Big Changes for Next Year's Marathon

NYRR and TCS Sign Premier Partnership and Title Sponsorship of New York City Marathon

Partnership includes naming rights of TCS New York City Marathon, beginning in 2014, and support of multiple races and community initiatives throughout the five boroughs 

Eight-year partnership with TCS to provide unprecedented support for NYRR’s mission to help and inspire people through running 

New York, October 2, 2013- New York Road Runners (NYRR) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, today announced an eight-year partnership, with TCS taking on the role of Title Sponsor in 2014 of the premier long-distance athletic event in the world – the New York City Marathon.  Beginning in 2014, the prestigious race will be called the TCS New York City Marathon and is a part of a year-round premier partnership between TCS and NYRR to provide support for the NYRR 5-Borough Series and key heritage events, as well as year-round youth and community-focused events and programs, starting November 5, 2013.

The new global partnership—fueled by movement and empowered by technology—is built on a shared commitment to elevating the health and well-being of individuals and embodies TCS’s historical dedication to strongly supporting the communities in which it operates. The spark of this joint “movement” starts today in New York City, driven by TCS’s digital, financial, strategic, and marketing support of NYRR events and programs, most notably a goal to make the New York City Marathon the most technologically advanced and socially engaged marathon in the world.

“We are thrilled that TCS will be joining NYRR as our premier partner and title sponsor of the NYC Marathon,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “TCS won us over with their commitment to our sport and to elevating the health and well-being of our community, their technological excellence and their belief in the infinite potential in front of us to jointly help and inspire people through running.”

“We are delighted to be the title sponsor of the New York City Marathon from 2014. This partnership presents a great way for us to accelerate our engagement with communities in the New York area and across North America to raise awareness about health and fitness. Starting in 2014, we also aspire to make the TCS New York City Marathon a more technology-enriched and socially engaged experience for all its participants and fans across the world, using our core technology skills,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director of TCS.

He added: “As a marathoner myself, I’m personally proud to partner with the NYRR team to support the world’s most prestigious marathon as well as many year-round events and community programs across the five boroughs of New York. This partnership will also help us project the awareness and understanding of the TCS brand and its values beyond our core audiences and into the communities where we operate, not only in North America but globally.”

With TCS, NYRR unveiled today the new logo for the 2014 Marathon, designed to commemorate the unprecedented new partnership and to provide an iconic uplifting symbol for the race. The new logo represents both organizations' forward-thinking, community-focused vision.

What do you think of the new logo?

Hurricane Sandy!

Due to Hurricane Sandy, all of our trucks will remain in our yards today, which means no service.  This includes our Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania yards. 

If you need emergency service, you can reach Debbie at 203-509-8227 or Alex at 203-395-1355.  Otherwise, we hope to be back tomorrow.

Stay Safe and Stay Dry!

America’s Cup 2012

Planning hurdles begin for 2013 America's Cup

By Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The America's Cup is expected to create 8,000 jobs and inject more than $1.4 billion into the region's economy when the world's fastest yachts take to San Francisco Bay in 2013.

But the anticipated 5 million spectators - with 500,000 on "peak" days - will test the Bay Area's transportation network, sanitation systems and the environment during 50 days of racing.

The city also faces myriad challenges in preparing for the race, according to a new 1,400-page draft plan, including remaking much of the city's historic northern waterfront between the Bay Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. Displaced will be a popular cabaret-style dinner theater, a wine warehouse and dozens of other businesses. Another challenge is providing spectator space along the water in this high-density city.

City officials plan to open up environmentally sensitive parks such as Crissy Field, Fort Mason the city's Marina Green and Aquatic Park to spectators and provide miles of fencing and volunteer staff to protect the habitat from being trampled.

There are plans, too, to erect large-screen television screens in front of City Hall, the city's Union Square and Justin Herman Plaza.

"This is a huge project with many aspects and many stakeholders," said Deb Self, executive director of the nonprofit environmental group San Francisco Baykeeper.

Self's group is part of a coalition of 30 environmental and community organizations giving the city assistance preparing the state-mandated environmental study, which is clearly on a fast track.

Typically, the groups say little until the city releases environmental impact reports on major projects - and then often end up filing lawsuits over environmental concerns.

But Self said the America's Cup is different.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the bay and an opportunity to create buzz," she said.

Officials hope to have final approval by the end of year so work can begin on plans that call for using several piers as racing team bases while setting up an America's Cup center. After the Cup is over, the center is to be converted into a cruise ship terminal, providing a lasting boon to the port economy.

Close to 80 current tenants received eviction notices, including the dinner-theater Teatro ZinZanni. Port officials said they are working with those businesses to find new digs on city property elsewhere. The draft report suggests relocating the theater to one of two locations in the city, including a site near the home of the San Francisco Giants.

Theater representatives didn't return email and phone messages.

The draft report says that regional transportation service should be beefed up to handle the crowds of spectators along the city's bay shoreline. It called for several satellite parking lots so spectators can be shuttled to prime viewing areas along Crissy Field, near the Golden Gate Bridge.

To prepare for the first America's Cup contested so close to land, the draft plan says miles of fences should be erected to protect environmentally sensitive areas, and hundreds of portable toilets will be strategically placed throughout the area.

Other worries include disposal of sewage in the Bay. Environmentalists say too many boaters now plying the bay improperly dispose of their waste, dropping water quality. Even more recreational boaters are expected during racing days.

Will you go see the races?

No Glastonbury 2012??

Glastonbury to skip a year in 2012 as toilets head to London

From the Guardian UK:

The Glastonbury Music Festival's year off to coincide with Olympics, which will increase demand for portable lavatories.

Mud, rain and battles with the authorities have all failed to stop Glastonbury: it has endured them all and carried on regardless. But it seems the humble toilet has put paid to the festival – for one year at least. The cost of portable lavatories has emerged as the reason for the festival taking a year off in 2012.

Huge demand for toilets – and police – at the London Olympics decided the issue for Michael Eavis, the Somerset farmer who founded the festival.

The festival traditionally has a "fallow year" at regular intervals – most recently in 2001 and 2006 – to allow the land to recover and to give Eavis a rest.

Glastonbury spokesman John Sherlaw said today that 2011 had originally been earmarked, but the Olympic decision concentrated minds.

"We've also been on a roll of big bands booking a very long time ahead," he said. Next year's festival has already sold out.

Eavis said Glastonbury's banks of lavatories were provided by four different suppliers, but the Olympics meant 2012 would be a toilet-supplier's dream year and prices would inevitably be pushed up. "I can see it getting very expensive," he said. "So we looked at the timing and thought that a year off seemed sensible."

In preliminary discussions with Avon and Somerset police, he was also told that all the 600-odd officers usually deployed at Glastonbury would be needed in London. The festival generally takes place a month before the games open on 27 July, but the capital's security will have already been beefed up in June.

Glastonbury has survived other clashes with major sporting events – this year more than 100,000 people watched England play Slovenia in South Africa on a huge screen.

Eavis and his wife Liz plan to use their year off to tour Britain in their yellow Mini, including a visit to the Olympics – where they might get to visit some portable lavatories they recognise from their own fields.

Toilets in Bath, England

From BBC News:

Bath portable toilet scheme 'working'

A scheme aimed at stopping people from urinating in the street in Bath is proving successful, the council says.

About 14,000 people have used the portable toilets, funded by Bath and North East Somerset council, every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

The figure was calculated by the average 30 litres of waste collected from the toilets every night.

The two portable toilets have been based in Orange Grove taxi rank in the city since October last year.

The scheme was started as part of the council's work with Avon and Somerset Police to help ensure safety.

Councillor Vic Pritchard said: "It is noticeable that fewer people are using street corners and shop doorways to urinate, meaning the police can deal with other anti-social behaviour incidents and council street cleaners can concentrate on grime hot-spots elsewhere."

Stewart-Colbert Rally

From the Atlantic:

17 Impressions of Stewart-Colbert Rally

By Joshua Green
Didn't want to go. True-believing relative showed up. Thus compelled to go. My impressions:

-Never seen so many hipsters in trees
-Never heard the word "vote" uttered once
-Best month to rally on Mall: October. Worst: July, January.
-Are Port-o-Potties steel-reinforced? They can bear the weight of many hipsters
-DC Metro expected smaller crowd, got blindsided, gave up and let people ride free
-Rallygoers' main object of contempt--mild, detached contempt--was Tea Party, not GOP
-Signs a lot cleverer than your usual rally
-But, with exceptions, usually less so than authors seemed to think
-Comedy Central viewers MUCH better spellers than Tea Partiers
-Illustration of several of the preceding, sign reading: "Will Spell-Check Tea Party Signs for $5"
-Curiously large number of people dressed like Charlie Chaplin (did I miss an in-joke?)
-Pretty sure 75% of young-ish crowd had no clue who Cat Stevens was
-Ozzy sounded surprisingly good, considering
-Genuine, non-ironic Democratic signs were scarce. Saw a couple "Obama Cares," little else
-Mood was heavily ironic, slackerish. "Enthusiasm," such as it was, didn't seem voting-directed.
-Didn't get the sense too many people understood the purpose of rally (me either).
-Or care (meaning "all still had a good time").

Did any of you go?  What did you think?

More Fires

Portable Toilet Arson Suspect Not Believed Responsible For Earlier Fires

SAN FRANCISCO -- A 27-year-old homeless man arrested on suspicion of lighting up several portable toilets in San Francisco over the weekend is not believed to be the culprit in a series of similar arsons in recent years, police and fire officials said Monday.

Michael Warner was arrested Saturday night after a witness saw the flames at a construction site near the UCSF Mission Bay campus at about 7 p.m., and spotted Warner climbing over a nearby fence, according to police.

Warner was detained a short time later and booked on 11 counts of arson and one count of possessing a flammable substance, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

According to police, seven toilets and three hand-washing stations at the site in the 400 block of Mission Bay Boulevard South were destroyed. An eighth toilet was damaged.

Esparza and fire department spokeswoman Lt. Mindy Talmadge said today that Warner is not believed responsible for a string of portable toilet arsons throughout the city between late 2008 and last year.

"Based on the circumstances of the incident, it does not appear to be related to the previous arsons," Talmadge said.

Warner has no fixed address and told police he was not from San Francisco, according to Esparza.

In the fall and winter of 2008-09, 27 portable toilets were burned throughout the city; in December 2009, several more went up in flames.

No injuries were reported in any of the fires, but the fire department warned that the blazes were more than just a nuisance because they had the potential to spread to nearby trees and homes. The lavatories also cost about $2,500 apiece.

**These are not the first fires in this area.  We mentioned similar fires earlier this year in this post.**

Recent Iowa Flooding Videos

Here are two videos of the recent flooding in Ames, Iowa.

Around the 1:58 mark, of this local news coverage, you can see a parking lot filled with floating portable toilets.

This video, from the Iowa State University engineering department, also shows the floating toilets.