単語

Consumer-spending growth  個人消費
dodge 避ける
contraction　縮小

Consumer-spending growth allowed the U.S. economy to dodge contraction territory late last year　
米経済は昨年末、個人消費が大きく伸びたおかげでマイナス成長を免れた。

counteracting 相殺する
drag　下げ
account for　占める

Separate government data showed consumer spending more than accounted for all economic output gains in the fourth quarter, counteracting drags from weak business investment and a slowdown in international trade.
米商務省が25日公表した15年10-12月期の国内総生産（GDP）確報値では、個人消費の伸びがGDP成長率を上回り、設備投資と輸出入のGDP押し下げ分を相殺した。

The Division's NYC vs Google Maps' NYC

Refer: http://kotaku.com/the-divisions-nyc-vs-google-maps-nyc-1767843082

The Division's NYC vs Google Maps' NYC

As anyone who’s both played The Division and been to New York can instantly recognise, the developers did a pretty good job nailing the look and feel of the city’s streets. Which is cool for tourists and residents, but what about cartographers?

For those concerned with the accuracy of the game’s map (and mission placement upon it), Feanauro (via PC Gamer) has done his best to recreate things from a top-down perspective, building a custom Google Map that lays stuff like story missions and safehouse locations over the actual Manhattan.

Is it perfect? Of course not. The Division is a video game, not a recreation project, so while it looks like the real deal, there are of course differences, as he explains:

The game makes some simplifications from rl NYC (for instance, some streets do not exist in game) which create some inconsistencies or visual anomalies (like, the aspect ratio of some DZ landmarks seem unnatural). For this reason, I didn’t attempt to reproduce the DZ border in game faithfully with all its nooks and crannies, just closely enough to correspond to the major streets.

But whatever. The similarities are still interesting to look at! And if nothing else, the map is a good reminder that there’s still a lot of New York left unexplored...

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student looking to attend the best startup show in the Big Apple? Student tickets to Disrupt NY 2016 are still available for just $300.

Previously, these tickets were only available to students currently enrolled in school, but we’ve now opened this deal up to all of the recent grads out there as well. So, if you graduated in the spring or winter of 2015 (May-June 2015 or December), you can now get in on the action, too.

To take advantage of this opportunity, send an email to students@techcrunch.com. Current students should send a copy of their valid student identification card and transcripts that show their current enrollment status. Recent grads should send their student IDs, transcripts and confirmation of graduation. Once we’ve confirmed your status, we’ll send you information on how to purchase your student tickets to Disrupt.

Disrupt is a great way for students to make connections with key figures in the tech industry, folks who may very well be the people you end up working with after you graduate. You’ll get to connect with some of the most influential minds in the tech community, from venture capitalists to entrepreneurs and, of course, your favorite TechCrunch writers and editors.

Plus, you’ll get to check out some of the amazing companies pitching their wares to attendees in the Startup and Hardware Alleys, check out the illustrious Startup Battlefield competition, and hear from top investors, innovators and entrepreneurs in the slew of interviews and fireside chats we have lined up. And, you can keep the networking going long into the night with all of the after-parties we have in store for the show.

Disrupt NY takes place May 9-11 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. We hope you’ll join us.

Our sponsors help make Disrupt happen. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact our sponsorship team at sponsors@techcrunch.com.

Should St. Patrick's Day Be A School Holiday In NYC?

Refer to : http://gothamist.com/2016/03/17/queens_pol_says_st_patricks_day_sho.php

A bill to make St. Patrick's Day a holiday for NYC public school students has passed the New York State Senate, and now it's up to the NY State Assembly to make it so.

The bill (PDF) "Establishes St. Patrick's day as a school holiday for all city school districts of one million or more with an Irish-American population of 7.5% or more." The Daily News reports, "Sen. Tony Avella says he introduced the bill after a constituent, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, approached him. The Queens Democrat says lawmakers set the precedent two years ago, authorizing schools to designate the Chinese Lunar New Year as a holiday when observances would keep most students home."

The movement to make the Lunar New Year a holiday started back in 2010 and passed last year, which means it was observed for the first time this year. The Muslim holidays Eid al-Adha and al-Fitr were also added to the NYC public schools' holiday list last year.


Assembly 議会
 constituent　有権者
precedent　前例
observances　行事

Even The Most Dangerous Neighborhood In NYC Is Safer Than Baltimore

Refer to : http://gothamist.com/2016/03/17/baltimore_crime_nyc.php

Tabloids like the NY Post won't stop believing that de Blasio's sent the city spiraling back to the Bad Old Days, what with the slashings and the shootings and whatever else might happen in the country's most populous city. Still, according to recently-released NYPD data on major felonies committed citywide, even New York's most dangerous neighborhoods are safer than entire cities like Newark, St. Louis, Detroit, New Orleans, and Baltimore.

I Quant NY calculated the average homicide rate for cities in the U.S. with populations of more than 250,000 and measured them against individual homicide reports for neighborhoods like Ocean Hill, Brownsville and South Jamaica, which have the highest murder rates in New York. In Baltimore, the annual murder rate is under 40 per 100,000 residents; in Ocean Hill, there were under 30 murders per 100,000 residents.

This is all the more jarring when you consider the murder rate in Ocean Hill is five times that of New York City as a whole, but unsurprising when you consider that as of August, there weremore murders total in Baltimore than in New York. Baltimore has a population of only 620,000 people—there are over 8.4 million people living in this city.

It's been said time and time again—New York, despite its size (and its tabloid fearmongering), is an exceptionally safe city, for what it is. That doesn't mean we don't have problems with crime, and it doesn't mean that there aren't neighborhoods that suffer from violence, particularly when it comes to homicides resulting from gun violence, which saw a dramatic spike last year.

I went to college in Baltimore, and on our first day of freshman orientation, we had to sit through a two-hour safety seminar. My fellow New Yorkers and I figured we didn't have to pay attention, since we were from a Big Bad City, but the problems that plague Baltimore are incredibly serious. And they're relevant now, both in light of the riot that broke out last year after Freddie Gray died in police custody and because of the mayoral election, which began garnering some national attention when prominent Black Lives Matter activist (and native Baltimorean) DeRay Mckesson jumped into the race.

This is Gothamist and not Charm Cityist or even DCist. But considering one of the biggest recent anti-crime achievements of late seems to have been the destruction of a homeless woman's property thanks to manufactured NY Post fauxtrage, it's worth taking some things into perspective.

Anyway, I Quant has a fascinating map comparing NYC neighborhoods to their homicide-rate equivalent cities—feel free to play around with it on their site.

 felonies  重罪
homicide　殺人罪
exceptionally 非常に
riot 　暴動
custody 　拘置　留置

The Taj Mahal was slated to close on November 13 but said it would stay open for an unspecified period after winning benefit cuts in court; state and local governments have balked at offering tax concessions.


slated to　…する[Aの]予定である
unspecified 　明示されていない
concessions　割引　tax concessions　税金の軽減


Refer to : http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/christie_ill_sign_only_current_version_of_atlantic.html

 Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday vowed that he won't agree to any changes proposed to controversial legislation that would allow the state to take over key functions of Atlantic City's local government to keep the city from going broke.

And the Republican governor once again said state Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) would be to blame if the bill fails and Atlantic City runs out of money — which is expected to happen within weeks.

A day after the state Senate passed the takeover plan, Prieto has said he doesn't support the measure because it would strip unions' collective bargaining rights away. He has instead called for a compromise.

But Christie said he won't get one.

"If the Assembly speaker wants to play public-sector union politics, he can go ahead and play it," Christie said during a news conference in Linden. "And Atlantic City will run out of money, and we'll have to see what happens then."

Prieto quickly fired back.

"The Assembly doesn't take direction from Gov. Christie," he said in a statement. "And if the Assembly decides to move a bill and the governor vetoes it, then it's entirely the governor's fault, once again."

The takeover legislation would allow the director of the state Local Finance Board to restructure Atlantic City's debt, break union contracts, sell city assets and more for five years. Christie and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) both say the measure are the best way to save Atlantic City from bankruptcy.

The Jersey Shore gambling resort town has given billions of dollars to the state in casino tax revenue over the past few decades. But the city has seen four casinos close in recent years, slashing its casino tax revenue base in half amid ever-growing competition from gambling halls in neighboring states.

Still, local leaders say the takeover goes too far and strips citizens of their civil rights.

Instead, city officials want only a companion measure the Senate passed Monday: one that would allow the city's casinos to make payments in lieu of taxes — known as the PILOT bill — which would eliminate costly tax appeals.

But both the Senate and Assembly need to approve both bills before Christie says he will sign them into law. And Prieto has shown no sign of posting the takeover bill.

Christie stressed Monday he would sign the two together, not one without the other.

"If they are changed in any way, I will not," he said.

A report by Wall Street credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service last week showed that if both bills fail, Atlantic City could default on its debt as early as next month and face possible bankruptcy. And bankruptcy, experts say, could hurt the credit rating of municipalities across the state.

But Prieto accused Christie of helping create the problem in Atlantic City, first by appointing an emergency manager last year that "did very little" and then by vetoing an earlier version of the PILOT bill despite including changes the governor asked for.

"The fact of the matter is: The governor already has the authority to help Atlantic City avoid financial catastrophe, and collective bargaining agreements must be protected," Prieto said. "I'm also still waiting to hear from the governor on my offer to have everyone sit down together to hash out an agreement."

Sweeney told NJ Advance Media on Monday that the takeover is "not a perfect bill."

"(But) we need to solve the problem," the Senate president added. "The clock is ticking."

I'm not into

I'm not into (something)

When you're "into" something, it means that you like it.

Do you have one that's a little ___ ?

Do you have one that's a little stranger ?

Do you have one that's a little more colorful ?

Do you have one that's a little less colorful ?

StreetEasy Debuts New Advertising Campaign in NYC

Credit : http://streeteasy.com/blog/find-your-formula-campaign/

New Yorkers love living in New York City – even if we could have infinitely more space in the suburbs; even if our roommates generally outnumber our bathrooms (and sometimes we share a kitchen with our bathtub); even if our shoebox apartment costs an arm and a leg and a guarantor – we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Finding that perfect home is all about trade-offs in this city.

Today, we’re excited to introduce StreetEasy’s latest ad campaign, “Find Your Formula,” which speaks to the give and take involved in finding a neighborhood and home in New York City that bests fits your lifestyle, budget and needs. The campaign uses cheeky illustrations to parody the trade-offs that characterize a NYC home search. The detail-packed images are formatted as mathematical equations, adding and subtracting the factors and amenities that ultimately equal an individual’s formula. Take a look at some of the examples below – can you relate to any scenarios?

But, what works for one New Yorker may not work for the next. Recognizing that every buyer or renter is different is what this campaign is all about. It’s all a matter of finding what works for you, and StreetEasy’s breadth of listings, vast amenity search criteria, and unparalleled database of information will help you get there.

Keep an eye out for the new ads on your daily commute – they will appear throughout the city, with a focus on placements where New Yorkers spend most of their time: on the streets and sidewalks, in subway stations, subway cars, buses and taxis.

What was your NYC formula? Tell us your story or favorite ads using #FindYourFormula on social media. We want to hear from you!

Some recent NYC municipal ID holders can’t get free membership to city's cultural institutions

Credit : http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-municipal-id-holders-access-free-perks-article-1.2562600

New Yorkers who got their municipal IDs at the end of last year aren’t entitled to free membership at cultural institutions like Lincoln Center and city zoos because of a technicality quietly tucked into the application process.

Those same unlucky cardholders could be enjoying the benefits if they’d applied just weeks later in early 2016.

The city announced in mid-December that the program — which was rolled out last year — would continue to be free in 2016, and would continue to have the same benefits, including courtesy membership to dozens of cultural institutions in the five boroughs.

What wasn’t made clear in many cases was that those who enrolled in the final days of 2015 would in some cases be required to apply for certain perks immediately, because the benefits expired after a quick grace period.

Jenniece Centrella, 41, said she went for her card on Dec. 29 and specifically asked if she was entitled to the benefits.

“They said yes, it’s extended to 2016,” said the Brooklyn architect. “Nobody said anything about a grace period.”

It’s particularly frustrating for her because she didn’t even receive her card until mid-January.

Centrella only learned about it when someone stuck in the same boat complained about being denied a membership to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on a community Facebook page.

That’s beyond logic,” Centrella said.

Other institutions that stopped accepting 2015 cards at the end of January include the Bronx, Prospect Park and Central Park Zoos, the New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center and the Guggenheim.

Meanwhile, other institutions — like the Museum of Natural History and MoMA PS1 — have kept their admissions open for 2015 and 2016 cardholders through the end of this year.

When asked about the policy, the city said that it had worked with institutions to create the grace periods so that 2015 cardholders would have some extra time.

Bitta Mostofi, of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, also said that the city website stated that the institutions determined their policies for 2015 cardholders.

The city website doesn’t mention any grace period, but directs users to the institution’s individual websites, which detail their policies on the program.

Vocabulary 1

brawl　騒ぎ

vigilante  自衛団

disillusionment 幻覚

turmoil 混乱

depiction 描写

neophyte 新参者

reprising 反復

in that = because

verse 韻文

rage 激怒

manipulate 操作する

hefting 重量

bizarre 奇妙な

forthcoming 来るべき

Slate 予定表