USA vs Canada

If you have been following the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, there is a lot of bragging rights between these two teams for Men Ice Hockey later today for the Gold Medal. Loser takes Silver.

No matter who wins in this game, the United States will leave the Winter games with the most overall medals. However, Canada will have won the most Gold Medals in these games.

These two nations have so many things in common, they have competed against one another in speed-skating, bobsled, curling, luge, figure skating, alpine skiing, amongst other sports.

Professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League have teams based from these two nations alone, so USA and Canada have a lot of competition against one another.

Now the national anthems for each nation. Let's begin with Canada.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

The United States' national anthem.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Whoever wins the gold medal between these two teams will have their anthems played.

My first blogging award!

This is the blogging award that I won from a fellow reader:



Thanks a lot, MisadventuresofMomof3, I am very appreciative!

Here are my favorite blogs to read:
1. BrooklynTrolleyBlogger
2.2 kids and a cat, my life as a single mom
3.In My Own Little Corner
4.Felissa Hadas
5.Monica Loud and Proud
6.Santiago Twin Girls
7.The Snyder 5
8.One 2 Try
9.Adventures in Tot School
10.Milk and Cuddles

Check out these blogger memos, they're really good!

To be quite honest, what makes a blogger better is checking out the other blogger sites. There are so many good bloggers out there, they really tell their stories in a timely fashion and they really have a lot of talent. Some blog writers write their own blogs for their profession such as journalists.

Dream, believe, and strive!

You can have dreams and you can believe in them, (By the way I got this off a baseball player) however if you don't work hard towards them then what are your dreams and the things you believe going to lead you into then? They'll lead you into nowhere and you'll end up landing in a dead end. I don't think anyone wants to have a career that results in a dead-end, like a dead-end job where you don't like to work, and you don't make as much as you want to and you are moving from place to place because you can't keep a certain residence intact. This is the stuff that comes into mind. Education seems to play a big role in this one too.

Dreams and aspirations act like motivators for people so they can work hard towards them. As we move in our lives, there will be hardships that may come around us and it is our turn to figure out how to handle those situations. Sometimes these obstacles may result from our mistakes, our stupidity (I don't mean to be rude, I know we are humans, we make mistakes, and we're not perfect), and sometimes these may occur without warning. What matters at this point is how we react to them and what we do about it. If we remain ignorant about our problems and obstacles in life then eventually they are going to take over our lives and make other aspects of life harder.

Here's one common example: Debt. I'm sure people have landed in this one before, when they borrow money and the time comes to pay back borrowed money and god forbid a person has no way to pay it, penalties arise and the money owned becomes larger and larger. Whether it is credit card debt or a loan, best thing is make sure you can return or pay in a timely fashion or your financial penalties will increase. I have to admit, this is the biggest source of stress in many people's lives. Debt. I see and hear about it. I am not a financial expert so if you don't agree with me, that's okay. You must have better ideas than this.

Anyway, why do people dream? (I am not talking about the sleep one, I am talking about people's goals) I think people dream about being successful because they want to have successful lives. They want to have careers, they want to make a difference in the world, they want to have families, they want to give back to their families because those people have given a lot to make them successful. Dreams are great motivators, however, if one doesn't strive or work hard toward them, then what's the use of dreaming for a better future. Well some may have a hard time achieving their dreams, aspirations and goals in their careers of life because of obstacles. Anxiety takes over, and the person is confused, and he/she is lost.

Nothing comes easy, achieving your goals requires a lot of hard work, whether a person wants to be an athlete, a scientist, a government official, a law enforcement person, you name it, he or she will have to work hard for it. There is no way you'll earn big bucks right off the bat in this world today, so working hard towards them is the best possible way to do them. I believe most of today's workforce requires some sort of educational degree because what you learn from school, you can apply those towards your job advancements and your work profession. I see today's growing workforce with undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and they are earning a lot of money these days.

I just stated that education people take these days has a huge effect on career advancement. Today's workforce requires undergraduate, graduate, medical, PH D degrees. High School and GED diplomas alone won't get you anywhere much, unlike 50 years ago. Today, the workforce likes well-educated people to carry out their businesses.


So to conclude this: It is good to dream about being successful and believing in it, however, you must strive, work hard, put all your efforts into your dreams and beliefs of a successful career. When you are taking classes in school that will help you build skill, and confidence to prepare you in the workforce, you shall do good in those too.

That is all for this post.

(I didn't have to put an image for this one.)

Time is short....

Time is short, really, I would like to blog frequently and read every blog entries that I am currently interested in, the problem here is that because of my recent upcoming exams and studying, I can't do much right here. I am sure you readers are probably busy with other things going on, such as classes, playing sports, doing speaking lectures, or anything else that you are doing to make yourselves successful.

So this is going to be a short entry just to let you know, there are so many blog posters out there and so many are popping up. I would like to be able to read all of them, however time is so short.


I'll try to make another post better than this one, if you found this too boring, I'm sorry but this is all I can think of for now.

The only other thing is if you have obligations such as school work, amongst all other things, you should probably be taking care of those first. Falling behind is no good and there's time to catch up, sometimes there isn't.

The most used dollar bills in the United States

I just thought I would leave an interesting note here about the currency of the United States. I'm sure everyone here has used it at some point to make trades and purchases, (unless you are one of those credit card or debit card users). Dollar bills are probably the most popular way to carry large sums of money, that doesn't have to do with computer memory, (via a plastic card or computer chip) We carry these "notes" in our wallets and purses. The dollar bills are rarely collectors' items because they are constantly traded all the time, for private and public transactions. Dollar bills can be used up to a point where they can start to wear and tear down and then they have to be replaced.

I will now discuss the four most common dollar bills used in the United States. They are the one dollar, five dollar, ten dollar, and twenty dollar bills.
Let's begin talking about the one dollar bill.
The one dollar bill has George Washington's photo on the middle. This bill is the most commonly used bill in the United States and lasts about 12-18 months before it needs to be replaced. These dollars are generally the only ones accepted at vending machines, (for snacks, and drinks) It is currently the only dollar to display the federal bank in which this bill is based from.
Here is the back side of the bill.
This dollar bill unlike most others is not color coded. They make up 45% of today's existing bills.

Now for the five dollar bill:
This dollar bill has Abraham Lincoln's photo on it. This bill has been the most recent bill to be color coded, to combat counterfeiting. The five dollar bills have an image that must be seen through light. The main purpose is to verify it's authenticity. The great seal is to the right of the image of Lincoln.

Here is the back side of the five dollar bill:
What really stands out is the large purple "5" in the lower right hand corner, probably another anti-counterfeit tactic. There are small yellow numbers near it too. The Lincoln Memorial is on this side. Despite having a higher value, the five dollar bill lasts about 10-18 months, sometimes not lasting as much as the one dollar bill. They make up 9% of today's rolling currency.

The ten dollar bill has Alexander Hamilton on it. He was the first US secretary of the treasury.
The torch from the Statue of Liberty is to the left of the image of Alexander Hamilton and to the right are the words "We the People" from the words of the constitution. The 10 on the lower right hand corner is golden and for counterfeiters, that would be very difficult or nearly impossible to duplicate. Like the five dollar bill, this one is color coded as well.

Here is the back of the bill:
This side has the US Treasury on it, with a large 10 on the right hand corner. The bill has small yellow 10s on the right side. I believe there is also an image that you must see through light as well. The 10 dollar bill lasts about 15-24 months before it needs to be replaced. This bill makes up 11% of today's currency.

Here is a bill that is used frequently in large numbers: the twenty dollar bill.
Andrew Jackson is in the front of the bill, and the Eagle is to the left and USA print on the right. There's also a golden 20 on the lower right hand corner. These bills are generally the largest accepted denomination in many stores, generally because 50 and 100 dollar bills are not that common anymore. The 20 dollar bill is also color coded. Today the 20 dollar bill makes up 22% of today's total currency.

Here is the back:
The back of the White house is pictured here. The big 20 is to the lower right hand corner. Small yellow 20s surround the White House. The 20 dollar bill usually lasts about two years before in need of replacement.

To add to this, here are three different bills that are rarely used by consumers and traders:
The 50 dollar bill:
The 50 dollar bill has Ulysses S. Grant on the front and the US Capitol Building in the back. The red stripes are to the right of Grant on the front side, and a golden 50 as well. This bill generally will last about 2 to 3 years before it needs replacing. They only make about 5% of today's currency.

The 100 dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin on it. So far he's the only non-US President on the bill along with Alexander Hamilton who is on the 10 dollar bill.
I'm assuming this dollar bill is color coded as well, this is from the 1996 circulation. About 7% of today's bills are worth 100 dollars.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is featured in the back.

Here's a dollar bill that Thomas Jefferson is on, he is on a two dollar bill:
This bill is rare, and not many stores accept it as currency.
The declaration of Independence is in the back of this bill.

That is it for this post!

Fast Food and advertising.

This is my second blog entry today, however it has nothing to do with the first one.

Anyhow, let's get something straight.



Fast food is everywhere, not just on one city or one nation, they're around the world. You can't miss knowing about it because there are advertisements, in billboards, internet sites, television ads, you name it, they are right there, to convince you that eating their food will make you happy. Common fast foods include hamburgers, potato fries, and hot dogs.

Here are some common catch phrases from fast food chains:
McDonald's "I'm loving it!"
Burger King "Have it your way!"

Here's Wendy's attempt on saying they're not fast food "We're better than fast food, we're Wendy's old fashion hamburgers!"

Fast food chains can act as sponsors for major entertainment events such as movies and sports. Do you want to eat like an Olympian? Go to McDonald's then and eat chicken nuggets. Great commercial, that will get people to eat a lot. Fast food is a business after all, you can choose to eat their food items or not eat them at all. It's up to you.

Fast food is another word for food that can be made quick. Generally there are long lines for people waiting to eat and drink in these places, because eaters know they can buy a quick bite for cheap prices.

While fast food can be enjoyable, it can cause health problems too, if eaten too frequently. Here is one example: Morgan Spurlock once ate only fast food from McDonalds for 30 straight days and had risen chances of heart attack, and gained 25 pounds. Many doctors said that he should have taken eight years to eat all of those foods.

My thought of this whole thing is that people should watch what they eat, so they can stay healthy. I honestly don't know how harmful or healthful fast food is, however I'm leaning towards that eating too much of this stuff is more harmful. Like all foods, you probably shouldn't be eating the same thing every day.

While fast food chains offer the fries, and the hamburgers, and the chicken nuggets, there are some other goodies like ice cream, and coffee, and orange juice, and salads too, and they're probably just as cheap as those regular items too. I believe they offer those healthy choices too. Remember that all fast food isn't that harmful as it may seem.

The good thing about fast food menus is that they display how many calories (energy content) are in each food item. I hope people take this seriously.

At the end of the day, it's your choice.

A train with no seats

A train with no seats:

New York City Transit had a proposal just last year in which certain subway lines would have their seats removed for the duration of peak-hour services, which means that passengers boarding the subway cars would be forced to stand up during their commutes. It was unknown at the time which subway lines were going to have their seats removed. There were things that had to be put into perspective in which subway cars would have their seats removed.

Who was against this proposal?

Elderly and disabled passengers who needed to sit down during their commutes were unhappy about it, because they complained that they can’t stand for even minutes at a time.

Passengers who have to travel long distances were also unhappy about having to stand up as much as an hour because just standing up would make their commutes very tiring, in addition to other things they did, like school and work.

The plan was to have train cars with no cabs (trailer cars) have no seats. The train cars with cabs (separate sections where train operators and conductors do their business) would retain their seats.

The trains would have labels stating which cars had seats and which cars had no seats.

Trains with bench styled seating would have this rule in effect. Trains with perpendicular (forward and back facing seats) would not be affected.

Just to give you a rough idea, I’ll show you some interior shots.

These 75 foot cars wouldn't be affected by the proposal, because...

...look at the seating arrangement.

It would be too difficult to add folding seats because they are facing four different directions. The seats next to the windows would be a hassle to fold.

Now look at these cars, the R160 cars which are 60 feet long.

Looking at the seats, these would be folded up or removed to fit more standing passengers.

And or maybe to these 51 footers the R142 and R142A cars running on the numbered lines, their seats may be replaced by folding seats that can be folded and locked during rush hours too.

This would make sense to make these seats fold-able so they can be locked during rush hours. I don't know if this is going to be in effect or not. Basically, since the trains listed with bench seating, the New Technology trains, have those types of seats, they might as well be subjected to this new rule.

How would you feel if you rode a subway train with no seats?

A visual difference between Baseball and Softball.

I would like to show you some baseballs that I have lying around. There are four baseballs that are lying around, however one of them does not fit in. You'll see them in these images. They are all white and have red seams.

Some baseball caps are lying around, I know.

Actually one of the baseballs is clearly labeled a "softball" which makes it a softball.

Here's an added bonus, a Major League Baseball in a cube!

There's the baseball and softball.




What these two objects have in common is that they are both made of cowhide and they have red seams. They have a cork center to it. The baseball is nine inches in diameter while the softball is twelve inches in diameter. The softball I believe is less dense than a baseball. However, according to studies, the softball generates more force than a baseball, because they are thrown at different angles. Softballs are thrown underhand, while baseball is thrown overhand, underhand or both. Just to let you know, softballs are generally colored light green, however this softball was white so it looked like a bigger sized baseball. At least that is what people's first impressions are when they see a softball, just a big baseball.

My Sticky note thread...

The images will do all the talking... just look at them.