Street sweepers contribute to in-city air pollution, but the Allianz 4000 can help with that. Image: Flickr / exalthim / CC-BY-SA

In an effort to meet new emissions standards, New York City has purchased several Allianz 4000 street sweepers. The Allianz 4000 street sweeper will save up to 45 percent on fuel cost. These hybrid street sweepers put out less carbon than any street sweeper before them.

Allianz 4000 cuts out one motor

The Allianz 4000 street sweeper uses a combination of a diesel engine and lithium ion batteries to run. This combination engine system drives the street sweeper function without an auxiliary engine. Having a combination engine not only means fuel savings, but carbon savings. Most street sweepers run two diesel engines at high RPMs. The Allianz 4000 runs one at low RPMs. The additional cost of an Allianz 4000, according to the company, can be easily made up in just a few months or years of operation.

New York City carbon emissions

The reduction of carbon emissions has been a goal of New York City for several years. On Earth Day 2007, New York City announced PlaNYC, a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2017. PlaNYC has already reduced carbon emissions to almost 13 percent below 2005 levels. The city is accomplishing this by reducing the carbon emissions of electricity generation and encouraging citizens to reduce their own emissions. By purchasing a street sweeper team of Allianz 4000 vehicles, New York City will be further reducing its carbon footprint.

Are cities the key to carbon reduction?

Though the Cancun climate summit has brought world leaders together in the name of carbon reduction, there is no set plan for the world yet. In the face of lack of action from federal and world governments, cities like New York City are taking the lead with moves like PlaNYC and the Allianz 4000. Many states are starting to adopt climate regulation of their own, with cities passing even more stringent guidelines. Until the federal and world governments take serious action on climate change, it may very well be up to the cities to take action.

Sources

NYC.gov
Boston.com
Ubergizmo

The Brooklyn Bridge was shut down because of suspicious flashlights. Image: eschipul/Flickr/CC-BY-SA

This morning, the Brooklyn Bridge was shut down for more than an hour. Pedestrian, cycle and vehicle traffic was closed on the bridge while police investigated “suspicious packages.” The bridge was re-opened when the packages were confirmed to be flashlights with copper wiring.

Brooklyn Bridge shut down by 911 call

Today at 9:38 a.m. local time, police received a 911 call about the Brooklyn Bridge. Reports say the caller reported a flashlight with copper wiring, and it’s also reported that the caller said there were “suspicious packages.” The police immediately shut down the bridge, and the NYPD brought in crews to investigate. There are no reports yet on whether bomb squads were called in or if police independently investigated the suspicious item.

Brooklyn Bridge packages were flashlights

After police investigated, the Brooklyn Bridge was re-opened to all traffic at 10:55 a.m. The flashlights found at both ends of the bridge were most likely from the “Light the Night” walk for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society that was held on Thursday night. This event had participants carrying illuminated balloons in order to raise awareness. These illuminated balloons could also be an explanation for the UFO sightings over New York. These illuminated balloons, meant to call attention to and raise much-needed money for cancer, could very well be cause of many of the recent problems in New York City.

Construction continues to snarl Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is not completely opened for unfettered access. Because the bridge, built in 1883, is undergoing construction on both sides, traffic is still slightly limited. The New York Police Department tends to take a “better safe than sorry” viewpoint when it comes to possible threats to the safety of the city. Nonetheless, some will undoubtedly label this incident an overreaction. However, the speed with which the Brooklyn Bridge was reopened has improved greatly in comparison to former threats.

Sources

Associated Press
Gothamist

The Empire State Building has raised questions and anger by refusing to light up blue and white for Mother Teresa's birthday. Image from user decadence on Flickr.

The Empire State Building in New York City is one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in the city of millions. Recently, though, the owners of the Empire State Building have faced questions – and a possible City Council resolution – after they refused to participate in a tribute to Mother Teresa. In a debate that pits private property rights against the city council, the New York City Mother Teresa debate is becoming heated on both sides.

The New York City Empire State Building refuses to light up for Mother Teresa

The Empire State Building, on a fairly regular basis, will color the lights that shine on the building at night. The building has been lit green for St. Patrick’s Day, red for the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and blue for the release of new M&M’s colors. The New York City Catholic League requested that the Empire State Building light itself blue and white for Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday on August 26. The management of the building has refused without comment.

The New York City Council gets involved

After the New York City Empire State Building turned down the Catholic League, the League turned to the City Council. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. has introduced a resolution that will be considered Wednesday that would “force” the building to participate in the Mother Teresa tribute. The head of the Catholic League has also taken this argument past the city council, starting an online petition and organizing marches in New York City.

The rights of the Empire State Building in New York City

The Empire State Building in New York City is a privately owned building. Empire State Building Company L.L.C. owns and operates the building. On the application to become a “lighting partner,” the Empire State Building Company outlines that:

“Due to the high volume of applications, the Empire State Building Company is under no obligation to provide specific feedback to any individual or organization regarding the status, merit, and/or denial of its application.”

The Empire State Building history also points out that the New York City building receives “hundreds of requests every year” to light the building. It is not clear under which city regulations the New York City Council can force the Empire State Building to honor Mother Teresa, or if the resolution will have any effect.

A church and state separation issue?

The question if the Empire State Building will be forced to light their New York City building blue and white in honor of Mother Teresa may encounter questions of legal separation. The request was made by the Catholic League, a religious organization. The Empire State Building, as a private entity, has freedom to decide which groups it makes “lighting partners.” The New York City Council, however, is a government entity. It may be a question of separation of church and state if the City Council tries to force a private entity to participate in a religious observation.

So what do you think? Should the Empire State Building be forced by the New York City Council to light itself blue and white for Mother Teresa?

Sources:

Official Empire State Building website
WCBSTV.com

Soon, there will be a mosque at Ground Zero in New York City. (Photo: Picasa)

Since the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement first announced they wanted to finance a mosque at 9/11 Ground Zero, the outpouring of emotion from the people of New York City and beyond has been tremendous. While some view building an Islamic mosque on the site of a national tragedy as a needed gesture of religious tolerance, others believe that doing so is an affront to those who died at the hands of orthodox Islamic operatives whose holy book advocates killing non-believers. Regardless of the objective truth – if such a thing exists – construction of the mosque at Ground Zero is set to commence, according to Associated Press reports.

Manhattan Community Board 1 says yes to Mosque at Ground Zero

The AP reports that a New York City community board voted 29-to-1 in favor of the Cordoba House mosque at Ground Zero building project. Ten members of the board abstained. While the vote by the Manhattan Community Board 1 wasn’t required for the project to move forward, it is widely viewed as being essential to obtaining the support of New York City residents. Construction should take three to five years and possibly require installment loans, sources indicate. There is a nearby building that may receive landmark status, however. That could delay the project.

‘A seed of peace’

Board member Rob Townley said the motion planted a seed of peace. “We believe that this is a significant step in the Muslim community to counteract the hate and fanaticism in the minority of the community,” he told the Associated Press.

The board meeting was anything but peaceful. Opponents yelled at various speakers, claiming the project was being built over a “Christian cemetery” and that the board should “show respect for 3,000,” referring to those who died there on 9/11. According to various sources, many of the opponents were not opposed to the construction of a mosque in general – just a mosque at Ground Zero.

Establishing an inclusive facility

The founders of the mosque at Ground Zero project told the press they are seeking to build a “vibrant and inclusive world-class facility” that would include a “performing arts center, swimming pool, culinary school, child care facilities and worship space,” according to AP reports. Cordoba House would also provide New York City with 150 full-time and 500 part-time jobs, not to mention a $100 million-plus infrastructure investment for the city, said Cordoba House spokeswoman Daisy Khan.

Not a recruiting ground for terrorists

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, made a point of saying that the group fully condemns the activities of terrorists on 9/11, and that the Cordoba House will strive to ensure that the mosque is not a center of hate. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the media that there are no security concerns that would impact the mosque at Ground Zero project.

Sources:

MSNBC

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Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org

Before 1904, Time Square was better known as Longacre Square that was until the New York Times newspaper moved their head quarters to its address located on 475 Broadway. This helped pave the way for big change, starting with the squares name. From 1904 on, people would call the area Times Square. No one could have known how famous and important this land mark would become. Today we see Time Square as a pillar of new beginnings. This is why it was so easy to give the square our new year’s tradition. Not to mention the savvy move on the papers part in placing a giant lighted ball at the top of its building. Oddly the papers operations only occurred in this location for about nine years. It was then sold and production continued at 229 W 43rd St. where an annex was built especially for newspaper production. Many more expansions and moves occurred until 2007 that is when The Times finally found a permanent home in Manhattan.

A Developers Dream

Developers of that day saw Times Square as a money pot full of potential. The area boomed with popularity even before the Times moved in. This was thanks to an optimistic developer who saw the area as becoming the new uptown neighborhood of New York. Boy was he right! If he could see it now. With any new development in mans history no matter how positive, there always seems to be a trail of undesirable traits as well. Times Square was no different; there were many Brothels, pickpocket technicians, and plain old street walkers. This made for quite an interesting view of what we today would call a red light district. After a while a man named Oscar Hammerstein adopted the square and started an entertainment empire consisting of three theaters. Times Square was the most elite theater location in the United States during World War I.

Cleaning Up The Filth

Despite the glamor, the area would later become one of the worst areas for crime and sex in New York. Until the 1980′s when new legislation forced the area to clean it’s act up. By the 1990′s Times Square’s filth was replaced with much magnificence and an opportunistic business vibe. Out with the adult toy stores and in with personal money markets who provide cash loans to excited entrepreneur’s. In the future, who knows what we will see plastered on the walls of electric blues and greens, shouting at our unconscious to buy more of what we don’t need. So please take heed when visiting Times Square where pedestrians beware.

Apply for Cash Loans HERE!

IPhone image from Flickr.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that online sales of iPhones in New York City have been halted. People who live in New York City can still purchase an iPhone from an AT&T store or an Apple store, but as of right now, you can’t place an online order for an iPhone in New York City.

Not surprisingly, the companies involved are keeping quiet about why you can’t order an iPhone in New York City. It is also not surprising that the companies are taking steps to slow sales in the most populated city in the country. Don’t worry, you can still get payday loans with no credit check online.

Theories about the iPhone in New York City

It’s no secret that there’s a limited supply of bandwidth out there, and sometimes it is impossible to be prepared for how the population will respond to new technology. The Wall Street Journal says:

Although AT&T has beefed up its network, complaints about dropped calls and Internet interruptions seemed to have increased.

This can’t be good news for AT&T, which has recently gotten into a public, heated rivalry with other networks, and the iPhone is battling it out with other smartphones.

Smartphone wars

Verizon recently marketed its Droid phones, which use the Google Android operating system, as a superior alternative to the iPhone. Furthermore, Verizon commercials have incorporated 3G coverage maps attempting to show that Verizon’s coverage area is better than AT&T’s. The message wasn’t lost on consumers, and it certainly wasn’t lost on AT&T, which fired back with ads that compare iPhone functions with Droid and other smartphone functions.

The AT&T ads emphasize the fact that users can use the Internet without interrupting a call and vice versa. I can’t say this feature, which they are using as their primary marketing stragegy, is the actual cause of the fact that you can’t order an iPhone in New York City. The companies involved could confirm or deny this suspicion, but don’t worry, they won’t.

How long are online sales suspended in NYC?

One AT&T customer service representative blamed the online sales suspension on the fact that there aren’t enough cell phone towers in New York City to support iPhones. Others have said it was because of excess fraud. But the official word from AT&T was “We periodically modify our promotion and distribution channels.”

There is no word on when people in New York City can order iPhones online again. For now, when someone uses a New York City ZIP code when trying to order an iPhone from the AT&T store online, the response is “There are no phones and devices that match your search criteria.” Though that bit about “modifying distribution channels” indicates that this could be a permanent change, I highly doubt it. However, if the true cause of suspending sales of iPhones in New York City is that the infrastructure to support them simply isn’t there yet, this could take a long time to fix.

Waiting for the world's economy to recover.

Analysts are showing that some cities are closer to economic recovery than others, offering quicker debt relief to their populations. Overall, economists were anticipating national recovery to begin as early as summer of 2009, but definitely by the end of the year. They are noting some cities poised on recovery, while others are showing signs of a longer turnaround time.

Analysis

According to a new study by Moody’s Economy, some cities are ready to recover. The survey examined estimates of projected GDP of various cities and weighed them against the unemployment figures as posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, home prices, consumer incomes and affordability data from the National Association of Home builders were factored into the final list of growth-prone cities. Home prices were not a factor because, in general, cities making the quickest recovery didn’t see a huge housing collapse.

Another important factor in recovery time is the city’s individual economic structure. For example, cities such as Detroit and Flint., Mich., were hit particularly hard by the recession because of their heavy reliance on manufacturing. The manufacturing industry was crushed, and many people suffered as a result. The changing economy is most likely not going to create enough jobs to employ a large portion of the people who lost their jobs. Analysts are confirming speculation that cities like Flint may never return to their original population or GDP.

Financial hub hit hard

New York City, considered the hub of finance, is also set to recover slowly and possibly never return to its former state. Unemployment rates are high, and homes are unaffordable. This creates a market that wont’ be very attractive to new inhabitants. The NAHB’s Housing Opportunity Index shows that in New York only 14 percent of homes are affordable based on the city’s median income, citing this as the “least favorable market” in the U.S.

Cities on the verge of recovery

In the end, the cities that are poised on the verge of recovery are ones that have strong technology bases, rather than manufacturing or finance. Both industries suffered greatly, leaving consumers involved in their markets seeking debt relief with more desperation than other areas. Here are the top three cities set for a quick recovery:

Austin, Texas, with a current GDP of $72.4 billion and unemployment rate of 5.8 percent, is set to recover quickly. Due to the moderate unemployment rate, the city’s recovery may be one of the quickest and most seamless. It is also home to Dell computers and was ranked as one of the Best Big Cities for Jobs by Forbes.com.

Fayetteville, Ark., with a current GDP of $13.9 million and unemployment rate of 5 percent, is also set to return to normal activity relatively quickly. This city is home to Wal-Mart superstores, and though Wall Street faltered during the economy, Wal-Mart never did. The company may have single-handedly kept its employees afloat throughout the recession.

Boulder, Colo., has a GDP of $15.6 billion and unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. The University of Colorado is the city’s biggest employer and provided many stable jobs for residents. It’s also home for a number of high-tech laboratories. Moody’s prediction is that Boulder’s economy will dip less than 1 percent before growth starts again.

Rounding out the top five cities facing speedy recoveries are: Huntsville, Ala., and San Antonio, Texas.

Some cities not so lucky

Of course, on the other hand there are cities that are not going to recover quickly. Flint, Mich., once the automobile capital, is predicted to suffer considerably for the next decade. Its huge unemployment rate, which is due to the automobile industry’s collapse, brought Flint’s economy to its knees.

Fresno, Calif., Detroit, Mich.,  and Modesto and Salinas, Calif., are the cities predicted to recover the slowest. All experienced either a huge unemployment rates or were heavily dependent on either the auto or real estate industry for their economic sustenance.

Photo from http://s3.amazonaws.com/

Only in New York City would a 9-and-a-half-foot-wide house go for $2.7 million. That’s exactly what’s happening, though, as the house at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village is on the market. It’s the skinniest house in New York City, and though it is far from being the most expensive, it might cost the most per square foot.

The house at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village is 42 feet long and three stories high which makes the total square footage about 1,200 feet. Some houses in New York City, probably not far from 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village, have bedrooms bigger than that.

How much per square foot

So, with a price tag of $2.7 million, the house at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village costs about $2,250 per square foot. Just for the sake of comparison, my college studio apartment cost 78 cents per square foot. Now that I think of it, maybe I should have stayed there. I’d have a lot of extra cash now.

Extra cash is exactly what someone will need in order to buy the house at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village. Its distinction as the narrowest house in New York City is enough to make the house famous, but it has a couple of other reasons for its fame. The Associated Press says:

It’s famous for other reasons, too. Corcoran real estate broker Alex Nicholas says anthropologist Margaret Mead and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay once called it home.

Is it worth it?

Even though 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village reportedly has great light and a skylight, it’s tough to say whether the house is really worth $2.7 million. However, it is pretty safe to say that some buyers out there will pay the price.

The current owners bought the house for $1.6 million nine  years ago, so I’m sure they’re confident that they’ll get their asking price for the house, which was built in 1873. “Nicholas says it’s a place for someone who wants a little history,” says the Associated Press.

Greenwich Village

Other homes listed for sale in Greenwich Village right now range in price between $500,000 and $10 million. A loft apartment is listed for $575,000, so the $2.7 million price tag on the house at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village is probably no surprise to the residents around it.

Of course, everyone knows real estate is very expensive in New York City. I saw an apartment listed for $6,500 per month. I can’t even imagine making that much money, let alone spending that.

World record homes

The most expensive house in the world is a 27-story mansion in Mumbai, India that cost $1 billion. The world’s skinniest house is 7 feet wide and is located in Washington D.C. The biggest house in the world is Windsor Castle, located in England, Berkshire. The castle’s floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet.