Really Bloomberg? A marathon? On Sunday?

[B2G]

Starting on Stanten Island?

Worst. Decision. Ever. smh

[Recursion]

1. New York makes a point of keeping going (nt)

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. That's for sure.

No matter how many corpses... in both the literal and metaphorical sense... are floating in the water.

$$$$$ trumps all.

Or should I say, "Trumps" all.



Really.


Bad .


Prioritizing.

[appleannie1]

2. Their first priority should be helping the people without food, shelter, clean water and electricity

Taking resources away from those things and using them to run a marathon is next to criminal.

[tessar]

4. Great idea. Proceeds are going right to Red Cross. Instant cash relief for victims. n/t

[B2G]

5. Do you have a link for that?

[mathematic]

8. NYRR, ING, and individual donor (the Rudin family) have donated $2.6m to the recovery

and they will raise a lot more from the individual participants, too.
http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/the-2012-ing-new-york-city-marathon/race-to-recover

-----

People are claiming, without evidence, that the city will not have the resources to hold the marathon. If the city has the resources to operate on a friday afternoon then it has the resources to operate a sunday morning marathon. Besides, what indication is there that the recovery is being hindered by a lack of city resources?

[B2G]

9. Here

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/sports/new-york-city-marathon-may-cancel-opening-ceremony-and-5k.html

"The five-borough race is actually more than a parade, with 47,000 runners, 8,000 volunteers, 1,000 staffers and 2 million spectators. And putting it on just days after a devastating storm will be challenging as the police and fire departments, electric utilities and transportation agencies attempt to get the city back on its feet."

Is the power back on? Are the subways running? 47K runners and 2 million spectators are about to descend on the 5 hard hit boroughs. Does this sound like a good idea to you?

[mathematic]

15. The city is busier than that on a weekday.

And both power and subways are getting better by the hour. So, yeah, it sounds like a good idea to me. Watch the marathon go off without a hitch.

In addition, consider all those donations to the recovery that the marathon will generate. Does that sound like a good idea to you? It sounds like a great idea to me.

[Smarmie Doofus]

25. No it isn't. No they aren't. No, it doesn't sound like a good idea. n/t

>>>>s the power back on? Are the subways running? 47K runners and 2 million spectators are about to descend on the 5 hard hit boroughs. Does this sound like a good idea to you?>>>>

[WilliamPitt]

6. It will be a boon to the local economy

and a show that things are getting back to normal.

[B2G]

7. 'a show' is right. n/t

[JH19059]

10. I think it's a great idea..

It gives a sense of normalcy.

[sabrina 1]

28. For whom? 'A sense of normalcy'?? For those with missing loved ones, those who

have already lost loved ones? For the tens of thousands who still have no power? Or the untold numbers who have lost everything they own?

The Marathon has been cancelled. Wiser heads have prevailed thankfully.

[malaise]

29. Sure - for everyone who hasn't buried their dead

It's so normal - NOT

[magical thyme]

11. what would be the cost of postponing it?

Seriously...a couple weeks out they'd still get the financial boom, but give the recovery a chance to get underway.

[obamanut2012]

13. It has to be held or outright cancelled

It can't be postponed. 20,000+ runners come from all over the world, and have booked flights and hotels. Quite a few are probably there already.

[obamanut2012]

12. Excellent decision, and it's terrific they are still holding it

Both for civic morale/pride and the 300-500 million the marathon will bring to the area. It's also televised across the world, and NYC is always very "the show must go on for us, no matter what."

The neighborhoods where the route goes are not ones that have been damaged (it doesn't go through Lower Manhattan at all). It starts at the bridge, it isn't ran through Staten Island, so the only logistics are people getting there.

[Xyzse]

14. Have to applaud this decision

There are a few reasons for it and quite a few of my reasons come from here: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/01/164129893/despite-sandy-new-york-city-marathon-still-on

1 - They mentioned that it would not redirect any of the resources towards the Marathon much, if at all. Particularly since they think they will have power up by Sunday.
2 - They want a semblance of normalcy.
3 - Heck, they made sure that Broadway was opened up immediately, and there were shows up by yesterday Wednesday November 1.
4 - Runners would run even if it was the end of the world. They have participants all over the world who flew to the area. Postponement means complete cancellation.

I understand why some people may consider it a waste. I just think it is a great motivator, as something to strive for and accomplish, much like what a marathon is supposed to be.

[SidDithers]

16. Spoken like someone who has no idea what the New York Marathon means to the city...nt

Sid

[B2G]

17. Really?

The loudest critics are the folks who live there.

[obamanut2012]

19. Not the poeple who I know who live there

And, none of them are rich people.

[obamanut2012]

18. Exactly

[sabrina 1]

30. Looks like those who actually know NYC know what it means and why it was a

rotten idea.

It has been cancelled, thankfully since most NYers were outraged with bodies still being pulled from the wreckage.

The very idea of trying to force a city in mourning, all five boroughs and especially since it starts on Staten Island, into a party atmosphere shows how out of touch this mayor is and always has been with the common people. It was an outrage and the people of NY have spoken.

[randome]

20. Whether it's a good decision or not, they're trying to cope as best they can.

It's not up to us to micro-manage New York.

[marlakay]

22. I understand the city needs money

But this is a crisis. I heard not sure if true that some people were being kicked out of hotels they were in because of storm for this.

It won't go down well in the media at all either, they will be showing pics of split screen, runners on one side with storm damage on other.

[Smarmie Doofus]

24. Responsible media will. If there are any left.

>>>>It won't go down well in the media at all either, they will be showing pics of split screen, runners on one side with storm damage on other.>>>

Not much of that variety around, anymore, though. Murdoch, Bloomberg, Zuckerberg, and GE, et al own the information.

Or believe they do. It's a little awkward... even for them... but if they want to have a "party", they'll "have a party."

And most of the sheep will fall in line.

[jumptheshadow]

23. I look forward to cheering the runners

I'm sure many people in the neighborhood will be there (as they usually are) and will get a morale boost from it.

[AngryAmish]

26. Of, for and by assholes.

Ooh, look at me, I'm running in the middle of the street. You all who need all the city services can just go fuck yourself, because I need to run all over town. So what's the big deal if you have to wait for hours to cross town to get needed supplies, I'm running in the middle of the street.


WHEEEE!!!!

[Smarmie Doofus]

27. Petition to Mayor-for-Life to Cancel the Marathon.

http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.tm=1351165180#_pg=showMessage&sMid=0&&filterBy=&.rand=10426038&midIndex=0&mid=2_0_0_1_7589744_AKfuXkIAARtAUJPnKAVVKUovo%2Fs&f=1&fromId=[e-mail]&m=2_0_0_1_7589744_AKfuXkIAARtAUJPnKAVVKUovo%2Fs,2_0_0_1_7568244_AKfuXkIAAGnFUJLomwr8m2fy7LM,2_0_0_1_7564773_AKXuXkIAAOPJUJLiqQg5tn0iBmk,2_0_0_1_7563430_AKfuXkIAACHMUJLhnAoJESs7jF0,2_0_0_1_7559488_AKXuXkIAAXchUJLSmwnBH1Z0QpE,2_0_0_1_7558237_AKfuXkIAAPn4UJLREQQDM0mzbD4,&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&hash=8db88bea7c6a8e5ee04338e34b245ce8&.jsrand=5807932

There are still people w/o power , food, transportation and the ability to get to their jobs. There are hospital patients who are NOT in the hospital they were evacuated from because there is no one to take them there. Residents of public housing projects in Far Rockaway were defending their own apartment buildings from looting FOR LACK OF POLICE PROTECTION AS OF LAST NITE.

What is *wrong* with people?

A fucking *marathon*?