highway, and regional planning for all of LA County (the largest county in the U.S.). He discusses the “financial lasagna” funding LA Metro’s major projects and what’s next for transit (autonomous vehicles, working with the private sector, and disruptions to mobility and technology). If you want to know more about LA Metro, you can check out their website metro.net. Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

In her searing book Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017), Sujatha Gidla traces her family’s history over four generations in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. From their conversion into Christianity by Canadian missionaries and her grandfather’s stint in the British army; her uncle Satyamurthy’s rise as a revolutionary poet, labor organizer and eventual founder of the Maoist People’s War Group (PWG) and her mother Manjula’s struggles raising three children in the face of everyday caste discrimination, to her own involvement with the PWG’s radical student wing that ended with brief imprisonment, it is the impossibility of transcending caste even in “modern” India that she circles back to. She writes, “Your life is your caste, your caste is your life.” Her book has been reviewed to critical acclaim in the New York Times, BBC, and Slate among others. Gidla lives in New York City and works as a subway conductor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Madhuri Karak is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, titled “Part-time Insurgents, Civil War and Extractive Capital in an Adivasi Frontier,” explores processes of statemaking in the bauxite-rich mountains of southern Odisha, India. She tweets @madhurikarak and more of work can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her searing book Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017), Sujatha Gidla traces her family’s history over four generations in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. From their conversion into Christianity by Canadian missionaries and her grandfather’s stint in the British army; her uncle Satyamurthy’s rise as a revolutionary poet, labor organizer and eventual founder of the Maoist People’s War Group (PWG) and her mother Manjula’s struggles raising three children in the face of everyday caste discrimination, to her own involvement with the PWG’s radical student wing that ended with brief imprisonment, it is the impossibility of transcending caste even in “modern” India that she circles back to. She writes, “Your life is your caste, your caste is your life.” Her book has been reviewed to critical acclaim in the New York Times, BBC, and Slate among others. Gidla lives in New York City and works as a subway conductor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Madhuri Karak is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, titled “Part-time Insurgents, Civil War and Extractive Capital in an Adivasi Frontier,” explores processes of statemaking in the bauxite-rich mountains of southern Odisha, India. She tweets @madhurikarak and more of work can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her searing book Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017), Sujatha Gidla traces her family’s history over four generations in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. From their conversion into Christianity by Canadian missionaries and her grandfather’s stint in the British army; her uncle Satyamurthy’s rise as a revolutionary poet, labor organizer and eventual founder of the Maoist People’s War Group (PWG) and her mother Manjula’s struggles raising three children in the face of everyday caste discrimination, to her own involvement with the PWG’s radical student wing that ended with brief imprisonment, it is the impossibility of transcending caste even in “modern” India that she circles back to. She writes, “Your life is your caste, your caste is your life.” Her book has been reviewed to critical acclaim in the New York Times, BBC, and Slate among others. Gidla lives in New York City and works as a subway conductor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Madhuri Karak is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, titled “Part-time Insurgents, Civil War and Extractive Capital in an Adivasi Frontier,” explores processes of statemaking in the bauxite-rich mountains of southern Odisha, India. She tweets @madhurikarak and more of work can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her searing book Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017), Sujatha Gidla traces her family’s history over four generations in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. From their conversion into Christianity by Canadian missionaries and her grandfather’s stint in the British army; her uncle Satyamurthy’s rise as a revolutionary poet, labor organizer and eventual founder of the Maoist People’s War Group (PWG) and her mother Manjula’s struggles raising three children in the face of everyday caste discrimination, to her own involvement with the PWG’s radical student wing that ended with brief imprisonment, it is the impossibility of transcending caste even in “modern” India that she circles back to. She writes, “Your life is your caste, your caste is your life.” Her book has been reviewed to critical acclaim in the New York Times, BBC, and Slate among others. Gidla lives in New York City and works as a subway conductor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Madhuri Karak is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, titled “Part-time Insurgents, Civil War and Extractive Capital in an Adivasi Frontier,” explores processes of statemaking in the bauxite-rich mountains of southern Odisha, India. She tweets @madhurikarak and more of work can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her searing book Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017), Sujatha Gidla traces her family’s history over four generations in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. From their conversion into Christianity by Canadian missionaries and her grandfather’s stint in the British army; her uncle Satyamurthy’s rise as a revolutionary poet, labor organizer and eventual founder of the Maoist People’s War Group (PWG) and her mother Manjula’s struggles raising three children in the face of everyday caste discrimination, to her own involvement with the PWG’s radical student wing that ended with brief imprisonment, it is the impossibility of transcending caste even in “modern” India that she circles back to. She writes, “Your life is your caste, your caste is your life.” Her book has been reviewed to critical acclaim in the New York Times, BBC, and Slate among others. Gidla lives in New York City and works as a subway conductor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Madhuri Karak is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, titled “Part-time Insurgents, Civil War and Extractive Capital in an Adivasi Frontier,” explores processes of statemaking in the bauxite-rich mountains of southern Odisha, India. She tweets @madhurikarak and more of work can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York routinely dumps decommissioned subway cars into the ocean. While this may seem like an egregious act of pollution, these old subway cars are uniquely suited to forming underwater reefs. Your body--just like an ocean ecosystem--is a complex, interconnected system. When it comes to diet and exercise, things aren't exactly what they seem. SHOW NOTES: https://pulse.kenzai.com/getting-your-paradigm-right

This week, the boys look into why it has taken so long for residents to demand the Metropolitan Transportation Authority correctly spell the word named of a famed Italian explorer.

Topics covered on today's episode of Mind Set Daily "New York uses Toll Tags to Track Motorists" Both the New York City Department of Transportation and Transcom, a traffic management agency, admitted that for nearly 20 years they have been using antennas to connect to E-ZPass toll tags in vehicles driving across more than 3,000 miles of public, non-toll roads, not just in New York but neighboring states as well. “We’re being watched in ways that I think none of us would have imagined,” Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union said recently in an interview. “It’s happening without any public scrutiny, without any decision that’s consistent with checks and balances.” And these surveillance programs aren’t just limited to private vehicles. Last week, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced its plan to install thousands of audio and video recorders on its commuter trains. "Society is Doomed, Scientists Claim" There's never been a shortage of doomsday scenarios. From the dreaded Mayan Apocalypse of 2012 (remember that?) to the havoc wreaked in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow," people have been predicting the end of civilization for as long as there has been a civilization. The trouble is, they're sometimes correct: The Roman Empire fell spectacularly, as did the Mayan civilization, and dozens of other once-mighty kingdoms. But how, exactly, do powerful empires collapse, and why? Researchers now believe they've found an answer, one that has troubling implications for today — because we're clearly on the road to ruin. Listen to this episode and click the article links to find out more! Support Mind Set Central Subscribe or donate

Baruch College School of Public Affairs presents a series of events at the Eighth Annual Public Affairs Week. The session provides discussions on the future of public transportation moderated by Jeremy Soffin, Director of Media Relations, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Speakers include I. David Widawsky, former Project Director, ARC/Moynihan Station at Port Authority of NY & NJ; Gene Russianoff, staff attorney and chief spokesman for the Straphangers Campaign for NYPIRG, a New York City-based public transport advocacy group; and Robert E. Paaswell, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at the City College of New York. Jonathan Engel, Associate Dean of the School of Public Affairs, makes the opening remarks. The event takes place on March 10, 2011, at the Baruch College Vertical Campus, 14th floor.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Mark Ridley-Thomas has represented the nearly 2.3 million people of the Second District on the Los Angeles County  Board of Supervisors since December 2008. During his first year in office, he shepherded through an agreement with the University of California to provide medical services at the new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, scheduled to open in late 2012. He also persuaded the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund a light rail system from Crenshaw Boulevard to Los Angeles International Airport and move up the opening from 2029 to as early as 2016. Together, the hospital and rail projects will generate more than $2 billion in spending and create over 16,000 jobs. Ridley-Thomas is the first African American man ever to serve on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. His district  includes Carson, Compton, Culver City, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lynwood, portions or all of 10 Los Angeles City Council Districts and the unincorporated communities of Alondra Park, Athens, Del Aire, Dominguez, East Compton, El Camino Village, Florence, Ladera Heights, Lennox, View Park, West Athens, West Carson, West Compton, Willowbrook and Wiseburn. Prior to his election to the Board, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas served the 26th District in the California State Senate where he chaired the Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development and its two subcommittees on Professional Sports and Entertainment, and The Economy, Workforce Preparation and Development. In addition to his chairmanship duties, Ridley-Thomas served on the Senate Appropriations, Energy, Utilities and  Communications; and Health and Public Safety committees. In January 2008, he became Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and led the Caucus in unprecedented levels of cooperation and collaboration with counterparts in the Latino, and Asian-Pacific Islander Legislative Caucuses. His legislative work addressed a broad range of issues with implications for economic and workforce development, health care, public safety, education, budget accountability, consumer protection and civic participation. Mark Ridley-Thomas was first elected to public office in 1991 and served with distinction on the Los Angeles City Council for nearly a dozen years and  departed as Council President pro Tempore. He later served two terms in the California State Assembly, where he chaired the Assembly Democratic Caucus. He is widely regarded as the foremost advocate of neighborhood participation in government decision-making. By virtue of his founding the Empowerment Congress, arguably the region’s most successful experiment in neighborhood-based civic engagement, he is considered the founder of the Neighborhood Council movement. Ridley-Thomas’ political career was preceded by a decade of service as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, which followed a brief but successful five-year stint as a high school teacher. He is a graduate of Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles and earned a baccalaureate degree in Social Relations (minor in Government) and a master’s degree in Religious Studies (concentration in Christian  Ethics) from Immaculate Heart College. Mr. Ridley-Thomas went on to receive his Ph.D. in Social Ethics and Policy Analysis from the University of Southern California. He is married to Avis Ridley-Thomas, director of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office Dispute Resolution Center. They are the proud parents of twin sons, Sebastian and Sinclair, who graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. Contact 866 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 W. Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 974-2222 (213) 680-3283 Fax Send e-mail to: seconddistrict@bos.