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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Kind of sad. But they are dirty, filthy things.

Who the hell even carries coins that much anymore?


NYC will remove remaining payphones — replacing some with LinkNYC kiosks, report says

By Adam Schrader February 28, 2020

070519payphone7cs.jpg

New York’s finally hanging up on payphones.

Most of the last open-air payphones in the Big Apple will soon be a thing of the past — with some to be swapped for LinkNYC kiosks, Gothamist reported Friday.

City workers are moving ahead next month with the removal of 30 coin-operated relics in Hell’s Kitchen, before ripping out nearly all of the city’s remaining payphones after that.

Residents in the Manhattan neighborhood had long complained about the absurdly high number of phones in the area, prompting City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to help push the process forward.

“[These phones] present public safety and quality of life issues,” Johnson said in a statement to Gothamist. “They take up sorely needed sidewalk space that could better serve people with disabilities, families with strollers and ease sidewalk congestion.”

Not only are the phones blocking sidewalks, but Hell’s Kitchen residents said they’ve also been poorly maintained by CityBridge, a consortium that installs and operates them.

Johnson contacted the city’s Department of Information, Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) — the city agency tasked with removing the phones, to get the ball rolling.

Several of the Hell’s Kitchen payphones will be replaced with the LinkNYC internet kiosks, which CityBridge also operates, though an exact number is not immediately clear. And not all payphones are controlled by CityBridge — so some may remain, Gothamist reported.

The LinkNYC partnership has already replaced at least 7,500 of the city’s payphones.

The city plans to install up to 10,000 of the kiosks across all five boroughs — which was expected to generate more than $500 million in revenue for the City over the initiative’s first 12 years of their operation, according to the DoITT website. But revenue figures have so far been underwhelming since launching in 2014.

New York will always have four remaining enclosed phone booths on the Upper West Side, which are being preserved as an homage to New York City’s cellphoneless past, NY1 reported.
 

wwkirk

Divine
Kind of sad. But they are dirty, filthy things.

Who the hell even carries coins that much anymore?


NYC will remove remaining payphones — replacing some with LinkNYC kiosks, report says

By Adam Schrader February 28, 2020

070519payphone7cs.jpg

New York’s finally hanging up on payphones.

Most of the last open-air payphones in the Big Apple will soon be a thing of the past — with some to be swapped for LinkNYC kiosks, Gothamist reported Friday.

City workers are moving ahead next month with the removal of 30 coin-operated relics in Hell’s Kitchen, before ripping out nearly all of the city’s remaining payphones after that.

Residents in the Manhattan neighborhood had long complained about the absurdly high number of phones in the area, prompting City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to help push the process forward.

“[These phones] present public safety and quality of life issues,” Johnson said in a statement to Gothamist. “They take up sorely needed sidewalk space that could better serve people with disabilities, families with strollers and ease sidewalk congestion.”

Not only are the phones blocking sidewalks, but Hell’s Kitchen residents said they’ve also been poorly maintained by CityBridge, a consortium that installs and operates them.

Johnson contacted the city’s Department of Information, Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) — the city agency tasked with removing the phones, to get the ball rolling.

Several of the Hell’s Kitchen payphones will be replaced with the LinkNYC internet kiosks, which CityBridge also operates, though an exact number is not immediately clear. And not all payphones are controlled by CityBridge — so some may remain, Gothamist reported.

The LinkNYC partnership has already replaced at least 7,500 of the city’s payphones.

The city plans to install up to 10,000 of the kiosks across all five boroughs — which was expected to generate more than $500 million in revenue for the City over the initiative’s first 12 years of their operation, according to the DoITT website. But revenue figures have so far been underwhelming since launching in 2014.

New York will always have four remaining enclosed phone booths on the Upper West Side, which are being preserved as an homage to New York City’s cellphoneless past, NY1 reported.
This was my favorite phone booth.
Mojave phone booth
Mojave_Phone_Booth.jpg

 

nivek

As Above So Below
a0018

US and Taliban sign peace deal aimed at ending 18-year Afghanistan war: All American troops will be sent home within 14 months and up to 5,000 prisoners released

d46f4a84-ec0f-42e2-a322-b61cbfd407d7-AFP_AFP_1PG36P.JPG


The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, America's longest. The signing could help President Donald Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its 'endless wars.' The deal was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad (main) and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (main). U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) was on hand to witness the ceremony.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks. If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, which had hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as they planned and celebrated the assault. The Taliban itself, though a violent group inside Afghanistan, isn't believed to have directly engaged in international terrorism against the West.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile traveled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. For Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy.

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The shadow

The shadow knows!
a0018

US and Taliban sign peace deal aimed at ending 18-year Afghanistan war: All American troops will be sent home within 14 months and up to 5,000 prisoners released

d46f4a84-ec0f-42e2-a322-b61cbfd407d7-AFP_AFP_1PG36P.JPG


The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, America's longest. The signing could help President Donald Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its 'endless wars.' The deal was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad (main) and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (main). U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) was on hand to witness the ceremony.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks. If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, which had hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as they planned and celebrated the assault. The Taliban itself, though a violent group inside Afghanistan, isn't believed to have directly engaged in international terrorism against the West.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile traveled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. For Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy.

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Trump achieved peace in Afghanistan..
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Bloodbath on world markets: Dow to open 1,000 points lower, FTSE to sink 300 points and oil prices see the biggest plunge since the Gulf War in 1991 amid oil price war

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1,000 points in early trading Sunday night amid a price war over crude oil, marking the greatest plunge in oil markets since the Gulf War in 1991.

Oil prices plunged 30 percent after the start of electronic trading late Sunday, pointing to a more than 1,000-point loss for Monday's open.

While stock futures on the Dow sank 1,000 points, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Composite futures lost more than four percent of their value. The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index futures sunk nearly 300 points ahead of Monday's market open.

Brent Crude, the major trading classification for light crude oil that serves as one of the two benchmark prices for oil worldwide, sunk by 21 percent just seconds after trading opened in Asia on Monday, dropping to $35 a barrel.

Goldman Sachs Group warned prices could drop into the 20s.

US West Texas Intermediate crude, the other main price benchmark for oil, dropped 21% to $32.00 per barrel.

The stock market shake-up is due to panic over the coronavirus and a price war over crude oil after talks in Vienna between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries alliance (OPEC) and Russia collapsed on Friday.


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nivek

As Above So Below
Precious Diamond! Legendary singer Neil Diamond comes out of retirement to perform his hits at Las Vegas benefit gala two years after retiring due to Parkinson's disease



Neil Diamond - who stepped away from music after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - performed seven of his greatest hits in one of his trademark gold glittery jackets in Las Vegas on Saturday. It was the first time he sang at length on stage since he walked away from his profession, during his 50th anniversary tour, more than two years ago in Los Angeles. Fans cheered as Diamond walked out on to the stage and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Billy Ray Cyrus (top left inset) and Chris Isaak (bottom left inset) also paid tribute to Diamond by covering his songs.


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Pornhub offers quarantined Italians free access - CNN

With Italians in lockdown, sex toy company sees sales surge and Pornhub spots an opportunity
By Sara Spary, CNN Updated 10:15 AM ET, Fri March 13, 2020

200313103922-pornhub-italy-file-exlarge-169.jpg

(CNN)With millions of Italians in lockdown as the government takes measures to halt the spread of coronavirus, some companies have spotted a growth opportunity.

Pornhub, which is owned by Canadian company MindGeek and is one of the world's most popular pornographic sites, is offering free membership to quarantined Italians until April 3.
The X-rated adult site said in a Tweet that Italians could access premium content to "help keep you company during these next weeks at home" -- a move that has won it fans on Twitter.

And while shoppers around the world have been stockpiling essential goods including toilet paper and dry groceries, German sex toy brand Womanizer said its sales have also shot up.
The company said its global sales in the first two months of the year were 50% ahead of forecast, which it attributed to more demand from Italy, Hong Kong, the United States, Canada and Japan in particular.
"Many people and businesses are affected negatively by the virus and we saw it as a challenge for us as well," spokeswoman Johanna Rief said in a statement to CNN. "The numbers are therefore surprising."
"With the prospect of long periods at home either alone or with your partner, people are exploring new ways to make the best of the time available," she added.
 
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