Daily Show Calls It For deBlasio

A comedy show. Not to be taken seriously.  Four more hours to get out there and make it a reality so get yourself to the polls!

Jon Stewart Jokes About Lhota Losing to 'Anti-Semitic Times Square Elmo'

"Mr. Stewart later took the show to Mr. de Blasio's "victory party" a little early. "The normal rules of politics don't apply," explained "senior mayoral correspondent" John Oliver. "De Blasio could do pretty much anything. Have you seen his final campaign poster? It's a dick pic, John. It's a dick pic" "And you must have seen his commercials," he added, letting a faux-campaign commercial play: "This Tuesday, vote for Bill de Blasio--or don't. Either way, he's got this. Bill de Blasio: already the mayor.""

http://politicker.com/2013/11/jon-stewart-jokes-about-joe-lhota-losing-to-anti-semitic-times-square-elmo/

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Election Day In NYC - Vote!

So, when you go to pull the lever for Bill deBlasio today, you'll find that we're back to the dreaded optical scanning ballots.  And that the process is rife with incompetence and headaches.  But you're going to do it anyway, with a smile, because we're going to usher in a new chapter in NYC history.

Mrs. Firstandcourt reports from the trenches:

They were packed and there were people waiting when I got there at 6:02am.  It was exciting to see so many people out so early. That being said, there were 2 women manning the table to sign in. I gave my name. It took her a good minute to find me as she verbally recited the alphabet repeatedly. Then I saw my name and pointed it out. She then started filling out my card with the slowest most deliberate writing. Then she started filling out the roster. Under YOUR name. I corrected her. Then she ripped out the incorrect voting page. Then I was directed to 'either of the privacy booths' when there are probably 8. Then the privacy booths had no pens. Then one of the 2 scanners wasn't working. Awesome way to start the process. The lines later are going to be ridiculous.

There are two lessons to be learned here.  One - our elections have a lot of room for improvement.  Two - allow yourself extra time to vote!

I am humbly urging you to consider voting the following candidates on the Working Families line:
 
For Mayor
BILL DE BLASIO
www.billdeblasio.com

For Comptroller
SCOTT STRINGER
www.Stringer2013.com
 
For Public Advocate
LETITIA JAMES
www.LetitiaJames2013.com

For Borough President
ERIC ADAMS
www.EricAdams2013.com

For District Attorney
KEN THOMPSON
www.kenthompson4da.com

For City Council District 39
BRAD LANDER

As for the ballot initiatives . . . vote your conscience.  Even as an active and engaged voter I was learning about most of the ballot propositions for the first time only yesterday.  I'll be voting no on the casinos, not because I oppose gambling per se but because casinos are a terrible way to promote economic development and fund education, and more generally the negatives far outweigh the positives.  And if NJ's experience is any indicator, they will prove to be hungry for public subsidies of various types as well.  It's another corporate welfare industry that we don't need.

Citibike: Naysayers Spectacularly Wrong Again

No one has been killed, and the program has been immensely popular.  In other news, the sky has not fallen, nor do the dead walk the earth.

Citi Bike Not Nearly as Deadly as Feared

"The shrill warnings ahead of Citi Bike's launch predicted "carnage" on streets packed with psychotic drivers and bare-headed, novice riders. Rutgers University public policy professor John Pucher predicted that cyclist injuries and fatalities in the city would double or triple in the program's first year. But it has not come to pass. The New York Times on Monday reported that nobody has yet been killed on a Citi Bike in the program's first five months, though about two dozen injuries have been reported, mostly minor. "

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/11/citi-bike-not-nearly-as-deadly-as-feared.html

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Where To Vote For Bill deBlasio On Tuesday November 5th

For those of us on 1st Place and many of our neighbors, it's the Carroll Gardens Library on Clinton at Union Street.  Enter the lower level from Union Street.  Polls are open from 6:00am until 9:00pm.

Everyone else, check out the Poll Site Locator powered by the Board of Elections.

While you're there, I strongly encourage you to vote for the following Firstandcourt-endorsed candidates on the Working Families line where available (all are Democrats):

Bill deBlasio for Mayor
Scott Stringer for Comptroller
Letitia James for Public Advocate
Eric Adams for Borough President
Ken Thompson, Brooklyn District Attorney
Brad Lander for Council District 39
Steve Levin for Council District 33

Kids Yoga! Fridays, Grand Army Plaza

Our good friend Elisabeth is teaching kids yoga classes over at Plaza Wellness (GMAP) on Friday afternoons.   Yoga of course is great for people of all ages, for both mind and body.  While I never tried it myself until my late twenties, it's something I wish I had been exposed to as a teenager.  Besides the flexibility and fitness gains, I really could have benefited from the calming aspects as well.

Anyway, Elisabeth is terrific with kids and is an accomplished practitioner and trained dancer - check her out.

Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended Tuesday, November 5

Alternate Side Rules Suspended Tuesday, November 5

UK Government: Whistleblowers and Reporters Are Terrorists

The surveillance state has gotten completely out of control.  Power-hungry cretins view an informed voting public as an enemy, and those who would inform us as terrorists. 

People need to be fired, laws need to be changed, and crimes against the public must be prosecuted.

We're All Terrorists Now

""We assess that Miranda is knowingly carrying material the release of which would endanger people's lives," the document continued. "Additionally the disclosure, or threat of disclosure, is designed to influence a government and is made for the purpose of promoting a political or ideological cause. This therefore falls within the definition of terrorism…" 

Anyone still want to mock Snowden for having the good common sense to flee to Hong Kong or Russia?"

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/11/02/were-all-terrorists-now-2/

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