Whoops.....

As if suffering through the cringe-worthy Twitter scandal was not enough, all of us who comprise the Ninth Congressional District are faced with yet another embarassment.

A plaque displaying the name of former Rep. Anthony Weiner outside of what used to be his Washington office has been replaced with a generic plaque that says "Office of the Nineth Congressional District of New York."

Yes, they misspelled "ninth" on the new sign.  No big deal...they don't read any of the bills they vote on so why would anyone have spell correctly?

Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2011



West 12th Road was well represented at this past Saturday's Coney Island Mermaid Parade!



Summer Officially Arives Today!

Summer Solstice

On June 21, the sun is at its highest point in the sky at every location north of the Tropic of Cancer and it's the longest day of the year (length of daylight). In fact, the farther north you travel the longer length of daylight.

For example, in Dublin, Ireland (latitude of 53 degrees), the sun r today at 4:57am local time on June 21 and will not set until 9:57pm local time. That's 17 hours of sunlight.


Meanwhile, here in Broad Channel (at a lower latitude of 40 degrees), the sun rose this morning at 5:25 am and will set at 8:29 pm - a total of 15 hours and 9 minutes of daylight.
 
Soon after the summer solstice, the length of daylight in the northern hemisphere will gradually grow shorter each day up until the winter solstice in December when the shortest amount of daylight occurs.


In case you're interested, the autumnal equinox falls on September 23, 2011 at 5:04am ET.    

Flood Mitigation Project Update

Below is a statement by the President of the Broad Channel Civic Association, Dan Mundy Jr., regarding the ongoing Flood Mitigation Project here in Broad Channel which will be included in the Association Newsletter you will receive prior to Thursday's meeting.

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President’s Message

The street raising project continues to move forward at this time. The most recent meeting took place on June 13 and was focused on the project’s impact on the homes on West 11th Road. The meeting was well attended with over 40 property owners from that block present. As the design process moves forward, the civic association continues to get new details on this project. One such detail is that the new sidewalks would be 5 foot wide and any private fences or decks within that area would have to be removed. The civic association has expressed concerns that this will have a big impact on some homeowners, and Commissioner McCarthy of the DOT has responded that upon review they can reduce that requirement to 4 foot and, if citing the individual driveways as turnaround locations for residents confined to a wheel chair, still comply with the “American’s  with Disabilities Act”.

We also heard from the commissioner that while this project, for all three blocks, will be bid out as one bid, she understands our concerns that this will have on parking and will discuss the concept of moving one block at a time with the selected contractor once the bid process has been enacted.

The next meeting scheduled is for the homeowners of West 13 Road and will take place on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 pm at the North Channel Yacht Club. This meeting will allow for the individual homeowners on 13th Road to sit down with the representatives of the design firm, the RBA group, and discuss the impact to their property from the proposed construction. All residents of West 13 Road are urged to attend to get fully briefed on the projects details and impacts.

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9th C.D.to be Redistricted - Weiner's Legacy?

The legislative session in Albany ends on June 20, and one important aspect has yet to be resolved: redistricting. Redistricting is the least talked about but arguably the most important political process in America.

Redistricting is a revision of boundaries that create legislative districts in the state. It is a threshold issue that determines how much your elected officials listen to voters (i.e. You!) at a local level. Without fairly drawn districts, incumbents or political parties can manipulate voters for their own advantage.

After each census, a process of reapportionment and redistricting begins in the states. The federal courts require that every district contain approximately the same number of voters, so shifts in population require that U.S. House seats be reapportioned between the states. States that lose or gain seats must necessarily redraw their congressional districts to take this into account. Even in states that do not gain or lose Congressional seats, shifts of populations within regions of the state can also require the redrawing of districts.

Based on 2010 Census results, New York will lose two congressional seats. More than likely, with Republicans holding the state Senate and Democrats holding the state Assembly, a redistricting compromise will be reached so that each party loses a seat.

In this redistricting process, gerrymandering – the manipulation of district lines for political advantage – has become the political weapon of choice.

The two main strategies that are used in partisan gerrymandering are called "cracking" and "packing."

In “cracking”, district lines are redrawn to ensure that the opposing party's pockets of voting strength are divided up so that they become permanent minorities in most districts.

The “packing” strategy is used when the opposing party's strength is too large to be completely divided. Instead, lines are redrawn to concentrate most of that party's voters in one district so that many of its votes will be wasted in an overly large majority

One congressional seat the Democrats may agree to give up is our 9th congressional district, recently vacated held by scandal-ridden Congressman Anthony Weiner. Eliminating this seat could solidify surrounding Democrats’ power as they carve out ("crack") and redistribute sections of his district. By “cracking” the 9th C.D., in which several areas have been trending Republican in the recent past, the Democrats could ensure they maintain complete control of southeast Queens and portions of Brooklyn.

It’s worth noting that State Senator Joe Adabbo, when asked if he might consider running for Weiner’s vacated 9th C.D. seat, raised the very real possibility of redistricting when he stated, “the stability of the 9th Congressional District seat might not be there — and people who would run would have to consider that.” (Translation – “If the 9th C.D. is going to be redistricted, why would I give up my State Senator job?”)

High Tide: Monday 6/13/2011

High Tide on W12th Road - Monday June 13, 2011 at 7:15 p.m.
A Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect for this evening's high tide with severe tidal street flooding expected.
We are coming into a full moon tomorrow.

Every Parent's Nightmare...at least in our 9th Congressional District!

Coastal Flood Advisory issued for our area this evening...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM TO 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING. 

LOCATIONS...LOWER MANHATTAN...BACK BAYS OF SOUTHERN KINGS, QUEENS, AND NASSAU COUNTIES.

TIDAL DEPARTURES...ONE HALF TO AROUND ONE FOOT ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL
TIDE.

THIS EVENING'S HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR SHORTLY AFTER 7:00 PM WITH STREET FLOODING COMMENCING EARLIER.

Hot Weather Health Threats

Mother Nature has turned up the heat. It's summer - and hot weather comes with the territory. But be careful. Too much heat can be dangerous.

About 600 people die each year from the heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Normally, the body cools itself by sweating. Sometimes, though, sweating isn't enough. When this happens, the body cannot cool itself. This can lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Heat cramps

People who sweat a lot when they are active are more prone to heat cramps. Too much sweating can deplete the body of salt and moisture, leading to heat cramps.

Muscle pain or spasm in the abdomen, arms or legs due to heat cramps usually occurs when you are physically active. Heat cramps may seem like a mild annoyance, but don't ignore them. They can be a symptom of heat exhaustion. People with heart problems or those on low-salt diets should call a doctor if they get heat cramps.

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is usually caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures over several hot days or too much physical activity in extreme heat. Sodium and potassium are important minerals that help regulate fluids in and out of your body's cells. Too little to drink, along with out-of-balance body fluids, can cause heat exhaustion.

Those most vulnerable to heat-related illness are infants, very young children, the elderly, people with certain physical illnesses and those who work or exercise in hot temperatures.

Signs of heat exhaustion include:

-Heavy sweating
-Paleness
-Muscle cramps
-Tiredness
-Dizziness
-Headache
-Nausea or vomiting
-Fainting
-Cool, moist skin
-Weak pulse
-Fast, shallow breathing

Symptoms of heat exhaustion should not be ignored. They can lead to Heat Stroke. One sign of heat stroke is confusion. If someone is confused, has a change in behavior, has a seizure or passes out, call 9-1-1 right away. Anyone with other symptoms of heat exhaustion needs prompt emergency medical care.

NWS Issues Heat Advisory for Wenesday and Thursday...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY.

 A HEAT ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT THURSDAY.

* LOCATIONS...NEW YORK CITY.

* HAZARDS...EXCESSIVE HEAT.

* HEAT INDEX VALUES...NEARING 100 IN THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A HEAT ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR NEW YORK CITY WHEN THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS AT LEAST 95 DEGREES FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS...OR 100 DEGREES FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME. TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.

NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS CAN CALL 3-1-1 TO IDENTIFY COOLING CENTER LOCATIONS AND TO OBTAIN BEAT THE HEAT SAFETY TIPS.
TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY...CALL 9 1 1.

AT A MINIMUM...SEE TO IT THAT PETS HAVE ACCESS TO A SHADED AND
WELL-VENTILATED AREA AND PLENTY OF COOL WATER.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE CHILDREN/PETS UNATTENDED IN A VEHICLE FOR ANY LENGTH
OF TIME.

67 Years Ago Today....

Hurricane Season 2011

Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 to November 30. Storms outside of these dates are not unheard of. As you can see from the graph, based on the average of 150 years of storms, activity ramps up in August, and peaks once in early September, then again in October.

Meteorologists are predicting an active season for 2011 with more impact on the U.S. coastline than last year forecasting a total of 15 named tropical storms, eight of which will attain hurricane status and four of which will attain major hurricane status (Category 3 or higher- see Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale below).

In a normal year, there are 10 tropical storms, six of which become hurricanes and two of which become major hurricanes, or attain winds that exceed 110 mph.

Scheduled Meetings for residents of W11th and W13th Roads with the RBA Group

Dan Mundy Jr., President of the Broad Channel Civic Association has advised that residents of West 11th and 13th Roads are tentatively scheduled to meet individually with representatives of the citys RBA design group to discuss the flood mitigation plans for their respective streets as follows...

RESIDENTS OF WEST 11TH ROAD

Day:  Monday

Date:  June 13, 2011

Time:  7:00 p.m.

Location:  North Channel Yacht Club

Individual home owners on W11th Road should be receiving written confirmation of their scheduled meeting from the RBA Group shortly.

NOTE:  INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN REVISED EFFECTIVE 6/2/2011

RESIDENTS OF WEST 13TH ROAD 

[TO BE ANNOUNCED]

Once a definite date is decided upon for West 13th Road, the residents of that street will also receive a similar confirmation from the RBA Group.