Open Thread Wednesday

By on June 10, 2015 12:09 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • MaryT

    Sorry, Aaron. Meant to reply to the post under yours.

  • MaryT

    I logged a complaint with the EDC, who are the epicenter of promoting helicopter tours. Received a reply two weeks later asking me to identify the chopper(s) by tail number(!) I don’t have a telescope. If anyone does, we might be able to ascertain which choppers are police, military, tourist, commuter et.al.

    BTW: The June 1st New Yorker ran a story on Uber’s new Blade commuter operation out of the 30th St. heliport in their Talk of the Town section. And StoptheChop’s website has a recent article on a helicopter lobbyist and de Blasio.

  • Rick

    I should also add that I did another search and found that several helicopter tour companies do have night tours, but obviously not at 1 or 2 in the morning.

    In addition I found out about the NYPD’s Bell 412EP surveillance helicopter, which was described as “customized with a photo- and video-surveillance system capable of capturing clear images of license plates—or the faces of individuals—from 1,000 feet away. It could even, the story noted, “pick up the catcher’s signals at Yankee Stadium.”

    It was described as the “most advanced in use by any police force”… “used to fight conventional crime, conduct search-and-rescue missions”… “play a key role in anti-terrorism efforts.”

    http://www.wired.com/2015/06/fbi-not-alone-in-operating-secret-spycraft/

    And here’s a story from the Associated press about the FBI surveillance planes that fly over US cities. They have helicopters, too.

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4b3f220e33b64123a3909c60845da045/fbi-behind-mysterious-surveillance-aircraft-over-us-cities

  • grrr

    So sad that the “dog garden” on Remsen near the Promenade has been dismantled! Even the poor ceramic statues have been gentrified away now.

  • ShinyNewHandle

    Yes, Rick, I heard that helicopter. It started shortly after 1 AM, but I don’t know what kind it was. I remember thinking, “But it’s not 2 or 3 AM yet—what’s going on?”

  • e

    Truly appalling that de Blasio is meeting with helicopter lobbyists. I guess it’s not enough that he is beholden to the taxi industry . . . .

  • Willow Street Watch

    The helicopter over the north Heights at times snaps on its powerful searchlight…looking for??? It there a current crime incident which they are responding to? Or are they simply randomly searching..for? All of this besides the danger, smacks of a police state. Tourist and traffic units don’t use powerful searchlights at 1 to 3 AM

    Who in god’s name authorized any of this, and for what reason?

    Its time elected officials explain what is really taking place over the heads of our families.

  • ReallY

    Really!?! That was an eyesore and embarrassment to the neighborhood.

  • Willow Street Watch

    What’s really needed first, is a public display of protest re this nonsense. Then a series of sit downs with elected officials and key agency officers
    A LOT of basic steps could be done without any great expense or effort to enter it into the record how outrageous and unacceptable all this intrusion…and danger really is.

  • MaryT

    Couldn’t agree more. Seems to be a lack of interest in organizing demonstrations. Too bad. We could use an Al.

  • Andrew Porter

    Obviously, NYPD. During the day, you can see their colors: white at front, rear fuselage is blue, same as the police car colors.

  • Andrew Porter

    The man whose garden this was died. The guy’s relatives still own the apt, and they gave the building’s supt. permission to remove the dogs, as they didn’t want them. I agree, wonderful space, really bizarre display that I’m glad is gone.

  • Andrew Porter

    Has everyone noticed the new bicycle (horse?) hitching posts installed throughout the Heights? Added bonus is that in several places they don’t allow trucks to drive onto the sidewalks. OTOH, will make it harder to clean the snow off in the winter.

    The sidewalk shed covering the Montague Street entrance to the Promenade will be coming down this month, I was told. Good news for Promenade sitters; its removal will allow the Christmas Tree display to once more grace this area. We were without the annual lighting ceremony and associated carolling for too long.

  • Andrew Porter

    Ironically, I always remember Flag Day as the day my mother remarried. We came out of the church as flag bearers marched by…

  • Andrew Porter

    Because Gormley is hitting the return key at the end of each line they type, somehow believing their computer keyboard is a typewriter.

    It ain’t.

  • Willow Street Watch

    As per the post above TODAY is flag day. Assemby is today at City Hell, er, Hall. The Parade is down Broadway to Frauncis Tavern the rally is there at Noon, Luncheon thereafter.

    Re The Helicopter Plague and the difficulty in identifying jus WHO is up there. Well, just go to you tube..”top 4 best drones/cool products.

    Or simply go to c-mifly.com (!)

  • Andrew Porter

    You really can’t hear the drones; they’re too small. I know, because last week I saw one directly above me, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I wouldn’t have noticed it, except a gardener I was talking to looked up and noticed it.

    And, speaking of the BBG, Wednesday evening, I saw a few fireflies. Their sight always takes me back to childhood memories.

  • Willow Street Watch

    Everyone has great memories connected to the day. As children we sang at the flag day rally in lower Manhattan. I can hear the roar of the muskets of the honor guard.

  • BadmintonGuy

    People can’t have it both ways. They want quaint charming BKH, but somehow an eccentric old man’s dog statues are an eyesore?

    I have news for them. That’s what makes up the charm of the neighborhood. That it’s not a perfect fake facade but a real neighborhood filled with flavor, character and personalities.

    Agree with grrr.

  • Andrew Porter

    The BHA notes:

    “The NYC Dept of Transportation Div. of Bridges is continuing repairs on the BQE (278I) from Cadman Plaza to Atlantic Avenue, including removing loose concrete, installing under deck shielding, repairing concrete curbs, and repointing loose panels.

    “Early morning Staten Island–bound lane closures will be in effect on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 27. One lane will close at 12:01am, and a second lane will close at 1am. Both lanes will reopen at 5am the following morning. At least one lane will remain open to traffic at all times.”
    *
    We now return you to normal posts. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been ordered to listen to your local Conelrad station.

  • Gormley

    Incorrect.

    There is a paste formatting problem with the Disqus code. Looks fine when pasted. Once submitted and run through the Disqus system the formatting goes a bit haywire inserting “” where they shouldn’t be.

  • Andrew Porter

    I write directly on this site, don’t compose elsewhere and paste text in. After comments are posted, you can still hit “edit” and take all that extra space out.

  • Andrew Porter

    The roar of the muskets, the smell of the crowd!

  • Gormley

    You do not have that functionality as a guest poster.

  • Willow Street Watch

    Here’s a second concrete suggestion for dealing with the helicopter plague…..

    http://www.hover-bike.com/MA

  • Willow Street Watch

    Be snide, but events like these foster an understanding of what the flag represents and fosters patriotism. A self evident benefit but also a critical component in the ability of a society to maintain primary stability or long survive….

  • Willow Street Watch

    I suggest everyone who has, at this point, well justified serious objection to the mounting heliocopter/osprey/GKW plague overhead stop and visit two websites AND related You Tube videos:

    http://www.c-myfly.com

    http://Www.hover-bike.com/MA

    Get er done….

  • Willow Street Watch

    No, but drones, (of course landed near a problem) or automatic cameras especially when equipped with good digital zoom and later generation night vision are now powerful devices for concerned citizens documenting a wide range of government abuse and general criminal behavior.

  • Jorale-man

    I always liked the dog statues. It was a fun conversation piece on walks to the promenade, especially when showing visitors around. RIP.

  • Doug Biviano

    One of the power legs (phases) appears to be down for the entire block of Columbia Heights between Pierrepont and Clark so half the circuits work, half don’t.

    Time Warner Cable truck showed up a while ago, still no sign of Con Ed. Go figure.

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