M.T.'s World

Vivitar 3815

2011-09-21T19:14:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, this is the camera I use to take most of my photographs nowadays. I got this as a gift from my dad a few years back. While this camera takes decent photos in sunlight, it does a sub-par job when it comes to other settings like taking underground shots of the subways. As you can see in this blog, most of my photographs come from this camera. I am thinking about purchasing a new camera (kinda wished I had a new camera when my birthday rolled around this month but that wasn't the case, but I'm okay with that)

My budget doesn't call for a new digital camera anytime soon, but I did use my sister's Canon Powershot.

This was the camera I was borrowing from my older sister for a few instances last year. It's a great camera, except that the one I was borrowing had a lot of fogging issues. It was even more noticeable when I was taking photos of the underground subways last summer and winter. I would like to get myself this camera, but for now my budget doesn't call for it this year. I would like a camera that would perform better than this Vivitar that I currently have but as of right now this Vivitar camera has enough memory to hold

30 photographs (1600X1400 pixels)
101 photographs (600 x 400 pixels)

When I was using the camera, I was made fun of by other people because they thought I had a $2 camera or something like that. To me it was better than nothing. Whatever I have I'll use it for now. I'm not really desperate for a new digital camera but I really need to improve my photographs and while I might be made fun of at times, I'm not going to let that stop me from snapping away.

My Baseball cap collection as of today.

2011-09-21T13:51:00.004-04:00

Today, I have some baseball caps that I will display, but first here's a list of the caps that I have from each team (not just baseball)

Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs (2)
Chicago White Sox (2)
Colorado Rockies (2)
Cincinnati Reds (2)
Florida Marlins
Houston Astros
L.A.Dodgers
Minnesota Twins (2)
Milwaukee Brewers (2)
New York Mets (2)
New York Yankees (3)
Oakland Athletics (3)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2)
St Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals
New York Giants
New York Knickerbockers

Here are some photos of them (some aren't that great in quality)

Baseball caps: The trend

2011-09-20T00:12:00.003-04:00

The cost of a good-shaped baseball cap these days are going up. For New Era's popular Baseball caps, the current recommended price has gone up to $34.99 just for one now. I have not purchased a baseball cap since March of this year. When I first started collecting baseball caps in 2004, the same ones (which were made of wool back then, now made of polyester) were only $25 a piece.

Here's a sample list of the average recommended prices for baseball caps

2004 Fitted caps: $24.99. Adjustable caps: $16.99
2007 Fitted caps: $29.99. Adjustable caps: $18.00
2009 Fitted caps $31.00. Adjustable caps: $20
2010 Fitted caps: $31.99. Adjustable caps: $21
2011 Fitted caps: $34.99. Adjustable caps: $24

Now I'm not complaining about the rising prices of baseball caps, but I have seen the trend in which baseball caps have taken in the past few years since the years I have collected them. Back then the fitted caps were and still popular today, however, the prices have gone up, due to the material being used, from the switch from wool to polyester for Major League Baseball players.Here's another thing to watch out when purchasing baseball caps: Try to purchase them at stores, and make sure the caps are the real ones. Do not settle for fake caps, that sell for like $5-10 dollars. You'll know when the baseball cap is fake when:

The logo looks distorted, such as the MLB logo or team logo.
The Authentic sports sticker is not on the cap
The price looks too good to be true.

The real baseball caps can be purchased at:

Modell's
Dick's sporting goods
Foot Locker
New Era Flagship stores
General sports and clothing stores

Anyways, hope this helps.

Brighton/Coney Island Boardwalk surface change

2011-09-19T22:32:00.003-04:00

If anyone has noticed walking along the Brighton Beach/Coney Island boardwalk, there are some changes to some parts of the surface. I took these photographs of the asphalt surfaces along the boardwalk last November. Isn't boardwalk surfaces supposed to be made of wood and nothing else? In my opinion I think it might help a little bit. The wooden planks were falling apart in some areas so repairing the boardwalk was a very good decision by the city's part. The asphalt surfaces will only be on small portions of the boardwalk in the southern tip of Brooklyn.

Anyways I'll get to the photographs now...

Note the surface differences.

Again, I have taken these photos last November, right now the construction work along this area has been completed.

World Trade Center site as of September 2011

2011-09-19T01:06:00.004-04:00

The World Trade Center site has undergone some rebuilding during the 10 years after the attacks on the Two Buildings 10 years earlier. I took a visit to that site early this month. Here are some of the images taken from my digital camera. (I think I need a new one soon, but anyways enjoy these for now).

The Freedom tower (One World Trade Center) in the ongoing construction of the complex will be the tallest building when completed and memorials of where the original one and two World Trade Center buildings stood will be placed at the footprints of the towers.

As of this posting, the Freedom tower looks more than halfway done.

And here is the World Financial Center. The buildings visible are Two World Financial Center (round top) and Three World Financial Center (triangular top)

That's all for now.

long hiatus

2011-09-19T01:01:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the long hiatus on this blog, I have been very busy with plenty of things this year. I'll get you up to date on what has gone on this year.

New York City has had a 13 day heat wave (I think it was that long)
Some parts of the city had to evacuate due to a Hurricane in late August, (flooding did happen in some parts of the city.

Anyways, I do apologize again, short entry, but at least it's better than nothing.

Buddy Operator Continued.

2011-01-16T11:33:00.005-05:00

Your commute just becomes more fun when you have a friend behind the controls operating a train or bus, or at least a friend conducting the train movements. For me it is fun. You learn a lot from the transportation employees that you "hang out" with.

Last year I made over 30 friends working in the NYC Subway, and 20 people who operate buses in New York City. I feel like it's more than just to commute but in order to learn about the city and life around it, conversing with these workers would simply be the best option. Greeting your bus operator, train operator or conductor every time you board their train or bus with a simple hello would be a good way to start. That is how I started making friends with the workers. I don't get to do this all the time though because the bus/train operators may be busy helping with the other customers/commuters, or what ever you call them, movers.

The MTA of New York employees over 33,000 workers in New York City. Of course I can't be friends with all of them. That's a lot of employees. I don't expect my buddy operators to know all of them either, they can be anywhere in the five boroughs of New York City.

Buddy Operator

2011-01-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

I have not written a blog entry here since August of last year.

2010 has been quite interesting for me in my travels. While I have been riding some buses and subways for fun, I have noticed a trend early in the year where some "commuters" were riding the bus or train with the same operator/conductor. I thought that was rather interesting. My first train operator buddy was a guy named Miguel who I met three years ago on the ravo line. He was operating a R-40 slant at the time from 145th Street to Brighton Beach. He kept his cab open as I watched him at the controls. That was a lot of fun.

December of last year, I had a B/O friend named Dominick who worked the bus route. I later bumped into him while taking the from school and he invited me on his (X29) bus to Manhattan.

Before this year, I had three T/Os and two B/Os as friends. This year I have about 30 RTO personnel as friends, with 20 of them working as train crew members, (15 of them as T/Os) I also have 10 bus operator friends who I tag along from time to time, mostly working on the express bus routes.

My train operator and train conductor friends that I have now work the and lines. While I live near the Brighton Beach Subway station, I also live around 15 minutes away from the Neptune Avenue station along the Culver Line and 20 minutes from the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue and station.

This year I have averaged at least one "tagging" trip per week with one train/bus operator friend, usually on the and lines, since they come by my area of residence, but I have also tagged along on the and the now defunct lines, as well as over 15 different bus routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In the summer, the most tagging trips per week was five in which some people criticized me as doing it "too excessively" in which they were right.

While tagging along with what I call them "buddy operators" or "buddy conductors" is fun and exciting, it's best not to do it too much because these "buddies" aren't going to be in a good mood all the time. Lots of things can stress them out such as traffic problems. I have seen them become agitated sometimes too.

Having these "buddy operators" brings in many advantages. They know you personally and they can assist you in many ways, not always in transit but in other areas of life like school, sports, family, etc. While this isn't my first year in having buddy ops, I'll say this is the best year since I made plenty of them.

Nothing makes commuting more exciting and fun than having a friend behind the controls of a train or bus. It has been for me throughout the year.

November is here.

2010-11-15T22:19:00.004-05:00

Yes November is here and it's that time of year. Thanksgiving is around the corner. Major cities are having parades across the United States. The weather is becoming quite colder nowadays, since the sun goes down earlier. Oh right, Daylight Savings Time has just ended November 7th, a week before this past Sunday. The World Series ended in November with the Giants beating the Rangers four games to one.

That is all I can think of now, sorry if this entry was short.

Hopefully I'll have time for a longer post.

Sorry it's been so long

2010-09-14T18:04:00.002-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged but here it goes...

It's been a week since my 23rd birthday just passed and I took five new baseball caps, two from the Twins, one each from the Nationals, Brewers, and Reds. I'll say they are very pricey, over $33 each, but it was worth it.

In other transit related news, two subway routes have been sliced and also 25 bus routes. About 50 of other routes have been altered, some cut on weekends, some diverted into outer roads, and some routes cut short.

The new subway map of NYC looks rather interesting, with a shadow underneath each line. You can see it right here.

I live in southern Brooklyn. This is my bus services in Southwestern Brooklyn.

2010-07-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

I live in southern Brooklyn. This is my bus services in Southwestern Brooklyn.

B1 and B64 swapped routes north of 13^th Avenue

B2 is only a weekday only route

B3 doesn’t stop south of Avenue U and East 71 Street.

B4 terminates at Avenue Z and Coney Island Avenue with peak hour service extended to Knapp Street in Sheepshead Bay, no service via Neptune Aveune anymore.

B8 to Bay Ridge 95^th Street, nightime hours only, all other times only to VA Hospital in Bay Ridge.

B23 is discontiued entirely.

B37 is gone entirely, partially replaced by B70.

B64 terminates at Bensonhurst and Harway Avenue, no longer serving Coney Island.

X29 via Coney Island Avenue and X38, super express to the X28 are discontinued entirely!

Treat transit personnel with respect.

2010-05-29T17:31:00.013-04:00

Please don't engage in an argument with transit personnel, it's not a good idea. This includes bus operators, train operators, railroad engineers, etc. In most cases, it is against state law (it already is in New York State.)

My question goes: Why do you have to take out your frustrations at a transit personnel for? Is it really worth it to go take out your anger at them? I understand the many reasons why passengers can become agitated and angry, such as traffic, reroutes, etc. Don't put the blame on the transit workers because they are doing their best to help you go around the city, despite the reroutes and sometimes cancellations of services. They are there to help you. Do not act rude to them. I can see why some people don't want to be bus/train operators/conductors. Some of the public treat them like garbage. I find that disgusting and the most absurd thing that can ever happen. I know it does happen, but I find it quite unbelievable that they are under appreciated and disrespected frequently.

I have heard stories about bus operators being spit at/bitten by passengers and even passengers thrown beverage containers at them. Subway conductors and train operators have been subject to it too, for example a passenger would hide behind a column and throw a beer bottle at the conductor or train operator as the train is leaving. I mean, how low can these passengers go? I'm glad there's a rule that if you assault a train/bus operator/conductor then the person gets 7 years in prison, which is basically the same punishment as if you attacked a police officer.

The fare is there, pay it and don't argue with the bus operator. Bus operators I hear are discouraged to engage in heated conversations with passengers for not paying their fare. The sad part was this was the exact same reason Edwin Thomas of Flatbush Depot was killed because Horace Moore didn't pay his fare, asked for a transfer and when Thomas denied the request, Moore stabbed him. Despite the fact that attacking transit personnel is a felony, some people just continue to show disrespect towards those who move them. In the subways, don't jump or crawl under the turnstile. New York City Transit is losing millions of dollars per year due to fare beaters, please pay the proper fare, all the time, every time. Station Agents try their best to ensure that passengers are paying their fare on time every time, but they can't stop all fare beaters. Even heated arguments happen because of that.

I honestly think that bus operators, train operators, train conductors, and other personnel do not get enough respect, nor are they paid enough these days for the jobs they do. Let alone, they get verbally abused by passengers on a daily basis, they have to deal with unsanitary conditions, (which can make them ill), and work long hour shifts.

Transit personnel go through so much stress in one day, please don't make their jobs any more stressful. Be thankful for the services they give you 24/7. They need it and they deserve it.

Time to unite the MTA New York Companies, Now!

2010-04-26T20:46:00.009-04:00

For the past two months as I rode buses and subways, I've noticed the fine print between New York City Bus, MTA Bus, and Long Island Bus. Three different entities doing similar operations with their bus service. You probably can't tell them apart, if you don't look closely, surely enough, you will see the difference. You might be asking, why are MTA Bus, NYC Transit Bus, and LI Bus not united yet? Here's a sample list:

Different unions, (varies by depot)
MTA bus operators make slightly less money than NYC Transit's operators.
MTA Bus depots, the operators have different salaries.
The route program doesn't allow one bus to switch displays between MTA Bus and NYC Transit and LI Bus.

So it seems that bus prospects are better off working for NYC Transit's bus because they have the highest pay (about $22 per hour) MTA New York really needs to wake up and negotiate contracts to help out MTA Bus and give them a fair share of the pie. It's not fair that they're earning as much as $9 less than what NYC Transit's making. Since the inception of MTA Bus Company in 2004, they have taken over these following bus companies.

Liberty Lines (Yonkers Depot)
New York Bus Service (Eastchester Depot)
Command Bus (Spring Creek Depot)
Green Bus Lines (Far Rockaway and JFK Depots)
Jamaica Buses (Baisley Park Depot)
Triboro Coach (LaGuardia Depot)
Queens Surface Corporation (College Point Depot)

Each of these depots still has old contracts from their now defunct private operators. MTA New York has yet to set a new contract for these bus operators working with these depots. They need it right now.

NYC Transit buses are affiliated with Transit Workers Union Local 100. These following depots are: (1-6 from Brooklyn, 7-10 in Manhattan, 11-14 in Bronx)

Ulmer Park (Bensonhurst)
East New York
Flatbush (in Flatlands)
Jackie Gleason (Sunset Park)
Fresh Pond (actually located in Queens)
Grand Avenue (Maspeth,Queens)
Michael J Quill
126 Street Depot
100 Street Depot
Manhattanville
West Farms
Gun Hill
Amsterdam
Kingsbridge

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726 of Staten Island holds these depots

Yukon (New Springville)
Castleton (Port Richmond)

Queens has another union, which I'm not sure off but I believe it's the TWU too.

Queens Village
Casey Stengel (Flushing)
Jamaica

All of the NYC Transit Subways are under TWU Local 100. All of the yards are under here too.

Uniport Yard
238 Street Yard
240 Street Yard
Concourse Yard
Westchester Yard
207 Street Yard
Lenox Avenue Yard
Jamaica
East New York
Livonia Avenue
Fresh Pond
Canarsie
Coney Island
36 Street

There are probably more yards out there that I didn't mention.

Let's get to the point:

These bus operators, and train crews do almost the same role, operate buses and subways and other rail lines. These companies, depots and yards are under different unions and contracts which means different benefits and different pay. Not all bus operators are being paid their fare share and that needs to change right now. we need to find a way ti unite all of these companies rail and bus and put them under one union where everyone gets a fair share of the pie in terms of their earnings.

I hope that MTA New York can find a way to unite all of these companies for real.

Here is what I am hoping will be the result of this unity:

MTA Bus Company operators can easily switch between the current NYCTA and MTABC depots easily and vice versa. They currently have long processes to do so, but with this unity it'll be quick and easy.
MTA Bus Company operators can sign up for promotion to rapid transit train operator if they wish. Currently only New York City Transit bus operators are only offered this promotion and not MTABC.
All MTA New York Bus Companies can have all of their buses under quality control. Only the newest fleet of MTA Bus, all NYCT and LI Buses are under Quality Control. Some MTA Bus Companies' buses are not under quality control.
All bus/subway operators earn the same salary regardless of their depot/yard they are assigned to providing that a big union or all the small unions follow salary guidelines.

I had some bus operators from MTA Bus Company say that they almost the same type of roles as that of New York City Transit Authority's bus operators. I do agree, there's hardly anything different between the roles that these two companies play in moving commuters, let along the fine print on the bus labels. If MTA New York is to unite the bus entities, then they might make serious attempts to unite MTA Bus Company and NYCTA buses as well as the LI bus into one entity so that everyone has a fair share of the salary pie. I hope that if I decide to become a bus operator or train operator, then these entities are united.

My General reroute posters

2010-04-25T20:10:00.002-04:00

Here are some of my general reroute maps from April. Just click on the images to see the bigger version.

MTA Bus Company

2010-04-16T20:06:00.003-04:00

MTA Bus Company is a bus corporation that provides bus service. All of the bus services were once separate private bus companies.

The companies were:

Green Bus Lines
Triboro Coach
Queens Surface Corporation
Command Bus Lines
Liberty Lines Express
Jamaica Buses
New York Bus Service

All of them are part of MTA Bus Company. Here are the depots;

Green Bus Lines' routes are based out of Far Rockaway and JFK Depots in Queens.
Triboro Coach Corporation's routes are based out of LaGuardia Depot in Queens.
Queens Surface Corporation's routes are based out of College Point Depot in Queens.
Command Bus' routes are based in Spring Creek Depot, in Brooklyn.
Liberty Lines' routes are now in Yonkers Depot, in the Bronx.
Jamaica Buses' routes are now in Baisley Park Depot, in Queens.
New York Bus Service' routes are now in Eastchester, Depot in the Bronx.

The only private bus company still standing is Atlantic Express.

So far bus operators are earning a bit less than that of New York City Transit's operators due to their contracts being based out of the former bus companies. A new contract is in the works for the MTA Bus Company operators to be paid about the same level as New York City Transit, but for now, this is the way it is, MTA Bus operators earning less for almost the same exact role as that of New York City Transit.

The growing problem with fare evasion

2010-04-16T19:36:00.005-04:00

Fare evasion has been a problem with MTA New York, maybe other cities around the United States, and around the world too. However fare evasion has been rampant in New York City over the past few days.

Fare evasions in subways occur by:

Jumping the turnstile
Two people entering through the high entrance high exit turnstile with only one fare
People entering through the service exit door (used by disabled)

Fare evasions in buses occur by:

Not paying the exact change, when required.
Entering through the rear door of a local bus when not authorized
A person has money, just not on the card or in coins.

I will discuss the bus issue first.

Pay your fare on time. I've seen bus operators go ballistic over the fact that a passenger didn't pay his/her fare promptly. Some bus operators would stop the bus from running when the person sitting did not pay his/her fare. I've had a bus operator call the police because of the fare evasion. Students who have their student pass with half-fare aren't even paying their fair share either. I know that bus operators sometimes let passengers slide without paying their fare, but it's not fair to other paying customers and the transportation agency.

Now for subways and railroads:

Jumping turnstiles used to be a problem for the subways/rapid transit systems. It still is, just that it's not heard too much because it doesn't make the news. The service gate is a problem now, because when people use the gates to exit the subway, other riders sneak in through those gates (providing that it's still opened) With station booth clerks disappearing these days, fare evasion by the gates will present a much bigger problem.

Tickets please! People board the railroads sometimes without even paying a ticket first, and sometimes there are stories that conductors do not check everyone's ticket. I don't think it's too much of a problem, but that might be the case sometimes.

According to the NY Daily News, bus fare evasions are costing MTA New York about $8,100,000 a year!

As for the subways in New York, it costs New York City Transit about $27 million dollars a year!

So remember, folks, pay your fare on time, every time!

MTA Bus Service Changes

2010-04-15T22:02:00.001-04:00

Attention all MTA Bus Company customers!

Brooklyn

BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

To align service closer with ridership, the times of the first and last trips on the BM1, BM2, BM3 and BM4 will be adjusted.

Weekday Adjustments

BM2: The first Weekday PM Downtown trip from Church Street
to Spring Creek will depart 20 minutes later at 4:05 PM.

BM4: An 8:45 PM "All Stops" trip will be added from 57th
Street/2nd Avenue to Gerritsen Beach.

No time changes to the first and last Weekday BM1 and BM3 trips, or the first and last Weekday trips on other BM2 and BM4 services.

Saturdays - New Hours of Service (Bold denotes change)

BM1: To Midtown/Downtown: 6:00 AM - 9:30 PM
To Mill Basin: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Midnight

BM2: To Midtown/Downtown: 6:00 AM - 9:40 PM
To Canarsie: 9:10 AM - 12:10 AM

BM3: To Midtown/Downtown: 6:20 AM - 9:20 PM
To Sheepshead Bay: 8:50 AM - 11:50 PM

BM4: No Changes

BM5 and QM15 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

To provide increased travel options for express bus customers on the Woodhaven Boulevard / Cross Bay Boulevard corridor, the following BM5 bus stops will be added:

Woodhaven Blvd & Metropolitan Av
Woodhaven Blvd & Forest Park Dr
Cross Bay Blvd & Pitkin Av

These bus stops are also served by the QM15. There will be no changes to the current BM5 travel path. All current bus stops in Midtown Manhattan and bus stops between Lindenwood and Spring Creek will remain unchanged.

In Midtown, the BM5 will continue to operate via Madison Avenue (drop-off) and Fifth Avenue (pick-up) between 34th Street and 57th Street/1st Avenue. The BM5 will continue to operate Monday-Saturday.

B103 LIMITED CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2009

To provide more reliable service and to address a traffic constraint at 4th Avenue and 9th Street, the non-stop travel path of the westbound B103, to Downtown Brooklyn, will be revised.

After exiting the Prospect Expressway, the westbound B103 will use Prospect Avenue to travel directly to 3rd Avenue instead of transitioning to 3rd Avenue via 4th Avenue and 9th Street.

The first stop after the Prospect Expressway will continue to be on 3rd Avenue at State Street.

The eastbound B103, to Canarsie, will remain unchanged, using 4th Avenue.

B103 LIMITED CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009

In a response to increased ridership, the weekend hours of service of the B103 Limited will be expanded, including the introduction of Sunday service.

Weekend B103 service will be expanded to provide the following hours of service:
Saturdays

Canarsie to Downtown Brooklyn: 6:00 AM-10:00 PM
Downtown Brooklyn to Canarsie: 7:15 AM-11:15 PM

Sundays

Canarsie to Downtown Brooklyn: 6:30 AM-7:00 PM
Downtown Brooklyn to Canarsie: 7:45 AM-8:15 PM

All weekend B103 trips will operate between Canarsie and Downtown Brooklyn, and there will be no changes to the travel path or bus stops.

BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4
Buses rerouted at Park Place
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 until Further Notice

Because of reconstruction on Park Place between Church St and Broadway, BM1, BM2, BM3 and BM4 buses are rerouted over Warren St.

Northbound
BM1, BM2, BM3 and BM4 buses leave their regular routeson Church St at Warren St, travel on Warren St to Broadway, then return to their regular routes along Broadway.

Southbound
No service change.
New temporary bus stops
On Church St at:
• Murray St
Buses no longer stop on Park Place.

Queens

Q6 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

In order to provide faster service and respond to growing ridership on the Q6 between Jamaica, South Jamaica, Springfield Gardens and the North Boundary Road Cargo Area in JFK Airport, a new Q6 limited-stop service will be provided. The Q6 Limited will operate Weekdays only, northbound approximately 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM and southbound approximately 3:20 PM to 7:00 PM, and will operate along the same route as the Q6 local service, stopping only at:

165th Street Bus Terminal;
168 St & Jamaica Av (Northbound Only)
Jamaica Av & 160 St (SB)/153 St (NB)
Sutphin Blvd & 91 Av (SB)/Archer Av (NB) (, LIRR & Air Train);
Sutphin Blvd & Arlington Terrace (SB)/109 Av (NB)
Sutphin Blvd & Linden Blvd
Sutphin Blvd & Foch Blvd
Sutphin Blvd & Rockaway Blvd

Then all other local stops to/from JFK Airport/N Boundary Rd Q6 local service will continue to operate at all times in both directions serving all local Q6 bus stops.

Q60 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

To provide more reliable service and to provide service closer with ridership needs, alternate Weekday daytime and evening Q60 trips will operate only between East Midtown and Jamaica (Archer Avenue at Sutphin Boulevard).

The destination sign on these short eastbound trips will read:

Q60 JAMAICA ARCHER AV via QUEENS BL

Eastbound Q60 trips with the following destination signs continue to operate the full length to South Jamaica on 109 Av:

Q60 S. JAMAICA 109 AV via QUEENS BL

Q102 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010

In order to provide more consistent and uniform service on Roosevelt Island, all Q102 service will travel through Roosevelt Island in the same direction.

Upon entering the island at the Roosevelt Island Bridge, all buses will first travel north on Main Street to Coler Hospital, then south to Goldwater Hospital, and then exit the island at the bridge.

In addition, the following closely-spaced bus stops on the island will be discontinued: (1) 568 Main St, (2) 579 Main St, (3) P.S./I.S. 270, and (4) The Octagon on Northbound Main St. Please use a nearby alternate bus stop.

All service in Long Island City and Astoria will remain unchanged.

QM18 CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

Due to low ridership, the hours of service will be adjusted. The last trip to Midtown will now depart South Ozone Park at 8:58 AM, instead of 9:58 AM. The first trip to South Ozone Park will now depart 34th Street/3rd Avenue at 3:35 PM instead of 2:55 PM, and the last trip will now depart at 6:35 PM instead of 7:00 PM.

Bold denotes change.

New Hours of Service

To Midtown:
Weekdays: 6:28 AM - 8:58 AM

To South Ozone Park:
Weekdays: 3:35 PM - 6:35 PM

Q53 LIMITED CUSTOMERS
EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2010

In an effort to provide faster, more reliable service, the non-stop travel path of the northbound Q53 Limited will be revised in Jackson Heights and Woodside.

The northbound Q53 will use a shorter travel path via Roosevelt Avenue and 39th Avenue instead of via Broadway to travel from 75th Street in Jackson Heights to its current terminus on 61st Street at Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside.

There are no bus stops along this segment of the northbound Q53 travel path, and therefore, no bus stops will be affected by this revision.

The southbound Q53 travel path (to Rockaway Park) will remain unchanged.

STARTING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009 TO 2012
Reconstruction of Sewer System
108th Street to 62nd Drive to the Horace Harding Expressway

Northbound
Q23

Bus Stop on 108th street at 62 Drive will be made on 62 Drive west of 108th street.

Southbound
Q38

Bus Stop on 63 Road near side of 108th street will be made on 108th street between 63 Road and 63 Avenue.
Bus Stop on 62 Drive east of 108th Street will be made on 62 Drive west of 108th Street.

Westbound
QM10 - QM11

Bus Stop on 63 Road near side of 108th street will be made on 108th street between 63 Road and 63 Avenue.
Bus Stop on 62 Drive east of 108th Street will be made on 62 Drive west of 108th Street.

Starting December 31 2008 Until Further Notice.

Construction Closure:
Borden Avenue Bridge

Eastbound
Westbound
Q67

The Bus Stop on 27th Avenue at 49th Street will not be made.

QM1A, QM11, QM24
Buses rerouted at Park Place
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 until Further Notice

Because of reconstruction on Park Place between Church St and Broadway, QM1A, QM11 and QM24 buses are rerouted over Warren St.

Northbound
QM1A, QM11 and QM24 buses leave their regular routes on Church St at Warren St, travel on Warren St to Broadway, then return to their regular routes along Broadway.

Southbound
No service change.
New temporary bus stops
On Warren St at:
• Church St (QM1A)
• Mid-block between Church St and Broadway(QM11, QM24)
Buses no longer stop on Park Place.

Bronx

BxM3 CUSTOMERS
EFFECTIVE MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010

In an effort to provide faster, more reliable service on a more direct path, the BxM3 travel path will be revised only on the current southbound, AM peak period, BxM3 trips that bypass the southerly Bronx pick-up bus stops on Sedgwick Avenue. These trips will directly access the Major Deegan Expressway using the Van Cortlandt Park South entrance ramp, instead of traveling non-stop on Bailey Avenue to the West 230th Street entrance ramp.

These trips will make all regular pick-up stops from Getty Square to Broadway at West 244th Street, but will no longer stop at the pick-up bus stop on Van Cortlandt Park South at Bailey Avenue. During this period, customers using this bus stop may continue to use the southbound BxM3 trips that start at the bus stop on Van Cortlandt Park South at Bailey Avenue for service to Manhattan

All other BxM3 service will remain unchanged.

June 21st, 2008
BxM 6, 7, 7A, 7B, 9, 10

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, THE NORTH BOUND PICK UP ON THIRD AVENUE AT EAST 120TH STREET IS DISCONTINUED DUE TO SCHEDULED CONSTRUCTION. CUSTOMERS DESIRING TO BOARD THE NORTH BOUND BxM 6, 7, 7A, 7B, 9, OR 10, MAY DO SO IN THE M101, M103 BUS STOP, LOCATED ON THIRD AVENUE BETWEEN EAST 122nd STREET AND EAST 123rd STREET.

taken from mta.info.

Attention Brooklyn customers on the X29

2010-04-14T21:30:00.006-04:00

If you are boarding the X29 bus, your route will be cut entirely. The X29 runs from Coney Island Stillwell Avenue via Coney Island Avenue, goes to/from Manhattan via the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and via Church Street-6/Madison Avenues (mornings) and 5th Avenue/Broadway(Afternoons) to Midtown 57th Street (between 5 and Madison Avenues)

This service change will take effect on June 28,2010, barring any miracles from the MTA board.

Here's some alternatives.

Take the (B) along the Brighton Line to/from Manhattan, The (B) runs parallel to the X29 morning route, except Lower Manhattan. For Lower Manhattan stops between West 4th Street, and Battery Park, you must transfer to the (R) at DeKalb Avenue.
Take the (Q) along the Brighton Line to/from Manhattan. The (Q) runs parallel to the X29 afternoon route except Lower Manhattan. For Lower Manhattan stops between Canal Street and Battery Park, you must transfer to the (R) at either DeKalb Avenue or Canal street to any stop between those two stations.
Take the (F) along the Culver Line to/from Manhattan. The (F) doesn't run to Lower Manhattan, you should transfer to the (A)(C) between West 4 Street in Manhattan or Jay Street Boro-Hall in Brooklyn.

If you can't use the subway, here's the bus alternative.

Take the B68 bus to/from Beverley Road from along the X29 route, (if you are between Neptune Avenue and Beverley Road). Transfer to the BM3 or BM4 Bus to Manhattan.
X29 customers between Coney Island and West 5th Street: Take the B36 bus to Avenue X and Nostrand Avenue for the BM3 bus to Manhattan.
BM3 and BM4 bus are under MTA Bus Company (former Command Bus) Please note that the BM3 and BM4 buses do not stop along Broadway and 6th Avenues in Manhattan between Park Row and 23rd street. You should use the M6 bus between these areas.

Some extra info

X29, and B36 are based out of Ulmer Park Depot in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
B4 and B68 are based out of Jackie Gleason Depot in Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
BM3 and BM4 are based out of Spring Creek Depot in Brooklyn, (MTA Bus)

That is all for now.

Transport Workers Union

2010-04-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

Transport Workers Union of America is a union that represents transportation personnel in airlines, railroads, buses, rapid transit subways, sea travel. They represent all transportation workers of the United States.

In New York City, our TWU Union is Local 100.

The bus depots the TWU represent are as follows:
The Transit Authority Surface

Ulmer Park
Jackie Gleason
East New York
Flatbush
Grand Avenue
Fresh Pond
126th Street Depot

The Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Authority

Michael J Quill
Manhattanville
100th Street
West Farms
Amsterdam
Gun Hill
Kingsbridge

You can find more of this by going to this link.

Subway timeables from 2000-2003 with the B D and Q.

2010-04-06T23:35:00.009-04:00

I will let the images do the talking. I have the Brighton/6 Avenue (D)(Q) service from 2000, the West End/6av (B) from 2000, the (Q) Brighton/Broadway Service. I do apologize if the timetables aren't shown in their entire form, however I think you will understand. To see the larger versions, click on the images. I hope you find this a fun ride through memory lane.

Let's begin with the (Q) services.

Here is the old Brighton timetable from the (D) and (Q).

And finally the (B) service when it used to run via the West End Line in Brooklyn.

This is all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed.

Here's a (W) train timetable from September 2002

2010-04-04T11:04:00.003-04:00

To see the full size of these, go to this link.

My thoughts about the service cuts by MTA New York

2010-03-30T20:06:00.007-04:00

I understand that people are unhappy about the service cuts by New York City Transit, MTA Bus Company, Long Island Railroad, and Metro North Railroad. I understand that some of you will have harder commutes. Here's my take.

The Media always points MTA New York as the bad guys. Transit workers are condemned every day. They are portrayed as the bad guys. I have something to say to the Media. You are wrong for saying that the workers are not giving enough efforts in providing bus/subway/railroad service. Come on now, are you kidding me?! I'm not hurt too much by the cuts, however if you are, please do us a favor:

Do not take your anger on the bus operators, subway train operator/conductor, and railroad engineer/conductor, and station booth clerks. They don't like the cuts either, and some of you aren't thinking that way. They don't want to lose their jobs too.
Station booth clerks are vital to the subway/railroad systems. They are portrayed as the lazy bums that do nothing. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG! They help customers go to their destinations by providing maps, timetables, and directions.
Bus Operators do their best to take you from one place to the next. Please pay your fare on time, in coins or with a transfer or your transit card.
Please don't talk too loud, especially if you are near the bus operator, subway train operator/conductor, or railroad engineer/conductor. You are interfering their operations and their duties. In some cases the train and bus operators can give you a warning.

I will agree on one thing, MTA New York's management isn't as organized as they should be, does that mean they stink at what they do, absolutely not. It's not fair that transit workers are feeling the wrath of the customers, the customers should be expressing their anger and frustration at the management, not the operators, conductors, engineers, and station booth clerks.

Now about the cuts, New York City Transit is removing services that fit the following criteria:

Bus service that duplicates the subway.
Subway routes that have easier alternatives.
Bus routes that have low ridership
Bus routes that do not perform like they should be.

MTA New York did not want to cut service at all (believe me, they have tried several ways to preserve all services, but they can't, due to a budget shortfall.)

Here are the leading causes of the MTA New York's revenue loses

Emergency exit gate illegal entries into the subway
Passengers entering the rear door of the bus when not allowed.
Passengers jumping the turnstile (costs MTA $27 million a year)
MetroCard Scams
Select Bus Service's infrequent fare checks has allowed people to ride Bus Rapid Transit buses in the Bronx for "free". These riders didn't even pay the fare.

The slashing of station booth clerks will lead to the following:

Robbery
Metro Card Scams
Fare beating
Less help in how to get around
Reduced changes for seeking help when a crime starts

Station Booth Clerks are a necessity to help keep these crimes down. If they are as lazy as you make them to be, then you are OUT OF YOUR MIND!

Here's a list of the cuts, beginning with the NYC Subway:

1. Reduce Weekend Train Frequencies to Accommodate Construction Work

2. Revise Off-Peak Service Levels – Change Maximum Loading Guideline from No Standees
Per Car to 10-18 Standees per Car (from 100% of a Seated Load to 125% of a Seated
Load)

3. Operate (G) Between Court Square and Church Avenue at All Times

4. Extend (Q) to Astoria and Operate (N) Local North of Canal Street to Replace the (W)

5. Extend (M) to Replace the (V) Between Broadway-Lafayette Street and Forest Hills-71st
Avenue, Discontinue M Between Essex Street and Bay Parkway (Note: route letter
designation changed from 1/27/10 proposal).

6. Discontinue Staten Island Railway Baseball Special Service

These buses will be cut completely:
First the Express ones

X25 service between Grand Central and Lower Manhattan
X32 service between Queens and the Bronx High School of Science
X20 service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan
X18 service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan
X16 service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan
X29 service between Brooklyn and both Lower and Midtown Manhattan
X51 service between Queens and Midtown Manhattan
X90 service between the Upper East Side and Lower Manhattan

The Local ones:

Discontinue all B23 service
B39 service
B51 service
M18 service
M27 service
M30 service
M50 service
Q26 service
Q31 service
Q42
Q74
Q75
Q79
S67 service

For more info please go to this proposal.

That is my post for now.

Select Bus Service

2010-03-30T16:42:00.008-04:00

Select bus service (a form of bus rapid transit) is a bus service that has the characteristics of a bus service that is similar to the subways and the railroads. Here are some interesting characteristics of this bus service

You must pay before you board the bus, via the fare machine at the bus station.
You can board via the front and rear doors.
There will be dedicated bus lanes to speed up the bus service.
Buses will receive special priority with traffic signals.
Free transfers can be made (only if you board the front of the bus and request a transfer from the bus operator)
You must board at the stop within one hour.
All receipts obtained from the machine must be displayed to fare inspectors, or face a $100 fine.

There is currently one such service in the Bronx, the Bx12, running along Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway between Inwood in Manhattan and Pelham Bay Park or Bay Plaza in the Bronx.

Two other routes, the M15 in Manhattan and the B44 will get this service later this year.

For more information go here.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy your ride with New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company.

My message to those who choose to trash talk about transit workers.

2010-03-27T19:58:00.026-04:00

Bus operators, rapid transit train operators/conductors, and railroad engineers and conductors work around the clock to take you from one place to another. For you to say that they are half-assed, that is just wrong! You should be ashamed of yourselves! I am a loyal customer to MTA New York, usually riding the services of New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company and I have to say that they have the best transit services you can ever ask. Those of you who trash-talk about transportation workers, you have absolutely no idea the hard work these people put into everyday in making subways, buses, and railroads work and run efficiently every day. You have to bear in mind that things cause them not to run normally, and you should be forgiving to those subway/bus/railroad operators and engineers who can't take you to your destination in time due to unforeseen circumstances.

To be quite honest with you, the bus operators who move buses, the subway train operators and conductors who move the subways, and the railroad engineers and conductors who are moving the railroads are seriously underpaid to do their jobs. I don't think they get enough respect they deserve. I think it's time to say thank you to what I call them "the driving forces of the city." Without them, we wouldn't be going to our destinations, in big numbers. I do have friends who operate buses and subway trains every day and just wondering the hardships these workers have to go through. I think about the subway train crew every time I ride their subway train, I think of the bus operator every time I ride his or her bus, because I want him or her to be in good spirits and I want them to know they have supporters from their commuters.

These workers are human beings just like us and it's unfair and shameful that some of us don't even this way. We only think about where we want to go. Why not think of those transit personnel moving you instead. Try stepping onto their shoes and see how you would feel if you were operating a subway train, engineering a railroad train, or operating a bus. How would you feel if you weren't getting enough respect? You'd be angry too. Some bus and subway train operators and railroad engineers recently had nightmarish experiences too.

For Example:

A bus operator accidentally kills a bicycle rider in the Bronx after the biker avoids a car opening up close, unfortunately into the path of the bus. The Bus operator has to live with this experience with a long time. Horrible
A train operator on the 6 line tries desperately to decelerate his train in time to avoid hitting a woman in the tracks. She dies in the impact. Train operator is off three days and is having sleepless nights!

I honestly think it's the commuters' fault that the MTA New York is messed up these days. Some of them lack common-sense these days with their daredevil stunts, their decision to jump the turnstile or hop on back of the bus when they are not supposed to, or not paying enough money on the bus. Give me a break! Who are you kidding!? For you to say that MTA New York is half assed, that's your fault, not the transit operators, and conductors!

I am sick and tired of hearing people that the MTA New York is corrupt. If you don't like their services, go drive your own car to your destination or hop on a taxi. Remember in a city like New York, you have several options of getting around the city. If the MTA New York isn't one of them go find other ways. Go have your friends or family drive you around. Go get yourself a skateboard or bicycle and move around with it. At least when you are biking you won't be sharing your rides with anyone else.

Station Booth Clerks don't get enough respect these days either. They have to deal with the wildness of these commuters, who bark at them for being lazy and rude. Do you want to know why transit workers are rude, it's because of you passengers. You are giving them the hard time. How, you may ask? You take your frustrations at them and you talk with a bad attitude. I don't give a thing what you are frustrated with (missing your train, running late, your fare card not working properly, etc) Stop being rude to them, they are human beings. Same thing with bus, subway, and railroad personnel.

Stop treating the buses and subways like they are your personal space and keep it clean, Don't bring in food and drinks and start making a mess. This is why train cars and buses are dirty, because the commuters make such a big mess. The station cleaners and bus maintainers are not your maids, so you should be cleaning up after yourselves. You shouldn't be eating in the subway or railroad or buses anyways, they are not your personal RVs!

Please understand that bus and subway/railroad personnel have a lot of things to go through when they operate and conduct buses, subways and railroads.

For the buses:

Traffic Jams
Construction detours
Pedestrians
Selfish driving, (for example double parked cars or cars constantly moving from one lane to the next and back)
Traffic lights
Running under elevated bridges
Difficulties in making bus stops due to parked cars.
Wheelchair lift use

For the Subway/Railroad:

Train traffic
Construction reroutes
Track switches
Rail Conditions
Acceleration,deceleration
People blocking the doors
Making station announcements

Some commuters are guilty of making commutes more difficult for everyone by:

Loud Cell phone talk
Radio playing
Playing music instruments or singing when not allowed
Begging for money
Eating food and drinking beverages
Not giving a seat to others such as elderly, disabled, and or pregnant woman.
Holding bus and train doors
Not paying the bus fare in time in the bus.
Jumping the turnstile in the subway, entering the railroad train without a ticket, and hoping on the back of the bus when unauthorized.
Beating the fare on the subway through the emergency exit gates

At the end of the day, if you think MTA New York is bad, think again. I see this as the fault of the commuters. Do us a favor and stop whining about how slow your buses and subways and railroads are okay.

You know what you should be doing?

When you are boarding a bus, say hello to the bus operator. He or she will respond politely. Say thank you and good bye when you leave his or her bus. Better yet, make friends with the bus operators. I currently have seven bus operators as friends.
When you board the subway train in the first car, say hello to the train operator, (especially when you are entering at the first station of the line) When you board the middle car, say hello to the conductor. Make friends with the train crew. (you do not have to but it would be nice) Say thank you and good bye when you leave their train.
Same rule in number 2 applies to railroads except that conductors walk through trains. Say thank you when they punched your ticket as proof of purchase. Make friends with them too.
Say hello to the station booth clerks before making a transaction with them. When you leave, say your farewells to them. Be polite. When you are having a bad day or in a hurry, be patient and don't take your frustrations at the station booth clerks. Same goes with other transit personnel.
Please be understanding and patient if transit employees take their frustrations and act rude toward you. Do not take it personally. Lots of times, people have this wrong impression that transit employees are rude. That is wrong. They are just having some hard days just like you are. Forgive them and move on.
Mass Transit employees can be your best friends or your worst enemies. It's up to you on how you treat them.

In conclusion, stop:

Accusing transit personnel of being lazy. They work hard around the clock 24/7!
Making excuses on not paying your fare in full on time on the bus.
Beating the fare and pay your fair share!
Taking your frustrations at transit personnel.
Blaming Mass Transit on being late to school, work etc. That is all on you!

I am done with this post. This doesn't just apply to New York City, this applies all over the world with mass transit and transportation services.

The Ugly Truths of the USA

2010-03-22T18:28:00.012-04:00

While the United States of America is one of the most advanced nations of the world, they are however have some ugly truths to them.

The US academic performance in education is amongst the lowest in the world. Some students usually get their science and history facts wrong. About 1.2 million high school children are dropping out of school. Another 1 million are left back each year.
The US has the most deaths by gun violence. About 10,000 people each year die from gun shot wounds.
The United States is the leader in releasing toxic gases and contributing to the pollution of the environment.
The United States government in recent years has been rocked by corruption, leading to removal or resignations of politicians.
The wealth gap between the rich and poor has continued to rise over the last several years. About only 1% of Americans actually make over one million dollars or more a year.
The "Middle Class" has shrunk over the last few years.
Most products are imported from other nations, and less products are made in the USA, meaning less jobs in the US.
Gang violence is rampant in the United States.
Jobs are hard to come these days, as the unemployment rate is around 10%
The United States has no official language.
The United States lead a war in Iraq that seems never ending.
The United States dropped the most explosives at other nations, for example, dropping two atomic bombs in Japan to end World War Two.
The US leads the world in rape and sexual assaults.
The United States has a problem with obesity.
The US gives the least products to other nations, because they get theirs from others.
The US' problems with racism and discrimination continue to this day.
The United States is having problems with homelessness.
About 15% of the USA Population are living in poverty.
Domestic violence is another big issue in the United States.
Police Brutality is a problem with the US Law Enforcement.
The American Army has been accused of inhumane treatment of prisoners.
The United States rule of the Death Penalty has killed the most prisoners.
The Meat packing industry is amongst the worst jobs in the US.
The Prison system is the worst in the world.
Obtaining Health Insurance is amongst the hardest tasks by American Citizens (right before a recent change in Congress was made)

These are the ugly truths of the USA, I know this sounds like I am not a proud American, I am, but we have to realize the truths sooner or later, and learn to fix them.

Profanity Filter Part Two

2010-03-14T11:17:00.003-04:00

I think now is the time that a profanity filter should be implemented. After all, some social networking sites do not allow these objects to be posted.

Nude or racy photos of people
Obscene gestures and or images
Links to sexually explicit websites
Links to sites that look suspicious

Now this is why I am calling for a profanity filter. I've written a post about it just two days earlier. My reasons.

I feel that profanity is used excessively in general here.
I feel that users tend to be more intimidating with those terms.
I do think that the websites are becoming more dangerous in general if these terms are allowed to fly around chat rooms and social networking sites.
When "flame wars" and cyber-bullying happen, the vulgarity becomes worse and this even leads to real-life criminal activity.
I think it's not fair for the users who are usually polite to have them subjected to vulgarity, especially if it's not warranted.
Profanity filters are necessary because there are young users on sites who look for information, they don't need to be reading all these vulgar words and learning them. I know, it's in movies and TV shows though.
The title of your blog or photo album has a swear word, really? That's just insane.
It tells that the person is just not a polite one, period.
Some people become offended, everyday. I don't think they need to be offended anymore online.
Swear words can be used as insults too.

Now how shall the profanity filter be implemented?

Considering free speech, I think it's up to the user if he or she wants the swear words to be censored or not.
The level of which the profanity becomes bleeped can be divided into these categories, light, moderate, or frequent, or all times.
Profanity Filter can be controlled by a user and he can enter terms or words that he/she does not want to see.
This profanity filter will be mandatory and by default all profanity will be bleeped out unless he or she changes the profanity filter options.

Like all proposals, there will be drawbacks. Here are some:

Certain words such as glass, molasses, assassination, embarrass may have their world altered because they contain the sequence "ass"
Users may find ways to go around the filters and enter the word twice with no space. The Filters can not pick up on this, though.
The word may be split into separate letters separated by space. This can still go through.
Profanity Filters may bleep out other terms such as "manuscript" because it has the word "anus" on it.
How the terms are bleeped may not be as consistent.

At the end of the day, I think it will work. I think it's up to the administrators of these sites to implement them with little or no problem at all. I hope it goes through, just for the sake for the ones who use little-or no profanity at all.

If you agree with me, thanks, if not, then go ahead and tell me why.

Profanity Filter

2010-03-12T23:53:00.002-05:00

$%^#%#$%@

I'll admit it. I do have moments where one swear word slips out here and there. But hearing it and seeing it knowing how polite I am, it's really annoying. I hear in people's conversations, I hear it in commutes, I see it in internet chat rooms. It's really annoying. I think it is the time that social networking sites activate profanity filters so that offensive words don't come across the windows and forms. I would really like chatting with people where profanity doesn't fly around, like people taking like frustrated sailors.

I like to keep conversations polite. Swear words just break it all up. You know, would you talk to your young children and have them say your swear words!? No, that's impolite. I used to cuss when I was young and I got in trouble in school just for that. In 2nd Grade.

While we can't completely eliminate swearing from the internet, not like that is going to happen because of our 1st amendment rights, we can do something about it.

If facebook.com and AIM and other social networking websites would like to be more kid-friendly, profanity filters are a must.

How would profanity filters work?

Turning the swear words into #$%^&^%&%^
Turning them into *******
Or just eliminating them completely

Facebook and other sites shall try other things:

Penalize users for using swear words by counting each instance
If they use too many profanity words and images they'll have their profiles restricted.
Their abilities to post will be limited
Their profiles will be disabled.
Finally if profanity continues they'll be banned.

Swear words I understand can be used when a person is angry, but there are better terms.

Replace the word with a polite one.
Don't use the word.
Don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.

That is all I can think of now.

Funny Friday and school

2010-03-12T22:50:00.004-05:00

Today is a funny Friday. Yes it sure is. Thanks a bunch for those of you blog posters who choose to follow my blog entries. I try to be as entertaining as possible. In the meantime, I am also attending school, halfway done with my undergraduate degree, but as of right now I am in academic shambles. I am trying really hard this time around and trying to get my grades back up. I know. A person like me should not be struggling with school but I am. I know my blog posts have not been really that frequent with my last writing coming three days ago with the buses.

I urge you not to fall in the same problem as me and do your studies efficiently. Make sure you are taking the right courses. If your grades are too low, fix them. There are penalties for low grades. I have written a blog entry about that just last week. You can go to the link for academic success!

I am not kidding about academic success, it's critical for your degree. Think about, a degree is worth nothing or very little with grades that are failures or too below standards.

Group work in school can be fun and hectic. For me, it's been hectic. I've either been zoning out, falling far off topic, or my classmates not doing work. This is what stinks about group work in school, however you are working in groups in the workforce.

My group members were reading "The trial and Death of Socrates" I had fun reading the book. I had trouble sharing my ideas. Maybe I didn't understand the book really well. They got it more than I do. Looks like I need catching up. This is what frustrates me sometimes, when you're not keeping up with the readings, you go to class and you don't know what's going on. I have lots of readings ahead as well as doing a lot of math problems.

I am usually a very good math student. I used to get As on it from elementary to high school. Now in college, it's my worst. How can that possibly be? I haven't taken math in three years so yes, I can be rusty with it. I just failed pre-calculus last semester so I am taking it again. I am doing much better at it, finally passing my first test. Let's see how it goes with the rest.

It's also a funny Friday because it's raining outside. Just two days ago it was nice, warm and sunny. Now it's raining. Interesting. My umbrella broke on my way to class.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

My bus shots around Midwood, Brooklyn

2010-03-09T20:15:00.005-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, I saw some buses lying around, with no one to run them. Just for fun I decided to go shoot some shots!

RTS-06 on the B6

The C40LF on the B11
And some more from the other side!

The Orion V CNG belonging to Spring Creek depot of MTA Bus

And the Orion VII NG Hybrid with no name on it!

And a RTS 06 bus also with no name on it!

I hope you enjoyed!

Jennie Finch documentary and her friends

2010-03-07T22:11:00.007-05:00

Jennie Finch of the NPF's Chicago Bandits (pitcher/first baseman) and a member of Team USA will have a documentary coming out soon, which is produced by MTV. So far this is an ongoing project that is currently rolling. No release date has been announced yet. However here is my scouting report on her best friends that will be featured on this documentary.

Brianna Glenn- Brianna is a track and fiend runner who specializes in the long jump. She has failed to make the 2008 US Olympic team, due to injury. She is currently traveling around the world. She will try to make the summer Olympic team again in 2012.
Bianca Juarez- Bianca is a teacher a preacher who believes in God and will do nothing but spread the word out. She generally makes speaking arrangements to give faith and to guide others in need.
Jasmine Star- A twin sister of Bianca, she is a professional photographer who specializes in photographing weddings. She is amongst the most popular photographers based out of California. Wedding photography is her profession.

I believe the documentary will focus on a variety of topics

High School in La Miranda California
Her softball career in the University of Arizona. Jennie does have 50 home runs in her career and has amassed over 1,000 strike outs, and 100 career victories in her tenure at Arizona. Her number 27 has been retired by that University
Her USA Softball team career. She has won two Olympic Medals one gold in 2004 in the victory against Austrailia, and a Silver medal win against Japan in 2008.
The attempt to bring back softball back in the Olympic Program, it has been knocked out of the 2016 games in Rio.

If you are looking for more information, I suggest you go read their blogs, and check out their blogs too while you are at it.

My So Called Fabulous Life by Brianna Glenn

In the Name of Love by Bianca Juarez

Jasmine Star Blog

If you are reading this from facebook.com, I can give you facebook fan pages for the corresponding blogs. These pros are looking for new feedback and new readers!

In the Name of Love

Jasmine Star

Jennie Finch has a fan page too:

Jennie Finch

Again, be on the lookout!

Thanks for reading, I write this because I find these bloggers and friends rather interesting, Trust me you might learn a thing or two from these blog writers. They really write blog entries that are worth reading!

Dancing with the stars!

2010-03-07T22:04:00.002-05:00

I am glad ABC is back in Cablevison. I am watching the Academy awards right now, In the meantime here are the "Dancing with the Stars" lineup for the 2010 season. It was just revealed today!

Pamela Anderson (actress)
Nicole Sherzinger (Pussycat Dolls)
Kate Gosselin (Jon and Kate Plus Eight)
Chad Johnson OchoCinco (NFL Cincinnati Bengals)
Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210)
Erin Andrews (ESPN)
Aiden Turner (All My Children)
Niecy Nash (Reno 911)
Jake Pavelka (The Bachelor)

I got this courtesy of MTV.com

This show looks interesting!

Cablevision vs ABC, Look at this!

2010-03-07T00:28:00.002-05:00

By ABC:

There's a secret Cablevision does not want you to know. You pay more than 500 million dollars a year for access to ABC7. Cablevision has been pocketing that money! But now rather than reaching a fair deal, Cablevision is letting subscribers lose ABC7 this weekend.

You Have Choices! Call Cablevision NOW and tell them LOSE MY SHOWS, LOSE MY BUSINESS!

March 3, 2010

In response to Cablevision’s ongoing campaign to mislead their consumers rather than focusing on reaching a fair agreement with ABC7 for retransmission consent, Rebecca S. Campbell, president and general manager, WABC-TV, has released the following statement:

It's time for Cablevision to stop spinning this issue and get serious about doing right by their customers. The fact is that, over and over again, Cablevision picks fights with programmers, and it is Cablevision subscribers who suffer the loss. The inconvenient truth about Cablevision is that it pockets hundreds of millions of dollars in subscriber fees each year by carrying ABC7. Dropping our station would be the latest insult. Their customers should know they have choices: They can switch service now and take their business to a provider that values them and isn't threatening them with the loss of programming every few months, or get us free-over-the-air.

ABC7 urges concerned Cablevision viewers to tell Cablevision Lose my Shows, Lose my Business by calling 1-877-990-ABC7 or visiting www.saveABC7.com

Cablevision claims they want to resolve this issue and not subject their customers to the loss of ABC7. However all of their offers have been designed to be rejected. For two years WABC has been working in good faith to try and reach an agreement that acknowledges the station's value financially and as a key resource to the community. This is value Cablevision already charges their customers up to $18 each month for access to. It is value they further recognize in their own channels such as Sundance, which they charge other cable and satellite operators to carry. It is patently unfair and unsustainable for Cablevision to pay fees to less popular channels and to pay fees to its own channels, while refusing to pay reasonable value to the most watched and most community-involved channel in New York.

About WABC
WABC-TV, Channel 7, the most watched local television station in the United States, serves more than 7.4 million television households in 29 counties covering New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. For more than 60 years, ABC7 has consistently been the leader in local news and local and national entertainment programming.

-- ABC --

And this is Cablevision's version of this dispute:

ABC's parent company has pulled the plug on WABC-7 and is demanding that Cablevision and its customers pay millions of dollars in new fees. Cablevision has asked ABC to continue delivering WABC-7 while we negotiate, but instead ABC is holding Cablevision customers hostage by pulling its programming.
It is wrong that ABC pulled the plug on WABC-7 as a negotiating tactic, and we are not alone in this point of view. Over 70 elected officials at the local, state and federal level, including U.S. Senator John Kerry, have urged ABC to return WABC-7 to our viewers while we negotiate a fair agreement.
Cablevision already pays ABC's parent company more than $200 million per year for its cable channels, including ESPN and ABC Family. Now ABC wants $40 million more in fees for WABC-7, a 20 percent fee increase for exactly the same programming.
In these difficult and challenging economic times, it is not fair for ABC to force Cablevision and its customers to pay tens of millions of dollars in new fees, what amounts to a new TV tax, for the same programming that is available today for free over the air and on the Internet.
It is wrong for ABC to demand $40 million in new fees, which is nothing more than a new TV tax, to help pay the salaries and bonuses for top ABC executives.
We have been able to reach agreements with every other broadcast network, including CBS, NBC, Fox and Univision. We have offered to pay ABC as much, or more than, what we pay these networks. ABC has rejected this offer and every offer we've made thus far.
While we work to return WABC-7 to the lineup, you can watch WABC-7 free over the air by obtaining a digital TV antenna from your local consumer electronics store.
Or, you can watch almost all of ABC's prime time programming free on the Internet at hulu.com or abc.com.

Who's side are you on, I think ABC sucks! Seriously I am a cable customer and I really dislike this back and forth bickering between tv companies and broadcasters. We viewers are being held hostage by this situation. Looks like I won't be watching the Academy awards tonight. I can care less. I don't really have any favorite movies from this past year anyways!

Adventures and school

2010-03-05T23:26:00.007-05:00

I would like to talk about school, and the importance of getting the highest grade possible towards your degree. That is what I'm doing right now.

So here are a few things that are on my mind:

If you are currently enrolled in school, that earns you a degree, keep up the good grades, having bad ones can mean dire consequences, and expulsion can happen.

I feel like those academically struggling can use a little help but I think this is more of a self-motivating thing to do well academically.

What's so different from grade school (elementary-high) is that there's more freedom, however time management is so crucial between success and failure in school.

There is this term Academic probation and students land on it if their grade point average falls below retention standards, (senior schools, it's 2.0, usually lower for community schools) Students who don't improve their academic status will eventually face expulsion.

I know keeping up the good grades is more of a common sense thing, however circumstances may prevent one from doing well in classes.

Study habits are important too, it can make a big difference between passing and failing. For example, when you have material coming from lectures and discussion courses, it's best to study them now, rather than cram it just a few days before the exam. I had the habit of cramming for exams and it killed me academically. I hope you don't make the same mistake as I did.

Reading the textbook. Don't just skim it, or look for short versions like "Cliff Notes". Those won't help you here. You must try to read the textbooks thoroughly and carefully. Take notes of the most important points. It will help you in the long run. Making outlines for your readings will help you too.

Here is my short list for doing well and getting the highest grades you can achieve

Attend every class: Too many absences can result in failure. If you don't attend, you can't participate, you can't take notes, and the instructor will have to mark you absent. Absences are the reasons people fail.
Be organized: Papers, pens, books, folders are helpful in organization. Use one notebook for each class or use dividers to separate notes for your three ring binder. Take some phone numbers from your classmates in case you need help or if you miss an important part of the lesson.
Time management: Study time, recreation, work, etc, time for all those must be balanced. This plays an important role in preparing for exams and projects.
Take good notes: Good note-taking, especially in lectures will help you do well, and these can be helpful for studying for exams.
Read a textbook effectively: Take notes to jot down the most important points of the textbook, most likely the terms will be reviewed.
Prepare for exams: Do not just start studying just a few days before the exam starts (that's cramming) In fact, when your first lesson begins, study it carefully and do the same for each upcoming lesson or lecture, and go over it daily. This helps you retain more information.
Help centers: If you having trouble with class, go to your instructor, a tutor, or a academic adviser for help in classes. They really know their material very well.
Study effectively: Find a quiet room to spend roughly two hours studying your material. For every three hours on one class, two of them are usually spent studying on your own. You probably didn't do this in high school!
Keep pace: If you start having those grades drop, go seek help or change your study habits. If your grades are high, keep them there, if they are low, make them higher in the next exam, assignment, and or project.
Exams: Exams play a huge role in determination of grades, do well and you'll be fine, do bad and watch your grade suffer.

Some things to point out during school life:

Classes may very in size, you may have from 15 students to as much as 100 in one classroom.
Critical thinking skills are required to do good in classes. When you read, you must be able to recall important points.
While Exams make up the big portion on your grade, homework does make very little, but they prepare you for exams.
Low grades can lead to a loss in financial aid, probationary status, disciplinary action and expulsion.
Most of the learning (I specified this earlier) is mostly done on your own, you should expect to spend hours reading, doing assignments and studying the material.
If you have computer work, save it on a disk. I highly recommend memory flash drive sticks because they can store as much as 2-8g of memory.
Returned papers, quizzes, and exams can be your help in studying for other exams and projects, it's best to keep them safe, even if the grades are low.
Phone numbers and e-mail addresses from classmates are a great way to keep in touch with others, so you can keep tabs on work.
Neat and organized space, prepare to study in a desk or table, when doing assignments.
Plan ahead for upcoming schoolwork, that way you don't have to stress when time is running short.
Adapt to different instructors, there are different teaching styles, get used to them quickly.
Prepare for each class by doing readings, assignments, and research beforehand. If you don't you'll be lost.
Communicate with your instructors, they can be your friends too, you know. They find their jobs enjoyable if students are more engaging.
Be on time. If your are late too much, your grade drops.
Participate, it helps, spread the word out.
If you work in groups, be active and take an role. If you are doing nothing, the group suffers too, not just you!
Take notes and recognize important information: Instructors place a big emphasis on them.
Read, read, and read some more. You may not understand the readings the first time, go read it again and take notes of the topics that you may not have looked thoroughly the first time.
Memorize important information! This is helpful especially if you have to memorize formulas in mathematics, or terms in history class. Use flash cards with the formula and answers in each side.
When writing paper assignments, be clear and concise. Proofread your paper or have someone do it for you, just don't have your helper write the paper for you.
Answering essay questions require that you address all aspects: Brainstorming helps too.
For every math question that you bump into solve the problem and check. Do not spend too much time on one problem. You must show all work in math problems, just the answer alone won't give you full credit. Partial credit for wrong answers is given out too.
Open Book tests give you the advantage of looking through your notes, however they require you to look at information quickly.
Test anxiety: Study early, often and relax. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't do good in the previous exams, maintain your self-esteem.

One thing to stress: Plagiarism! Do not be tempted to do it. If you cheat in exams and papers, there are disciplinary actions that can be taken against you and you'll eventually face expulsion! Do your own work instead!

That's it for this post!

ABC off the air for Cablevision!?

2010-03-03T12:54:00.002-05:00

This is one of those he said she said moments on cable TV. ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, and all the other ABC/ESPN network channels will be cut off the air on March 7, unless a deal is reached. Apparently ABC is demanding a $40,000,000 increase so they can carry the channels while Cablevision refuses to add this "tax" to their subscribers. I watch ESPN more often than ABC, however, this is getting ridiculous. If you are a cablevision subscriber, then you are being affected by this change:

Here's more info taken from cablevision.com/abc

ABC is threatening to pull the plug on WABC-7 unless Cablevision and its customers agree to pay millions of dollars in new fees. Cablevision has asked ABC to continue delivering WABC-7, but instead ABC is holding Cablevision customers hostage by threatening to pull its programming.
In these difficult and challenging economic times, it is not fair for ABC to force Cablevision and its customers to pay what amounts to a new TV tax for the same programming that is available today for free over the air and on the Internet.
Cablevision already pays ABC's parent company more than $200 million per year to carry its channels; now ABC wants a 20 percent fee increase for exactly the same programming.
It is wrong for ABC to demand $40 million in new fees to help pay the salaries and bonuses for top ABC executives.
Cablevision has tried in good faith to reach a fair agreement with ABC. In fact, top Cablevision executives traveled to ABC offices in California earlier this month, and had lengthy face-to-face meetings this week in Bethpage and New York City. We have made numerous proposals, all of which have been rejected.
Programs you won't be watching include:NBA Basketball, MLB Baseball, Dancing with the Stars, etc.

This isn't fun, really, but what can we do about it?

Send this message:
Dear ABC:
Now is not the time to demand a $40 million annual rate increase!

Tell ABC not to take their channel off Cablevision and negotiate a deal that is fair for everyone!

That is all.

Happy March and another blizzard recap.

2010-03-01T12:15:00.005-05:00

Hello, everyone.

Today is the first day of March, and it's on a Monday. Spring is right around the corner so we don't have to be wearing such heavy coats and knit caps anymore, (if you have been living in the cold days). Unfortunately for the residents of the east coast, there has been another storm that has blanketed cities for as much as one foot of snow, and some slush. The weather has been up and down in New York.

I have some photos from the 2nd blizzard to hit Brooklyn in the last month of February.

I'm actually standing in the middle of the street, luckily no cars came my way.
The buses still run.

...and so do the subways.
The snow plow.
That's me with the camera looking at a mirror glass wall.
The snowmen are at the boardwalk.

Here are more shots of them.

Believe it or not, the sun still shines.

Let's hope there is more sunshine along the way.

USA vs Canada

2010-02-28T00:50:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-02-27T23:49:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-02-25T23:31:00.006-05:00

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....

2010-02-23T21:24:00.004-05:00

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

2010-02-22T19:54:00.020-05:00

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.

2010-02-20T17:26:00.011-05:00

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

2010-02-20T12:12:00.010-05:00

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.

2010-02-18T23:28:00.008-05:00

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...

2010-02-18T19:37:00.002-05:00

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

My bus ride in Brooklyn

2010-02-17T13:10:00.010-05:00

I took two buses on my way to class. I just missed my northbound B68 bus along Coney Island Avenue and decided to hop on the next one. It looked like this

Next bus came and this is what it looked like.

I rode it and decided to take some photos of the interior. I am sitting on the rear section of this bus, which is higher than the front section of the C40 Low Floor bus.

I didn't disturb anyone so far on this bus. I guess nobody liked to sit on the back.

The five seats on the back, facing forward, the seats are so high, most people's feet don't even touch the ground.

I decided to move to the back where the "high back seats" were and sat on one of them and photograph some more.

Some buses traveled the opposite way, I decided to shoot some of them. The Semi-low floor C40LF.

Oh, a Orion V bus, with all high floors.

I finally get off at Avenue J.

Time for more bus photos!

I tried boarding this B6 bus using a RTS-06 model, but it was packed!

I finally get on the next B6 bus to Midwood. This bus would get packed quickly too.

And going to class, I took more bus shots! This is the B11 bus using a C40LF, going to Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

I hope you enjoyed the ride!

My museum trip in Manhattan

2010-02-15T21:27:00.012-05:00

The last time I went to a museum was back in late April of last year. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and looked at some sculptures that I went to do a report on.

Here are some photos of the train to Coney Island. I didn't ride it, just photograph it just for the fun of it.

The train would arrive a few minutes later.

My little bro, Mark would join me in this trip.

Let's go to the museum photos. The Greek Sculptures are first.

I did a report for the sculpture above.

Next are the vases and more statues.
I believe this is the wishing well. People dump coins and make a wish right here.

And here are a few more...

General admission is $12. For more info go to http://www.metmuseum.org/

Suggested

Recommended
Adults	$20
Seniors (65 and older)	$15
Students	$10*
Members (Join Now)	Free
Children under 12 (accompanied by an adult)	Free

To go there, by subway, it's the 4 5 and 6 lines at 86th Street via the Lexington Avenue Line. The M4 bus stops right there at 5th Avenue and 82nd Street.

From the West Side of Manhattan, it is the B and C via the Central Park West line or the 1 train via the Broadway Line and transfer to the M79 bus going Eastbound. For more travel help, the official site is the place to go.

Have a good day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:01:00.008-05:00

Today is Sunday, February 14th and I would like to wish everyone a happy Valentine's day. How do I know this, well I had a few family members reminding me that today is the day. Although it is designated as a holiday, it isn't a national holiday so all services would run as normal such as mailing, transportation and schools.

Valentine's day celebrates friendships with love and affection, usually when two people are having a strong friendship. The colors red and pink tend to dominate this day. Happiness runs everywhere during this time of year, and everyone acts friends towards one another. That is how I have seen the past few Valentine's Days. Candy, especially chocolate is eaten frequently. There's more sweets given out during the day, and red roses are the best selling plants.

Greeting cards that celebrate Valentine's day are given out too. They're usually colored pink and red.

Some people may not like the day because they don't have a partner. No matter it is still a fun day. In my opinion, you don't need a partner to celebrate Valentine's day, just treat it as a normal day or just celebrate it with decorations.

I never had a personal Valentine of my own, but I don't let that bother me. I often like to eat those sweet chocolates out of those red boxes shaped in hearts, and with different variations, from just milk chocolate, to chocolate with cherries, caramel, peanuts, and almonds. (I hope no one is allergic to peanuts, almonds)

What else is going on this month?

Asian New Year is taking place. Also known as Chinese New Year. Lots of Asians celebrate this by having festivals such as parades and feasts. This is evident in neighborhoods that are dominated by Asians.

They are celebrated in nations such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines.

This was another reminder from a few of my Asian friends and I thank them for reminding me of such an event.

In sports:

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are taking place in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, the United States is leading the medal count with four medals.

Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, and Skiing are amongst the sports you can see in the games. They are shown on NBC and their affiliate networks. The games end two weeks from today.

During this time, the National Hockey League season is on a hiatus while the winter games go on.

Oh another note:
This map was taken from weather.com. If you think snow was enough from last week, well we're about to be hit with it again this week too. It's not going to be as big of a hassle as of last week, but I can assure you, the snow plows will be working day and night to make sure the snow won't accumulate as much.

The entire east cost of the United States will be hit with some sort of precipitation whether that would be rain or snow. I hope you have your umbrellas and raincoats ready because it's going to be another challenge commuting to and from work/school, and any other place you have to go.

Some of the images from last week's blizzard. This week, it won't be such a problem, however the snow hasn't melted all the way.

Stay warm, everyone, and Happy Valentine's Day!

My first ever bus photos...

2010-02-14T00:59:00.008-05:00

I like buses a lot, they are really a cool way to get around. In New York City there are as much as 6,000 buses serving the New York City Region. They are provided by New York City Transit, Long Island Bus, and MTA Bus Company, which are all affiliates of the MTA serving the state of New York.

Here are some of the shots. The first two are from the upper East Side around Central Park in Manhattan. This bus is hybrid-electric powered.

These are from Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn. These buses are powered by compressed natural gas.

The next few are me taking a bus to class.
I am getting ready to board this new hybrid-electric powered bus.
I decided to take some photos of the inside as well.

Going home from class on another bus.

I had to wait for this ramp to go back inside. A wheelchair passenger was getting off the bus from the front. The ramp flips from the inside out so the wheelchair passenger can exit the bus. I went inside afterward.

Sometimes buses may be laying around the street while not in service. I managed to get a few shots of those too.

I hope you enjoyed this ride of the bus.

My baseball cap collection (as of Feb 2010)

2010-02-13T18:29:00.013-05:00

The cap is the World Series championship cap worn by the New York Yankees for winning the 2009 World Series.

I am a baseball fan. The best part of what people wear in baseball is their caps, because they have really nice designs on them and the caps are really colorful. I'll begin showing them by team.

The New York Mets are the first. They have the Citi Field patches on the left side of the cap to commemorate their first season at Citi Field in New York City in the borough of Queens.

Next are the New York Yankees. I have caps that have the World Series 2009 patches and the All star games of 2007 and 2008. All of the patches are on the left side of the cap. There's also a Yankee Stadium inaugural season patch on the back side of one of the caps.

The Chicago Cubs are here too.

The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Milwaukee Brewers.
The Colorado Rockies caps.

The Cincinnati Reds
The Toronto Blue Jays
The Cleveland Indians

The Florida Marlins.
The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Atlanta Braves
The Oakland Athletics

These caps right now are $33 apiece, however there are some sports retailers that offer the caps for less.

Friday Followers!

2010-02-12T21:21:00.001-05:00

Today is Friday, you know what that means! It's Friday Followers day!

The aftermath of the storm

2010-02-12T00:27:00.012-05:00

The storm that has hit Brooklyn, New York and the rest of New York City and the region has subsided. On my way to classes I decided to ride the B train headed towards Manhattan from the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn. The snow is still bright white the day after. However the conditions have made it slippery and people's feet are wet. Of course if you aren't wearing boots, just somehow and someway, your feet are bound to become wet from all that slush formed by the melted snow puddles in the sidewalk.

Transportation in New York City has returned to normal. The subways and buses, (NYCT, Bus Comp, and Long Island Bus) were running on or close to schedule. Some snowplows and garbage trucks were still removing and setting aside some snow that had struck the streets a day earlier.

Here are some photos.

I am entering the subway station in Brighton Beach and boarding the B train using R68 cars. This is along the Brighton Line.

Next up is the boarding of the train.

Soon enough, the B train leaves for Manhattan. I decided to snapshot some photographs along the elevated section. The tracks are still covered in snow.

Here comes Sheepshead Bay.

And we are leaving that neighborhood, only sticking there for about 20 seconds. Another Brighton bound B train passes us by.

The covered tracks at Cortelyou Road.
That is all for the B train.

Later in the day, I would take the F train bound to Coney Island coming from Manhattan. Snow is everywhere still. I am traveling along the Culver Line, passing the neighborhoods of Borough Park, Midwood, Gravesand, and Coney Island.

Now just waiting for the bus after leaving the F train at Neptune Avenue.

The winter storm of 2010 part 2

2010-02-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

I have just completed my walk in my neighborhood and I'll tell you it's really treacherous out there. Buses and subways are being affected in NYC big time. The snow still hits hard. Here are some of my other photos from today's events.

The streets along Brooklyn, well actually Brighton Beach were a bit hard to navigate around with...

A person blows the snow away along Brighton 6 Street.

My walk towards the boardwalk is adventurous.

I am looking around the boardwalk. It is bright white and the sky is dark.

I am looking south towards the ocean.

This is looking west. Hardly anyone is walking around here.
The boardwalk restaurants are closed.

I found this quite interesting.

And here's a team of snow enthusiasts.

That is all from the boardwalk. Time to get off.

Just walking down the street. The snow has piled on big time, but the buses still run.

That is it for this trip. I hope you are warm if you are in the northeast. If you are reading this from California, Florida, or anywhere else that's not affected by the snowstorm, I hope you're safe and sound too.

The winter storm of 2010

2010-02-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

While I was running some errands, I decided to take some photographs of my neighborhood. It was really windy and a mix of rain and snow occurred along my walk. The buses and subway aren't affected too much in NYC except that services will end early just to make sure other services run smoothly.

All of these are taken in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn.

I was supposed to be at school today but they decided to close, despite only a few inches of snow falling. It's still snowing as of this post.

These buses are still running, the B68 along Coney Island Avenue.

The Taxis of New York City are covered in snow too.

The snow has gathered a bit and puddles are around the corners.

A garbage truck lays there and takes the role of a snow plow.

A garbage truck taking the snow plow role instead of the garbage pickup. They were supposed to pick up garbage today.
This is the Brighton Beach subway station for the B and Q lines.

That's all I'll show for now. I hope you New Yorkers and those in the Northeast aren't too cold.

Friends today and years past

2010-02-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

Friends are a great way to communicate and they are helpful for everyone around the world. They try their best to help solve each other problems and they share common interests and purposes. They are there when you need them, and you are there when they need you.

However my days in high school, friends have come an gone. I still have some high school friends that I am happy to socialize with, play sports with, and just do some fun activities together. I don't know what else comes to mind with friends because right now, they're busy improving their school work and their grades have been shoddy as of late (unfortunately I have fallen into that same impediment as well)

I go to school and I have to try to make new buddies, every school semester. It is really hectic sometimes because trying to communicate with them, I become really anxious. It's not the feeling you want to have. When I have done group work in classes, it generally doesn't run smooth because there is usually one or two people who are not doing their work or not paying their attention. Group work with friends (I'm not trying to offend anyone here, just saying) has been amongst the most unproductive part in the last few months. Not saying that the effort is not being put there by everyone, but there seems to be a lack of organization.

When I was in high school I was picked on by two kids names Sherman and Gary. I had no buddies to protect me at the time, but these two kept spitting profanites and insults at me. It sucked. When my buddies came, they protected me.

My first buddies, Vladimir and Michael became good buds. They still are today, although one of them isn't living in my neighborhood anymore. Even though I have made some mistakes, (some really bad silly ones) they have taught me these several things:

1. Focus
2. Have Confidence
3. Be happy
4. Have good self-esteem
5. Be active
6. Exercise
7. Study hard
8. Set realistic expectations
9. Be a leader.

I know some of my buddies are having careers. Some are even playing professional sports, like basketball.

It's great to have friends and there are usually ups and downs.

Thanks for reading!

Remembering the old days in NYC

2010-02-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

I took a boat trip in the summer of 2002 going on a tour of Lower Manhattan.

I'm riding the boat, looking at the World Financial Center. One World Financial Center is to the far right. 2 WFC has a dome roof, 3 WFC has a triangular roof, and 4 WFC is standing in front of 3 WFC.

This is the Lower Manhattan Skyline, June 2002.

Here's the Statue of Liberty.

I am standing in front, with the maroon shirt. Those were the days. The upper crown of the statue was closed for a long time, it has reopened this year.

Anti-Flaming policy

2010-02-07T14:20:00.000-05:00

I know some of you are probably tired of me talking about the internet flame. After all it's freedom of speech, we are allowed to express our feelings and our thoughts, good or bad, we praise or criticize, we like or dislike, either way, it does have an effect.

There are ways internet sites have set up their anti-flaming or anti-hostility policies.

1. Profanity filters are set up to hide specific swear words. (sometimes with adverse effects, like Manuscript turns into M@#^$ript)
2. Administrators and moderators of sites do have the right to edit and delete comments and entries as deemed necessary if found to be offensive.
3. Rules of sites are set up so that users abide by them.
4. Sites may set limits as of certain actions users take such as adding friends or posting material.
5. Certain objects may be subjected to approvals before posting.
6. Files uploaded may be edited.
7. Customizing profiles may have certain limits.

I believe there's more than the ones I listed.
This is the fight for internet safety, it's really vital for everyone to have a safe and enjoyable internet experience.

Actually, this begins with you, user.

My first attempts at subway photographing

2010-02-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

In the Summer of 2007, it was the first time I decided to photograph my first shots of the NYC Subway. Here are some of the shots! They are posted in reverse order. I know some didn't come out that great, but it was worth a shot!

Next year, I would make some improvements, somewhat. Here's one thing, flash photography in the subway is illegal, but I forgot to turn off my flash, oops!

I hope you enjoyed!

I used to have a fish tank

2010-02-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

I used to have a fish tank and stored goldfish. The problem with it was that I had to keep cleaning the tank about at least once a month when chlorine made the water too dirty. Some people may argue that goldfish may not be worth taking care of because they only last a few months. I finally came to that conclusion that goldfish isn't going to be my pet anymore when they died. RIP fish!

For these goldfish, the tank was a bit too small.

Do you own a goldfish as a pet?

Rain and Snow

2010-02-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Rain and Snow are forms of precipitation or in other words, water that drops from the sky as a result of condensation. Water usually evaporates and goes up and when it cools it condenses and it falls as rain or snow, or just moisture. In case you are asking, no I don't plan on becoming a meteorologist anytime soon.

Rain and Snow are good and make nature look great.

Here's why:

By the way, these images are in public domain, I do give credit to the original photographer.
They promote plant life (rain only, not snow) They provide nutrients for the crops to grow. The precipitation is needed to ensure that no part of the land goes dry, or otherwise be stuck in arid conditions, like this:

Now there are some major drawbacks!

Commuting is hard with this weather. Operating a car and navigating is much harder. Tires may not work properly, especially with loads of snow. Too much rain can mean flooding. We don't need too much water, we just need the right amount to grow our plants and our crops. I don't know the real benefits of having snow other than the fact we can play with it.

I say this now because we are expecting a major snowstorm to hit New York City today.

My C++ Programs

2010-02-05T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some samples of my C++ Programs. I am using Dev C++ a C++ Compiler.

By the way C++ is a programming language and it's amongst the most popular computer languages in the world.

The program I wrote is for a user to add three numbers and print the sum of all three numbers. The execution box is black and is in MS-DOS format. I know these images are small, however these are click-able so you can see their original size.

Here are three other screen shots. I have listed the number, it's square, it's square root, and it's fourth root in decimal form to two decimal places.

If you want to play with C++ you can download Dev C++ here:
http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html

Another compiler is CodeBlocks. Here is it's download link:
http://www.codeblocks.org/downloads

These are free, but do not hold me accountable once they hit your computer machine.

By the way, I am doing this for schoolwork too. After all I do study Computer Science in school.

If you see something, say something!

2010-02-04T08:20:00.001-05:00

If you see something that is unusual to you, you're better off telling someone about it. I was inspired to write this post because a fellow blogger Bianca decided to write about a man who fell down at Los Angeles Airport, and he later died. Of course someone yelled for help, but it was too late.

http://liveinthenameoflove.blogspot.com/2010/02/be-emt.html

Anyways that's just one example.

You should be weary and fully aware of your surroundings:

You should tell someone, a transportation worker or law enforcement agency if anything appears suspicious.

For Example:
1. A person is in distress and needs medical attention due to (i.e. Dehydration, stroke, heart attack, etc.)
2. Unlawful activities such as a robbery.
3. A package or container that is unattended.

Among other things, there are thieves that stage distractions so that others may steal your belongings, be careful of those too.

Pickpockets do occur without warning, you're better off carrying bags with zippers on them and if you have to, use a combination lock to secure your personal belongings.

Baseball/softball season is coming up!

2010-02-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

Baseball and softball are two great sports. They are quite similar, however they are different. I’ll discuss the similarities first.

In both sports you can do the following:

1. You can hit the ball and run the bases.

2. You can steal a base.

3. An outfielder (or infielder) can pick up ground balls, dive or jump for fly balls, and jump over the fence to bring back a home run ball.

4. Four Balls for a walk, and three strikes for one out in a inning.

5. Both games are not timed.

6. There are lines that dictate “fair” and “foul” territory, usually with a white line that passes first and third bases respectively.

7. You can score runs while on base.

8. Games can be delayed, postponed, or even cancelled by inclement weather.

9. There are nine players to bat, and nine players to defend on the field.

10. Batting gloves can be worn, however this is optional. Most players do anyways.

11. Cleats are worn for traction purposes, because players run on dirt and grass. Normal sneakers are generally not a good idea.

12. Repetition is part of the game, especially for pitchers.

Only in Baseball:

1. Bullpens (where relief pitchers are warming up to help out the starting one) are used more frequently.

2. There is a raised mound for the pitcher to throw from.

3. Only wooden bats are allowed (at least in professional baseball)

4. Baseball caps with a brim are mandatory.

5. Batting helmets can have one flap or two flaps to cover ears.

6. Pitchers can throw at angle they wish.

Only in softball:

1. Throwing underhand is a must, overhand is illegal. A windmill motion is generally used.

2. The pitcher’s circle is not raised.

3. There is a double first base, one for the first baseman to field and defend and one for the baserunner to step on to have the hit count.

4. Batting helmets must have flaps to cover both ears (at least that’s what I’ve seen in softball games I’ve attended)

5. Wood and Aluminum bats may be used.

Generally speaking:

1. A baseball field has varying outfield wall distances with an average of about 400-420 to center field, and 330-400 on the corners.

2. A softball field is about two-thirds the size of a baseball field. To justify that claim, the distance between bases for baseball is 90 feet, whereas distances between bases in softball is 60 feet.

3. Softball games last 7 innings, while baseball games last 9 innings. There is a 7^th inning stretch in baseball, but no such for softball.

4. Softball games tend to be faster paced than in baseball.

5. In schools, the softball games are played for educational purposes.

6. Baseball pitchers, because of the different styles of pitching, with their arms bending, tend to have more injuries, than softball players doing the windmill (probably due to the fact that their arms hardly bend).

That is all I’ll say for now. If something comes up, I’ll add later.

I hope all of you are enjoying your day. Thanks for reading!

Baseball caps

2010-02-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Baseball caps are amongst the most popular types of hats around. While baseball players, (softball players too) wear caps, the fans can also wear the exact same ones the pros are wearing. The caps keeps the players warm in cold weather, while cool in warm weather, and they shield the players from bright lights and sunlight.

There are several variations of the baseball caps.

The most popular one is the cap with the adjustable back, either a plastic buttoning, or belt. There is also the fitted ones, baseball players wear during their games.

While you can wear either cap, the advantage of an adjustable cap is that you can change how your cap fits. With fitted caps, you have a set size and it has a defined shape, unlike the adjustable caps.

MLB caps were made of wool for the last few decades. Starting in 2007, the cap underwent a change and they were made of polyester instead.

The wool caps had a light gray undervisor and a white sweatband. The polyester caps now have both a black sweatband and undervisor to reduce glare from bright light.

While baseball caps are usually meant to show support for a sports team, they can have logos from different events like comic heroes, or letters, and variation of symbols.

NYC Subway videos

2010-02-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

These are some subway videos a friend of mine posted two months ago. I am in at least two of them. Enjoy. By the way I am the one with the big black glasses and a small camera and some thick hair. I am wearing a gray jacket with a blue bag.

My favorite video game villain.

2010-01-31T00:35:00.000-05:00

Bullet Bill is the villain. He has this stare of a madman. He tries to take his enemies down with explosive power. I think Bill is easily provoked into attacking others. Usually if you video game character is standing on the launching pads where Bill will take off from, he won't come out.

Bullet Bill has recently been a helper to characters in last place of the Mario Kart racing games. Thanks a lot, Bill. I'm going to win the race when I should be losing, but I'll be in first place because of your awesome speed.

If only Bullet Bill were a good guy or someone you can rely on instead of him attacking you with his speed, this would be a huge help to Mario. The games would be finished much faster with your character riding his back and smashing all enemies in sight, like sort of that effect you get with a star that makes your video game character invincible.

That is my take on Bullet Bill.

What is flaming?

2010-01-29T16:21:00.000-05:00

Flaming is interaction between internet users that is hostile, menacing, defaming, and the purpose is to insult, drag, or otherwise bring down fellow internet users. Why does flaming exist? People generally disagree on topics, however people's strong beliefs on certain things may cause that person to act hostile or angry towards another person that disagrees on a certain subject. Many websites and forums have set up rules that disallow flaming and members disobeying the anti-flaming policy have their profiles and or memberships disabled/deleted/banned.

Where does flaming occur?

1. Internet chat rooms.
2. Instant messaging.
3. Social networking sites
4. Blogs
5. News websites.
6. Video game chats
7. Forums
8. E-mail.
9. Video hosting websites.

Basically any site that allows feedback and comments is where flaming occurs.

What can you do about it?
1. If you're angry, and you're online and you're interacting with others, just stay away from your computer or device for now.
2. If you disagree, do it respectfully, no need to be hostile.
3. If others are giving you insults, do not fight back, and do not return messages.
4. Practice self restraint.
5. Report bad posts to administrators and moderators.
6. If any topics or conversations you are engaging in are making you uncomfortable, then tell your chatting friends to switch the subject.

That's all I'll say for now.