Community Magazine December 2009

NY Ranks 1-2-3 in Air Delays Delays into the three major NY area airports ranked first, second and third worst in the country among the 31 major U.S. air hubs for the first nine months of 2009 according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The frequent delays were found to not only wreak havoc for travelers to and from JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airport, but because they serve as major hubs, the ripple effect spreads the delays throughout the country. The FAA reported that in 2007, nearly three-quarters of all airport delays in the US could be traced back to a problem in the New York area. As aviation officials have known for years, the problem is primarily volume and the use of a decades old flight tracking system. With planes taking off and landing every 40 to 50 seconds, air controllers simply cannot move the traffic any quicker without compromising safety. For years, the FAA has been trying to implement the NextGen project which would replace the decades old air traffic control systems with modern technology which could more quickly, safely and efficiently manage a greater number of flights, and thereby reduce the number of delays. But the project’s estimated cost, at $35 billion, has been an impediment due to federal budget cuts. Meanwhile, one of JFK airport’s main runways is scheduled for construction, adding high-speed taxiways and extra waiting pads that are anticipated to reduce delays at least somewhat. But New Yorkers should not expect any improvement for some time as during the construction, delays will be aggravated. Unemployment Insurance Extended The 55,000 New Yorkers who had already exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits will receive an additional 20 weeks of coverage, thanks to an extension signed by President Obama. The act was legislated in recognition of the fact that there is currently only one job opening for every six unemployed New Yorkers. New York has 81 One-Stop Centers with experts to help in job searches. Other government programs for the unemployed include the Department of Labor’s On-the-Job Training program and new opportunities targeting the clean energy sector. New Yorkers interested in pursuing a career in this field are encouraged to visit the Green Careers NY website at www.greencareersny.com . Failing NY Schools Get A’s? New York’s Department of education is making changes to the school grading system after 82% of high schools earned A’s and B’s last year even though citywide the school system only graduated a measly 56 percent of eligible seniors. Meanwhile, this year, 97 percent of elementary and middle schools scored A’s and B’s, in spite of widespread independent reports of failing schools throughout the city. The controversial grading system drew sharp criticism causing the city to raise the bar for a school to earn an A next year. At the state level, the high rate of drop-out and teen violence has led Governor Paterson to suggest extending public school hours to 6 pm. Although the three-hour extension will necessitate an enormous increase in the city’s education budget, the Governor believes that the extended hours will keep kids off the streets by entertaining them productively until their parents come home. His offices have determined that most “anti-social youth activities” occur during the period of 3-6pm, when the children are out of school and unsupervised by parents. The idea seemed odd considering that Paterson had earlier proposed a $686 million cut to schools statewide. YU’s Einstein Ranked Among Best Workplaces Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been ranked one of the best places to work among academic institutions. In the The Scientist magazine’s 2009 edition of Best Places to Work in Academia, Einstein ranked third out of 94 U.S institutions. Top ranking went to Princeton University, followed by the University of California, San Francisco. The institutions were graded according to job satisfaction, peers, environment, research resources, pay, management, teaching, and tenure. Einstein’s key strengths were noted to be research resources and management. Einstein is now recruiting scientists for its 40 state-of- the-art laboratories in the Michael F. Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine/Harold andMuriel Block Research Pavilion. The $220 million Price Center/Block Pavilion is the largest medical research facility to be constructed in the Bronx since the Einstein opened in 1955. Life in the Big City  ”  110 COMMUNITY MAGAzINE