Thunderbolt tracks climb vertically up the launching pad.

Thunderbolt construction continues as bright orange tracks are placed vertically up the tower.

Race Walk on the Coney Island Boardwalk

19 Injured After Subway Train Derails in Queens

19 Injured After Subway Train Derails in Queens - NYTimes.com

(Excerpt)
An F train derailed in Queens on Friday morning, the authorities said, injuring 19 people and setting off a wide-scale effort to reach about 1,000 passengers who were stranded underground.

The Fire Department said that four of the injuries were “potentially serious.” The rest were believed to be minor.

The derailment occurred around 10:30 a.m., about 1,200 feet south of the station at 65th Street and Broadway in Woodside, Queens, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The authority said that the six middle cars on the eight-car train derailed; the lead car and the final car remained on the tracks.

Parks Dept. spruces up part of Brooklyn's historic Ocean ParkwayPh

Photo of the west mall.  But it is the
 east mall that is being repaired.

Parks Dept. spruces up part of Brooklyn's historic Ocean Parkway - NY Daily News
BY REUVEN BLAU  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 2:00 AM

A small part of the nation’s oldest bike lane is getting a $1.8 million makeover.
The Parks Department is sprucing up the bike route and adding asphalt on Ocean Parkway from Ave. O to Kings Highway.
The fixes along the path, originally built in 1880, will add shiny pavement markings along the path and bring new wood and concrete benches, and trees that will be planted in empty pits. It is unclear when the work will be finished.
“Ocean Parkway is one of the most widely used promenades in Brooklyn — from seniors who play chess to children who walk with their parents,” said City Councilman David Greenfield (D-Flatbush), who is paying for the work with his discretionary funds. “And that’s why I’m proud to have invested millions of dollars to improve it.”
Other spots along the 4.86 mile path — which runs from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach — remain in need of an upgrade.
rblau@nydailynews.com

Kerry misspoke about Israeli "apartheid"

"...I have been around long enough to also know the power of words to create a misimpression, even when unintentional, and if I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word..."

On Support for Israel

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

April 28, 2014

For more than thirty years in the United States Senate, I didn’t just speak words in support of Israel, I walked the walk when it came time to vote and when it came time to fight. As Secretary of State, I have spent countless hours working with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Justice Minister Livni because I believe in the kind of future that Israel not only wants, but Israel deserves. I want to see a two state solution that results in a secure Jewish state and a prosperous Palestinian state, and I’ve actually worked for it.

I will not allow my commitment to Israel to be questioned by anyone, particularly for partisan, political purposes, so I want to be crystal clear about what I believe and what I don’t believe.

First, Israel is a vibrant democracy and I do not believe, nor have I ever stated, publicly or privately, that Israel is an apartheid state or that it intends to become one. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that without a shred of doubt.

Second, I have been around long enough to also know the power of words to create a misimpression, even when unintentional, and if I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word to describe my firm belief that the only way in the long term to have a Jewish state and two nations and two peoples living side by side in peace and security is through a two state solution. In the long term, a unitary, binational state cannot be the democratic Jewish state that Israel deserves or the prosperous state with full rights that the Palestinian people deserve. That’s what I said, and it’s also what Prime Minister Netanyahu has said. While Justice Minister Livni, former Prime Ministers Barak and Ohlmert have all invoked the specter of apartheid to underscore the dangers of a unitary state for the future, it is a word best left out of the debate here at home.

New York Assembly Votes to Authorize Speed Cameras bring total to 140 in NYC

New York Assembly Votes to Authorize Speed Cameras

The Assembly voted Monday to authorize more speed cameras for New York City, as well as Nassau and Suffolk County.

If the bill becomes law, it would bring the total number of speed cameras in New York City to 140. The legislation limits the operation of speed cameras to school zones.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has made reducing pedestrian fatalities a cornerstone of his administration, issued a statement that said the Assembly's vote brought the city "one step closer to the expansion of school slow zones throughout our city where we can install speed cameras, allowing us to protect our children and make our streets safer. This bill will truly save lives."

Currently, New York City is allowed to operate 20 speed cameras, although as of earlier this month only five were up and running. That handful of cameras has issued more than 12,000 speeding tickets since becoming operational in mid-January.

The Assembly's vote comes amidst a growing drumbeat of dissatisfaction from local legislators over how much control Albany maintains over city streets. In two days, the City Council is scheduled to hold a marathon hearing on nearly two dozen traffic safety items, including a resolution urging New York State to give the city the authority to reduce its speed limit.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he supports the bill. No word yet on whether a vote has been scheduled in the state Senate.

Holocaust Rememberance Day

Israelis stop their vehicles on the highway and stand still in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on April 28, 2014, as sirens sounded across Israel for a two-minute silence in memory of Holocaust victims. (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Bike Rage

Bikeriders behaving badly!

Cyclist races up behind jogger surprising her and forcing her off the shared path. There is plenty of room but cyclists need to slow down