Semblance of Order - Travel, Restaurants, People and Neighborhoods in New York

Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) - Never Coming to NY?

2011-11-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

There are two large venues in New York City, Madison Square Garden and the soon to be Brooklyn Nets arena, which would be perfect to hold mixed martial arts or MMA fights in. Additionally, on Long Island, there is Nassau Colliseum which would serve the community there, which is interested in MMA in New York.

We were in Rhode Island this weekend and Rhode Island MMA or mixed martial arts is very popular there. There are different martial arts styles and techniques practiced there including, RI BJJ or Rhode Island brazilian jiu jitsu, RI Gracie brazilian jiu jitsu or Rhode Island Gracie BJJ.

Rhode Island BJJ Grappling Photo

One of the schools we visited was Coventry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Coventry Rhode Island which features RI BJJ or Rhode Island brazilian jiu jitsu, where they teach grappling and other floor techniques related to brazilian jiu jitsu in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training Picture

Another location where brazilian jiu jitsu is taught in New England is Kage Kontrol, on Orchard Street in New Bedford Massachusetts. Although located in New Bedford, Kage Kontrol features periodic MMA or mixed martial arts fights, where the fighters come primarily from Rhode Island. One can then infer that Kage Kontrol is a premier school for teaching Rhode Island BJJ or brazilian jiu jitsu and Massachusetts mixed martial arts or Mass MMA as well as RI MMA or Rhode Island mixed martial arts.

RI BJJ or Rhode Island Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Video

New Yorkers who are interested in mixed martial arts, should not have to travel this far or need to travel out of state to see MMA fights but the New York state assembly has thwarted every attempt to make mixed martial arts fighting legal in New York.

Rhode Island Mixed Martial Arts Photo

Mixed martial arts is no more violent than boxing, which is legal and sanctioned in New York state and MMA would bring much needed revenue to both the local and state tax coffers, if these sporting matches are legalized. Until that time, for mixed martial arts enthusiasts, they can travel to New Bedford Mass or Rhode Island to watch and experience RI BJJ at Coventry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy or Kage Kontrol for Rhode Island MMA or RI mixed martial arts.

Facebook and Your Private Information

2011-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Facebook.com used to be cool. It was a great way to re-connect to long lost friends and family and to post photos and videos that only your friends and family can appreciate. As I said, it used to be cool. If I want to delete my yahoo, google or aol account, for example, each of them will say something to the effect of "Are you sure you want to delete your account" or "This action cannot be un-done once you click ok".

Facebook on the other hand does not actually delete your account. They only de-activate it. If you decide to re-open your Facebook account, it will re-activate it for you, as if your information is still stored on their servers. I have no problem with that, if my stored information is not shared with anyone but Facebook does share your information with third parties, with or without your approval.

I went to the New York Post's website and was reading a story. I was signed on, in a separate browser to Facebook. At the end of every story, in the comments section on the New York Post's website, my Facebook profile photo and a link to it automatically appeared. There was no opt-in or approval button for me to click, to give the New York Post authority to link my Facebook profile as a sign-in to their service!

I am aware that News Corp (the owner of both Myspace and the New York Post) and Facebook recently began sharing user information but I didn't realize that this information would be automatically intrusive. Facebook, in my opinion is close to becoming the one-hit wonder that Myspace has become simply because those who joined it (Facebook) did so because they traded away revealing their identity and personal information in return for the expectation that said personal information will be safeguarded and protected. Facebook has failed miserably in safeguarding it's users personal information and profiles.

If you must read the New York Post, DO NOT read it while signed in to Facebook because if your Facebook signon is automatically parsed into the New York Post's browser, it is more than likely being stored on their servers.

Methinks this is a job for the FCC or FTC to sort out.

New York Hospital and New York Medical Center, URMC

2010-06-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

I visited Rochester New York last weekend and was impressed with the small town flavor but Rochester New York is home to the University of Rochester Medical Center and, of course, the University of Rochester.

The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or URoc) is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. It is often described as a small, liberal arts college in a big, research university. The University grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs. The University is home to several noted schools and programs, including the number one ranked Eastman School of Music and The Institute of Optics, the oldest optics program in the United States. The University enrolls approximately 4,600 undergraduates and 3,900 graduate students. The University of Rochester with its affiliated Strong Health System is the largest employer in the Greater Rochester area and the third largest employer in the state of New York. [Ref. Wikipedia]

Located one mile south of the Medical Center, South Campus is home to the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). LLE houses the OMEGA laser, the largest direct-drive laser facility in the world.

The University of Rochester Medical Center rivals and in my opinion surpasses downstate institutions such as New York University Medical Center, with it's state of the art equipment such as CT scanners, xray machines, mammography equipment, nuclear medicine and lasers.

Here is a one view of the University of Rochester Medical Center

The University of Rochester Medical Center boasts some of the finest cancer care and treatment facilities in the world and across from Strong Hospital, the University of Rochester Medical Center is building a new, state of the art Neurological research and treatment facility. Here is a photo of the new University of Rochester Neurology facility under contruction:

Finally, here is a photo of the central campus of the University of Rochester.

New York Police Department Helicopter Searches East River at Pier 17 South Street Seaport

2010-06-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I was at the South Street Seaports' Pier 17 last night and while there, I saw some lights off in the distance in the East River, between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. I noticed they were from a NYPD helicopter, which was hovering and pointing it's search lights at the water. It then came closer and closer to wear I was and dropped very low to the water in an apparent search mode. I didn't bother to ask them what was up but I did shoot this video.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Oil Well Data Logging

2010-05-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

We all know that the Gulf of Mexico is experiencing an environmental catastrophe due to thousands of gallons of oil being released into the water, over a mile down. This is coming from an oil reservoir, which was found and was in the process of being capped for future extraction. As this capping process was being done, a burst of methane or natural gas, shot up through the well and ultimately to the drilling platform, where an explosion was sparked, whose origin is unknown at this time.

Off-shore oil exploration and drilling is a sometimes, hit or miss endeavor, where boreholes are dug and then mapping of or making a detailed record of the geological formations that the borehole penetrates are recorded and analyzed. This process is known as oil well data logging or well logging.

In geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid is a fluid used to drill boreholes in the earth. Liquid drilling flowing is often called drilling mud, whose main function include providing hydrostatic pressure to prevent formation fluids from entering into the well bore, keeping the drill bit cool and clean during drilling, carrying out drill cuttings, and suspending the drill cuttings while drilling is paused and when the drilling assembly is brought in and out of the hole.

It appears that this drilling fluid or drilling mud, acts as a barrier or safety mechanism for the stability of the oil well, if for instance, a burst of dangerous natural gas surges through the newly drilled well. This is what appears to have created the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico.

For a detailed diagram of the events leading up to the oil spill, click on this link to NOLA.com: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Diagram

British Petroleum or BP has decided to attempt to stop the flow of oil by using a process called "top kill" which is basically ramming drilling fluids or drilling mud down into the well, to stop the oils flow and then cap the well permanently using a concrete block or other capping method.

It appears that the entire accident was caused by the accidental or intentional depletion of the drill fluid from the well, which when the concrete block failed was the last safety mechanism in place to prevent the natural gas surge and eventual explosion. This same drilling fluid is now being used in this top kill process to stem the flow of oil from this runaway well.

We would like to think that there are smart and bright people bringing all of their expertise to bear in stemming and eventually capping the flow of oil from this Gulf of Mexico British Petroleum oil well. There are processes such as oil skimming, oil dispersants and other capture techniques that should be and will probably be employed to catch this enormous oil spill. General Electric, for example, manufactures oil exploration and oil drilling equipment. Spellman High Voltage manufactures high voltage power supply equipment used in oil exploration and oil drilling equipment.

Actor Kevin Costner and his scientist brother have a process by which oil can be separated from water, which British Petroleum has recently agreed to test. We can only hope that the bright and smart people in charge decide to employ existing and emerging technologies to help the petroleum contaminants that are flowing unabated into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening its ecology and the means of living for millions of people.

Denver Colorado - Coors Field, Pepsi Center and Invesco Field

2010-04-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Dallas Plummer traveled to Denver Colorado the weekend of April 16th through April 19th and stayed at the Embassy Suites Aurora in Denver and had a pretty nice time. I did some internet stuff for a high voltage power supply company and a Marin County real estate firm.

The flight was too long especially since I was sitting next to a frolicking 3 year old who waited until I was in a deep sleep, to kick me or hit me on my elbow to wake me up. Embassy Suites did have a courtesy van, which picked me up at Denver International Airport and I was checked in to my room in less than 15 minutes from the time the flight landed.

Here is a photo of the Denver Colorado hotel I stayed in, which was Embassy Suites:

Here are photos of the room in the Embassy Suites Denver hotel I was at:

I went to a fish fry on Saturday and I worked the grill and then afterward sat down and ate some steak, shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms, so the day turned out quite nice. Here is a photo of my plate at the Denver fish fry:

On Sunday or the day of this writing, I went to downtown Denver or LoDo as the locals call it and I took photos of Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies play, then to the Pepsi Center, where the Denver Nuggets live. I took a photo of Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, off in the distance because I was not traveling that far to snap a photo. I did like the fact that each stadium is within walking distance of one another and the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains is pretty cool. Here are photos of Coors Field, the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field -- in that order:

So there you have it. Denver Colorado is a pretty cool city to travel to and most of the major Denver tourist spots are within walking distance of one another. I recommend staying at the Embassy Suites Aurora because of its convenience and the complementary services that they provide for their guests. They are located at 4444 North Havana Street, Denver, Colorado, United States 80239. Tell them I sent you

Organic Food The Way To Go

2010-03-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

For those of us baby boomers or those who were born between 1955 and 1975, we were mostly raised on organic food types, that is, food that is grown naturally and without harmful pesticides. These include grains and farm grown vegetables such as corn, wheat, soy, beans, etc. Meat and meat products such as bovine, port and chicken, when bred organically as said to be free range and are not fed any hormones or antibiotics to promote growth or in the case of dairy or milk products, are not fed hormones or anti-biotics to increase milk or egg production. TAQW4K973HQP

I love ice cream and I love milk. I have never, ever been diagnosed as being lactose intolerant and this is not something that grows on you. Either you are lactose intolerant or you aren't lactose intolerant. About 10 years ago, I stopped drinking store purchased milk from such chains as Pathmark, Shop Rite and Keyfood, simply because I felt (but without supportive proof) that I was drinking milk that came from cows which were bred with anti-biotics and hormones. I would always feel bloated or simply get sick, so I stopped drinking milk and milk products.

I wasn't going to switch to soy milk because that prospect was not enticing to me. One of the main hormones that dairy cattle are fed to produce more milk is Bovine somatotropin. The http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm130360.htm states that drinking milk that has come from cows that have been injected with this hormone, in a word, will produce no ill or side effects from this consumption.

As I stated previously, I stopped drinking milk from some of the larger store chains, since I felt that their milk is not organic. I have since started shopping at an organic store and have been purchasing dairy and dairy products including milk, eggs and ice cream and I have not experienced the bloating and digestive distress that I had experienced when drinking non-organic milk.

This past weekend I began to shop at Trader Joes and Whole Foods for my meat products and the feeling that I have experienced after consuming their organic, grain and free range meat products is remarkable. Let me use some examples: I used to eat, every now and again, at Dallas BBQs around New York City. I stopped eating there because I started experiencing this bloated feeling. Further, when a chicken wing is larger than a chicken breast, thigh or drumstick, something is wrong. I personally believe that with balance, such as eating red meat once or twice a week or even going a week or so without it's consumption is not a bad thing. Balancing the diet with fish, a vegetable only meal or poultry and balancing each meal with a starch and vegetable, is sound eating.

One of the main reasons for not consuming beef, pork or chickens which have been treated with or fed hormones and anti-biotics is the bovine disease, Mad Cow Disease. The British government performed research and found that this disease is caused by feeding a normally herbivore animal, such as a cow, the remains of other cattle in the form of meat and bone meal (MBM). This means that by feeding bovine the remains of other bovine, you are making the recipient bovine creature a cannibal. These animals were kept in the food chain and some human consumption of these Mad Cow disease tainted bovine occurred and the human variation of mad cow disease occurred.

Some of what companies are doing and what the USDA do are to perform food inspection using large x-ray type machines which scan food for improprieties and obvious diseases. These machines are industrial and require a lot of energy and high voltage power supplies for food inspection devices.

These examples are what I have experienced and may differ from person to person but simply put, each person should be aware of and watch what they eat.

Marin County California Real Estate - A Welcome Relocation from New York City

2010-03-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

I have been following a blog and real estate website, www.marinrealestate.net as I have a friend who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marin County is an affluent county in California, which boasts fine and stately homes, excellent school systems and an unsurpassed quality of life.

The realtors of this website were named the top grossing realtors in Marin County for 2009, which, of course, led me to their website. For those well to do New Yorkers looking for a retreat from the fast pace of New York City might find solace in this peaceful community.

Historically, Marin has always been one of the more desirable places to live in the Bay Area because of its proximity to the San Francisco, its schools, weather and the high standard of living enjoyed by its residents. In addition, a large part of the County is designated open space which limits growth and any large new developments.

This also means that inventory is kept limited. Although it fluctuates with differing markets and times of the year, it is not affected by hundreds of new homes that get built and flood the market. Currently, there are approximately 1500 residences on the market of which 20% are condominiums. Approximately 29% of the inventory is in escrow which is up from the latter part of 2008. The market is improving as buyers realize that Marin has and always will experience appreciation in their housing market and they feel confident in buying homes here on both a financial and personal level.

The Marin real estate company featured here of Peter and Karin Narodny surely know Marin County California real estate and home buying and selling in Marin California. They have access to an extensive real estate inventory in Marin County and their website features a cutting edge real estate search engine.

Here are some photos of Marin County California and some homes for sale in Marin.

Gowanus Canal Achieves Federal Super Fund Status - Water Filtration?

2010-03-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

In March of 2008, I went in to Brooklyn and went down to Morgan Avenue and walked along the old railroad tracks towards Queens until I came to the railroad bridge which went over the Newtown Creek. Here is the story: www.grimvale.blogspot.com/2008/03/oughtta-be-law-newtown-creek-travesty.html

The story shows how dirty the Newtown Creek is the level of pollution is amazing but the City of New York and the EPA at the local and federal level have devised a cleanup plan, which although it moves slowly, it still moves. The Gowanus Canal on the other hand, has achieved federal Super Fund status - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowanus_Canal, where the Newtown Creek did not but they are/were both, arguably, two of the most polluted waterways in New York City.

Although the plan is not to bring back the Gowanus Canal to the level where people can drink from it but the goal is to make it livable for wildlife who nest there and for wayward marine life, who come into the canal from the Verrazano Narrows. The pollutin of the Gowanus Canal did not just occur - this has been going on for nearly a generation, where businesses, who have since come and gone, used to dump their wastes directly into the canal. This waste has seeped into the sediment of the canal, which will most likely have to be dredged and carted away to some remote landfill.

The long term project would be to install some sort of water filtration or waste water treatment facility or system but this may be costly because of the equipment needed for this, such as the high voltage power supplies or generators needed for these waste water treatment systems but the Army Corp of Engineers and the scientists at the DEP will come up with a lasting solution.

Here is a photo of the Newtown Creek, taken while standing on the railroad bridge:

Here is another photo, taken further upstream on Newtown Creek:

If you notice, you see that there is a containment boom in the right of this photo. Now, I also went down to the Gowanus Canal and took some photos of the canal.

Here below is one:

Here is another and please note the green fuel tanks in the photo:

I noticed the fuel tanks and I knew I had seen this company before and I reviewed the photos which I took of the Newtown Creek and I found this:

As you can see, the same company, that requires a containment boom to be deployed just below one of its fuel tanks in the Newtown Creek, also has a facility on the shoreline of the Gowanus Canal. Water filtration and waste water treament indeed.

Washington DC Hotel Video, Tourism, Travel and Restaurant Photos

2010-02-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

I went down to Washington DC several times in the last few weeks and when traveling, it is my opinion that the less of a hassle it is to travel, the better the trip. For example, getting to an airport 2 or 3 hours prior to the plane taking off is a waste of time and if I have another option to travel other than airplane, I'll take it. Which is why, when I travel to Washington DC, I always opt to take Amtrak. I bring my laptop with me, my drink of choice and a few DVD's and in no time, the train is pulling in to Union Station in Washington. Just a note though: If you would like total quiet and don't want to be disturbed, Amtrak has a feature called a "quiet" car. This means that when you are in this car, library rules apply, that is, no loud talking, absolutely no cell phone conversations and no loud music.

One side thought though: When I travel, I pack underwear, socks, toothbrush, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste and maybe 2 pairs of jeans and a shirt or 2 which fits snugly in my knapsack, which also holds my laptop. This should hold me for 2 - 3 days. I have noticed people traveling down to Washington DC for like 2 days and they are lugging steamer trunks. Please be a knowledgeable traveler and don't draw attention to yourself as a tourist--pack your bags and luggage wisely and efficiently.

If you know you are going to travel to Washington DC or anywhere on the Northeast Corridor line (from Boston - New York - Philadephia - Washington DC), Amtrak features weekend specials where your trip may cost as low ast $49.00 one way and if you book your trip far enough in advance, you may realize further discounts. Amtrak also has a frequent traveler program called GuestRewards, which allows you to add points for future travel discounts.

Here is some video and a photo of Amtrak's premier train, the Acela:

Amtrak Acela Video

Amtrak Acela Train Photo

So I leave Union Station and head on down to my hotel in Washington DC. I have a choice of two that I use, the first is the Embassy Suites on 22nd and M Street and the other is the Embassy Suites DC Convention Center Hotel.

Here are photos of the Washington DC hotel on 22nd Street.

Washington DC Hotel Bedroom Photo

Living Room Picture at Washington Embassy Suites Hotel

When I was in Washington and stayed at the DC hotel on 22nd Street, the first round of the NFL playoffs was going on, so I had to do a pre-pre-pre Super Bowl party and here are some of the furnishings:

The next morning, I headed out to the United States Supreme Court and took some video outside of the high court but I also took some video inside the court. So here you have the:

United States Supreme Court Video

At the Washington DC hotel on M Street, they had a large pool with some exotic fish, so I stopped by and took some video of the pool to show the design of this Washington DC hotel and to also show how family and tourist friendly this Washington hotel is. I did kind of get the heebie jeebies because the fish saw me there and they all swam over to me as if I was going to toss them some food. Here is the video:

It was now time to go out into the city of Washington DC and find a good restaurant. I'm not so much of a steak dude but I have ordered Italian, French and so-called Cajun food and either the food tasted like it was microwaved or it was too bland and over priced. So when I travel, I'm usually going to take the safe bet and do some kind of steak but lately I'm slowing down on the large cuts, such as over 20 ounces. So I found a good Washington DC restaurant on 7th Street called the Chop House. They had something called tenderloin tips, which was basically sliced steak with a nice saunce on it and they also had braised or roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes and a salad. The food was decent and not expensive. Here are a few of the photos:

Salad and Cocktail at Washington DC Steak House Restaurant

Washington DC Steak Restaurant Photo of Tenderloin Tips and Mushrooms

The other Washington DC hotel that I stayed at was on 10th Street and near the Washington DC Convention Center. This Washington hotel is located closer to downtown Washington DC and closer to features such as the Smithsonian Institute, White House and Capitol Hill. The DC Convention Center hotel is near major restaurants and Washington DC's so-called Chinatown as well as the Verizon Center.

Here is the Washington DC Hotel Video which I created.

and when we travel, we decided to travel light, so here are some of the spirits we brought with us:

So there you have it. Traveling to Washington DC or any other city on the Northeast Corridor is easy to access and if you use some of the discounts or book your hotel and travel early, you will receive substantial travel discounts, whether it is a weekend getaway or if you are simply doing the travel and tourism thing.

New York City Super Bowl Party in New York City Hotel

2010-02-23T20:24:00.001-08:00

The New York City Super Bowl party at the New York City Embassy Suites hotel was cool in that, there were no interruptions, there was good food and drink and it was not a crowded event. This New York City hotel is located in the heart of lower Manhattan and steps from the World Trade Center and Battery Park City. There rooms are extremely large and have a living room area, with a large flat panel television, sink, sofabed and a table with 3 chairs. The bedroom featured a king size bed, a table for work and a large flat panel television.

Living Room Area of New York City Hotel

With the hotel stay and for each night that you stay at this New York City hotel, there is a complimentary made to order breakfast every morning and a managers cocktail party, with complimentary drinks every evening. It is secure and it offers a very reasonable rate for the night considering that it is in New York City.

Here is the Bedroom of this New York City Hotel

We started taking a few pictures before the game started but when the game started we put the camera away. This is the first of the six packs that came into our hotel room at this NYC hotel but we did work a few beers.

Beers Chilling in Sink at NYC Hotel

The whole point is that we watched the game, no one was too drunk and we did the hotel room in case anyone who drove their car, needed to dry out or sleep it off before getting behind the wheel of their car. Embassy Suites is a very good New York City hotel and is a great place to stay when traveling to New York City or when doing the tourist thing.

Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York

2009-12-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

I, Dallas Plummer, type this blog post from the Cooper Hewitt Museum on 91st Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which is a part of the Smithsonian Institute and this part of Fifth Avenue is referred to as Museum Mile. The Cooper-Hewitt Museum sits in Andrew Carnegie's mansion, which has national historic landmark status and was taken over by the Smithsonian Institute in 1977 and is now the design museum which you see today. They have a cafe, garden and extremely valuable galleries and a day pass for an individual is $15.00. Visit their website at www.cooperhewitt.org. This New York City museum has a style and ambiance all its own and is a good visit for research and development or simply to come to a quiet place for genuflection. You can reach the museum by taking the Lexington Avenue (IRT) 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street and walk to Fifth Avenue and then go up to 91st Street. Enjoy your day and it's well worth the time spent. The Smithsonian Institute is overall a cool place to visit, especially The Castle in Washington DC. In the summertime, their gardens are nice to just sit in and have a cup of java, provided the bees don't attack you. Here are two photos from different views of the Cooper Hewitt Museum aka as Andrew Carnegies' mansion. Pretty impressive but 64 rooms? and here is the last one . Again, you may visit the website of the Smithsonian Institute at www.si.edu for a listing of all museums in the Smithsonian family of museums but for the New York City museum that is part of the Smithsonian, visit the Cooper Hewitt at www.cooperhewitt.org

New York StrapHanger Origin Video at NYC Transit Museum

2009-06-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last month, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, we went to the New York City Transit Museum in Brooklyn New York on the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. I've always wondered why they refer to New York City subway riders as strap hangers and after my visit to the NY transit museum, I found out why. Check out the video below of the author, Dallas Plummer by his videographer, Dean Lewis, as he shows the origin of the term New York Straphanger.

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There were many more interesting points of interest at the transit museum such as the period ads in the subway cars, which were funny and interesting. Interesting things such as phone numbers way back when were preceded by lettering. For example, if you wanted to call somewhere in Manhattan, the lettering preceding the number might be MU5-3015, with the MU standing for Murray Hill and that being the neighborhood.

This photo on a period New York City subway train shows the headlines and feelings of the time. This NATA ad was interesting.

Here is a video of the author of this blog post, Dallas Plummer, as he talks about old subway trains, subway lines and website design, his website www.seoposse.com making your website popular and search engine optimization, as he uses one of the period New York subway cars as his studio and office for this discussion. Stay tuned to this blog for additional video from the New York Transit Museum visit and discussions on the old New York City subways, transit and infrastructure of the time, including what IND, IRT and BMT means in the subway system, then and now. For more information on SEO and search engine optimization, visit the website www.seoposse.com

Matt McGowan of Clickz.com Video Interview at New York SES 2009 by Businessknowhow.com

2009-03-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

All last week, starting on Tuesday, I was at the New York Hilton for the Search Engine Strategies - SES 2009 Search Marketing trade show. I went around to various booths, talked to people, listened to people and did some pretty interesting video interviews. I will be blogging for businessknow.com which is a website for small business owners.

The first of these, which I will be posting over the next couple of days, is of Matt McGowan, the host of SES or Search Engine Strategies and publisher at clickz.com. His knowledge and insight of search engine marketing is vast and I have posted the video for your perusal.

Kevin McGowan Interview at New York SES 2009 by Businessknowhow.com

Mortgage Backed Securites, Foreclosures and Shady Real Estate Practices

2009-03-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Regarding mortgage backed securities, foreclosures and shady real estate practices, most reputable or successful Realtors in New York County, who are members of the Real Estate Board of New York (www.rebny.com) refer to the outer boroughs of New York City as the "Wild Wild West".

What do they mean? Well, if you look at some of the real estate offices in for example, Brooklyn and in particular, traveling up Nostrand Avenue from Crown Heights to Flatbush, you will see storefronts with awnings titled, "Real Estate Broker, Houses for Sale, We Pay Cash, No Money Down and in smaller lettering on the windows of the same storefront you will see, Notary Public, Immigration, Fax/Copies, Insurance, Mortgages". If you look in the office, there are perhaps two desks and one person sitting at that desk and is usually on the phone.

Maybe I'm wrong but if I am going to consummate a financial transaction with a stranger who seems to do it all, I would be wary that my interests are not going to be the prime driving force in this transaction. The shady real estate brokers in the outer boroughs would bring in a buyer, do a "credit check" and say that the credit is either not good or use the ole' gotcha, "we will work with you". If someones credit is not good, has little or no money to put down on a major real estate transaction, how do you "work with them?". It's really quite simple. Real Estate Brothers (fictitious) opens up a mortgage business separate from the real estate sales business--but only on paper. Real Estate Brothers will then share office space with a so-called new and separate entity titled "Real Estate Brothers Mortgage and Financial Services".

Now, when someone who needs to be "worked with" needs a favorable loan approval, are they sent elsewhere to secure their own loan? That makes no sense because the two separate entities are going to "work with" this home buyer (usually a first time home buyer). It should really be that they are going to "work over" this first time home buyer by securing a huge loan that the homeowner cannot possibly afford, with some sort of rate adjustment in the coming months, putting this home buyer on the fast track to foreclosure. But wait, our real estate broker even gets this home buyer to use an honest lawyer to assist with closing costs, etc. It doesn't stop there: appraisers, title insurance, building inspectors may all be in for the take.

About foreclosures: I have personally been approached by so-called reputable real estate brokers telling me that if they give me a foreclosure list and I go to the owners of these properties that are in danger of foreclosure and convince them to sell their homes to save their good credit, "I would get $5000 tax-free". Now, I don't know a very whole lot about financials, the stock market and such but $5000 tax free is knowing income tax evasion, which if brought into the mix of these large financial transactions, can lead to absolutely no good.

Well, what is one to do? I am very pleased that the US Federal Government has decided to bail out certain companies and homeowners who meet certain criteria. Why is that? Well, if the federal government put in one cent, they will look to re-coup their investment and they have thousands of kennels of law enforcement attack dogs who can now go after those who engaged in fraudulent and criminal behavior. I would dread having the FBI, IRS and US Postal Inspectors looking at me or my finances. Their money and resources are long and once the financial sector solidifies and settles down, I will be sitting in front of the US Court House with popcorn, watching the procession of shady people who brought this financial mess on.

Technorati Profile

Search Engine Strategies (SES) - New York Hilton, March 23 - March 27, 2009

2009-03-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

In these trying economic times, where does one turn to for an oasis of new and emerging technologies, alternative career paths and networking events? To the Great-Granddaddy of search engine marketing events, Search Engine Strategies (SES) at the New York Hilton on March 23 - March 27, 2009.

Register for this event for the opportunity to speak to representative of such companies as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, SEMPO and many others. Find out where search engine marketing is and where it is going. Register to attend the many breakout sessions and listen to speakers such as Jeff Pruitt, SEMPO President, Chris Boggs of Rosetta, Kevin Lee of Didit, Ariel Bardin of Google to name a few.

For photos of last years event, go here

Each days' events will culminate with various networking events where you will meet such entrepreneurs as Janet Attard of Attard Communications, Katie Donovan of the SEMPO Institute and Dave Fall of Google.

Clear your schedule and plan to attend this event as you will come away with a new appreciation for search engine marketing and it's associated technology and a briefcase full of new business and professional contacts.

The New York Hilton is located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas in New York and can best be reached via New York City subway by taking the F, D, W, B to 47-50th Street Rockefeller Center or the N, Q, R to 57th Street and 7th Avenue.

CHIPS Rule 13, Bank Failures, Mortgage Backed Securities and the Whole Economic Mess

2009-02-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

We live in an electronic society, which is most evident in the financial sector. Most of the existing, new and emerging technologies are employed in the financial sector, including, banks, insurance and investment companies.

Having previously worked in the back office for domestic and foreign banks and a Wall Street investment company, it is easy to see how the world economy finds itself in the mess that it is in. Some keywords that I personally pay attention to are: institutional investor, federal reserve, CHIPS, SWIFT, foreign exchange, position, settlements and reconcilement.

Let’s look first at CHIPS, the federal reserve (FEDWIRE) and SWIFT. Most banks make their payments or funds transfer electronically, hence the term EFT or EFTS (Electronic Funds Transfer or Electronic Funds Transfer System), which is how your paycheck is available on payday to your bank account via direct deposit. CHIPS (Clearing House Inter-bank Payments System) is a privately operated, real-time, multilateral, payments system typically used for large dollar payments. CHIPS is owned by financial institutions, and any banking organization with a regulated U.S. presence may become an owner and participate in the network.

The payments transferred over CHIPS are often related to international interbank transactions, including the dollar payments resulting from foreign currency transactions (such as spot and currency swap contracts) and Euro placements and returns. Payment orders are also sent over CHIPS for the purpose of adjusting correspondent balances and making payments associated with commercial transactions, bank loans, and securities transactions. Reference:http://knol.google.com/k/paras-verma/chips/3mh4aumwkgjuc/3#, http://chips.org/about/pages/033738.php

Let’s next look at SWIFT: SWIFT is the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, a member-owned cooperative through which the financial world conducts its business operations with speed, certainty and confidence. Over 8,300 banking organizations, securities institutions and corporate customers in more than 208 countries trust us every day to exchange millions of standardized financial messages.

SWIFT is solely a carrier of messages. It does not hold funds nor does it manage accounts on behalf of customers, nor does it store financial information on an on-going basis. As a data carrier, SWIFT transports messages between two financial institutions. This activity involves the secure exchange of proprietary data while ensuring its confidentiality and integrity. Reference: http://www.swift.com/about_swift/company_information/index.page?lang=en

Next up is FEDWIRE: Fedwire is a Real Time Gross Settlement Funds Transfer system operated by the Federal Reserve Banks that enables financial institutions to electronically transfer funds between its more than 9,500 participants. In conjunction with the privately held Clearing House Interbank Payments System (CHIPS), Fedwire is the primary United States network for large-value or time-critical domestic and international payments, and it is designed to be highly resilient and redundant.

The average daily value of transfers over the Fedwire Funds Service in 2007 was approximately $2.7 trillion, and the daily average number of payments was about 537,000. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedwire

As one can see, each of these each of these EFTS (FEDWIRE and CHIPS) are a network to transfer and settle payments for and from financial institutions, particularly banks. In the case of SWIFT, they do not hold or manage funds but their messages processed are commonly payment advice messages, that is, telling one firm how to pay the other. As you can see from the above data, CHIPS and FEDWIRE, process over $2 trillion dollars per day.

CHIPS cannot exist without FEDWIRE but FEDWIRE can exist without CHIPS simply because all financial transactions settled at the end of day in the United States are reconciled or settled through the Federal Reserve Bank (FEDWIRE). At the end of the processing day, CHIPS closes its system before FEDWIRE, so that all of CHIPS payments have time to be processed by the federal reserve bank.

If a bank misses a payment during the day for say $850million USD, they must hold that payment and make it the next business day. The overnight interest penalty on that payment could be very high. If Bank A fails and owes Bank B money, Bank B may not be able to pay Bank C, who just happens to owe Bank D, etc. If Bank C is a strong financial institution, they may have reserves to cover the failed payments of their debtors but several large, high value transactions may deplete the cash reserves of even the most solid financial institutions, hence the CHIPS Rule 13.

Periodically, all CHIPS member banks must test to make sure that their software is Rule 13 compliant, that is, in the event of a bank failure their systems should be able to process or back out of transactions from a failing or failed bank. With the over extension of some banks and with the web of daily transactions that exists via CHIPS and FEDWIRE, thwarting a bank failure snowball effect is a major concern.

Compounding this, is the financial volatility of member banks whose originating country is not the US and whose banking and regulatory practices are not as thorough or rigid as those found in the US. Add to this mix, volatile debt packaged in the form of MBS (mortgage backed securities), bad commercial and residential mortgage loans and fluctuations in world currencies, which affect most banks' treasury of Foreign Exchange trading desks (FX) and you now have a petrie dish for the development of the financial shape of the world markets. Coming soon: Mortgage backed securities, foreclosures and shady real estate practices.

Note: This is an opinion based upon previous experience working in the financial services industry.

New York Basketball - DND Tournament Basketball Video in NY

2009-01-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

The New York basketball DND Tournament basketball video in NY features team play, dunks, passing and shooting in New York City. The tournament is played in Queens on Saturday afternoon, Tuesday evening and Thursday evenings at PS 158 in Bayside Queens at 36-45 Oceania Street. The easiest way to get there is the LIRR to the Bayside stop, which is a short walk from the station. Purchase a City Ticket from the station vending machine or ticket agent.

A Brand New, New York Sports and Fitness Video Blog

2009-01-05T09:47:00.001-08:00

This is a video blog with links to New York sports and fitness and for that matter sports links from any state in the US.

Here is a sampling of one of the videos on the blog of a 5 feet 5 inch basketball player dunking like a power forward and I call it New York basketball Video of personal trainer Brandon Todd Dunking

The New York basketball video of Washington DC personal trainer Brandon Todd shows his athletic, muscular build on his 5 feet 5 inch body while he shows his vertical leap while dunking the basketball.

To hire Brandon Todds' services as a personal trainer, contact him at 740-221-9440 or email him at brandontodd@splaxon but please, serious inquiries only and he is local to the Washington DC area only.

Voting in New York, Constituents and Constituhits

2008-11-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I got up bright and early and went to my polling station, showed my identification and voila! there was my registration information and I was ushered to the booth to vote. Yes, the lines were a bit long but it was painless and quick once I got into the booth.

Now most politicians who use the conventional way of advertising or campaigning either hit the pavement and stand at highly trafficked locations such as a subway stations, main shopping thoroughfares or use television and radio, which are primarily paid ads. The people that the politicians are meeting and greeting and whose votes they hope to obtain are referred to as constituents.

I must give it to Barack Obamas' campaign, as the folks behind the scenes understand a little bit about search engine marketing, social media website leveraging and SEO or search engine optimization. They have used the world wide web to get their message out by using such video sharing websites as Youtube.com and Google Video and forums and online chat rooms.

They have attempted to reach their constituents via these mediums and have achieved the highest level of political contributions, arguably, in history. This has thus given rise to a new term to describe those who have responded to these ads favorably and online or via the world wide web. The term constituhit refers to using the internet or world wide web to advertise and solicit voters during elections and the resulting web traffic to a candidates website.

Another Good Steakhouse-Shula's 347 Grill - A Vikings Perspective

2008-10-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I traveled up to Providence Rhode Island to discuss some search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing techniques and opportunities with a colleague of mine.

I hopped about Amtrak for the train ride up there and lo and behold, Miss Daisy was driving the train - not her chauffeur Hoke--Miss Daisy herself. When I arrived in Providence and learned how to walk again, after having sat for so long, we met up and went to the Hilton in downtown Providence and I proceeded to show him link building, blogging and what a Google PageRank is and what are the factors to employ when trying to achieve a high page rank.

We spoke for a couple of hours and he then had to leave and do the Saturday afternoon domestic thing and I was left to fend for myself. Not wanting to do the touristy thing, I stayed at the hotel and said to myself, "Let me get a drink and plan my next culinary move".

I went to the hotels restaurant and saw that they had a Shula's 347 Grill. I said, this can't be related to Dolphins coach Don Shula. To my surprise it was.

I'm a simple man: A steak; cranberry and vodka (no lime garnish) and a place to dive into my own little world. Maybe it's the viking in me ["More food; More wine for everyone...and singing Viking battle songs] but I didn't travel to Providence to sample their seafood. Anyway, I was looking for a meal that would tide me over til I got back to New York City proper and this place did the trick.

Let me set it up for you: I order a 16 oz strip steak (what that is, I don't know), well done and some mashed potato thingy and some tomatoes to keep it sane and gully with a vegetable. Oops. I did have the house salad which I swallowed in no time. Nothing like some fresh greens to get ya going before the main course.

The steak and potatoes came and it was a very good steak. No fat or none that I had to play around with (slicing it off). Let me put it in the proper perspective. I've eaten at quite a few steak houses (Smith & Wollenskys, Peter Lugers, er Outbacks) and the portion of steak in Shula's 347 Grill was smaller, I did not go hungry. A good thick, nurtured steak; not cooked but nurtured. A fresh salad with egg sparsed in.

When most people dine out, they want a decent meal and if the wait staff advertises something about the meal, you would come to expect it. I was doing link building from the restaurant and no one disturbed me even though it was a Saturday afternoon/evening. Finishing off my SEO and link building work with a good meal; interspersed with drinks is not bad.

I now have to make a business excuse to go back up to the Providence Hilton, which Shula's 347 Grill is attached to and try out their 22 or is it the 24 ounce nurtured steak. This time, I should have a seafood starter. Just because.

Here is a photo of the steak at this Providence Rhode Island restaurant - Shula's 347 Grill

Shea Stadium, The New York Mets and Missed Baseball Opportunities

2008-10-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

This past summer I traveled to Flushing Queens to purchase a new mountain bike (which I still haven't picked up) and since the 7 train passes by Shea Stadium, I figured, let me get off the train and take some pictures of the final subway series game between the Mets and Yankees. As soon as I get off the train, the sky opened up and drowned the area, so I had to take what photos I did take under the 7 train elevated tracks:

Shea Stadium Subway Series Photo

Now, I follow the Mets during the season but as I got older and the business side of baseball grew from a mole to the mountain that it is today, my interest has dropped off.

Fast forward to today, October 16, 2008
The Philadelphia Phillies are representing the National League in the 2008 World Series, which should disturb most Mets fans and the Mets players themselves. I thought that the Mets firing of Willie Randolph was supposed to have propelled them into playing better baseball especially under the steady tutelage of Jerry "With Friends Like Him You Don't Need Enemies" Manuel.

Shea Stadium - Another Angle of Last Subway Series Game

Let's face it: Team is a concept that is only real in high school or amateur sports, when the only thing being played for is pride. When you try to put the team concept into an arena whose participants are millionaires several times over and whose owners are always looking at things that affect the bottom line, using the term team, does a disservice to the meaning of the word and the self-lessness that it is supposed to inspire.

Shea Stadium Alongside Citi-Field, Last Subway Series Game

Don't get me wrong: Players and owners should go after every penny that they feel they are worth or can make; there is nothing wrong with that. Just don't try to wrap up the spirit of team and selflessness into an arena or forum where selfishness is the spirit of the day.

Another Photo of the 2009 Home of the New York Mets

Back to the firing of Willie Randolph
So the Mets fired Willie Randolph and Omar "Stealth Firing" Minaya said he tossed and turned over the decision, let the man board a plane, go cross-country and then fired him on the left coast or was it the left side of Omars' brain? Anyhow, seeing the Phillies in the Fall Classic should be a motivator, hopefully and should put tremendous pressure on Jerry "I Gots Ya Back" Manuel, to perform or be fired.

A New Baseball Home for The Mets or Back To the Scene of the Crime?

Perhaps this time, Omar will perform this task locally and not at an ungodly hour.

View of Shea Stadium - Right Field Opening

An Online New York Tale - Being All You Want To Be - Online Meetups

2008-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Before I segue into this post, our condolences to the family of Daniel Brandt for the senseless violence visited upon him this weekend past.

The world wide web allows anyone with a computer and simple typing skills to be anyone or anything that they want to be online. For example, if you would like to appear the most popular, the smartest, richest or sexiest, you can achieve this by employing some photo capturing and photo touchup skills, using the mouse right click copy and at least Adobe Photoshop to alter the image(s) that you would like to use.

People online copy and steal the identity of people online casually, then create myspace, craigslist, blackplanet and facebook profiles, initially to make their page more popular. To continue to perpetuate the lie or lies, these identity thieves will contact other people with popular pages on these social media websites and will engage in conversations, geared towards collecting pictures or images of this unsuspecting person.

When these fraudulent people decide to come out of their online shadow world, they will attempt to arrange a meeting in some obscure place, at an ungodly hour. This is a recipe for disaster and is a red flag that this meet up is up to no good. Why then do they succeed? As long as there are people click on spam or get caught in the so-called "Nigerian scams", these online soiree's will continue to occur and caution and common sense will be thrown to the wind.

What follows are situations and phrases that people use which should present a red flag and what you should do when confronted with these:

If someone contacts you on a social media website such as Myspace or Facebook or up to and including Craigslist, Blackplanet, Migente or Asianavenue and you view their profile and they either have no picture or one picture and they have been online for more than 30 days, pass them by. Of course, you can ask them if they have any pictures of themselves or if they have any updated pictures. They will give you the following answer(s):

1. I'm not on my computer; I'm at work. This is my favorite: If you are on your company computer and are on a social media website such as Myspace or Facebook during your work hours or even during your lunch or break, you should and most likely will be fired. Corporate America does not allow this and it is a fire-able offense due to liability and company image issues.

2. I'm not on my computer; I'm at my friends house. If my friend or relative wants to use my computer, he or she better be uploading a resume to a job board or typing one in a Word document. If they want to use my computer to visit Myspace, Facebook or some other such social media website, let them go to a library or an internet cafe.

3. I work for the government and I can't put myself out there like that. If there was an Internet alert button on your computer, you should press it when you see this common response. If putting your picture up on a social media website, in good faith, will circumvent national security, you shouldn't be chatting in stealth mode on that same social media website.

One of the best ways to weed out pretenders online is to use one of the most popular instant message services (Yahoo, AOL or MSN) and establish a live web cam session. Even this has it's pitfalls. When a stranger online asks you if you have a web cam and asks you if they can see you live, do not allow them to view your live web cam, unless they show their live web cam images and then only if they show you themselves first. What follows, again, are some of the typical bogus replies to basic questions you should ask if someone is attempting to view live, moving images of you online and what your response or actions should be when confronted with them:

If someone asks if they view your live web camera (web cam) images and you ask them if they have a web cam and they reply in the following manner, pass them by:

1. I'm at my job and I don't have a camera on my work computer. This is one of the most common and bogus replies. If someone is at work and is able to start up Yahoo, AOL or MSN instant messenger, without it being blocked, they must work at an online porn website. No reputable company will allow its employees to chat via ANY instant messenger, which includes viewing someone else's web cam images.

2. My web cam broke and I sent it out for repair. This is the most comical and the most insulting--in that order. Web cameras cost between $10 and $50. No web camera manufacturer would even take the time to repair even a brand new or warrantied camera. This indicates that fraud is brewing and you should immediately end this conversation.

Additional and great care should be employed when doing a live online video conversation with a stranger. Although the person in the camera you are viewing is moving, their camera may be a recorded video stream that is fed through the instant messenger via a file. This is done to gain your trust so that you start your camera and they can then "screen capture" your moving web camera images and sell that content to unscrupulous websites. (See http://www.camgrab.tk/)

Having said all this, the questions that begs an answer is, "How do I protect myself online or when I'm on a social media website?" The following is a list of precautions to take to prevent identity theft and also to weed out or filter those who would attempt to put you in harms way, both on and offline:

1. When posting your photo or video images online, put a watermark over the photo and video image. Do not place this watermark at the bottom of the page. Put the watermark on your body in the photo. If someone tries to erase this, it will destroy the image and render the image useless. If your stolen photo appears on a questionable website as far as taste is concerned, having a watermark with your email address or your own personal websites' address, will prompt a viewer to visit your website and let you know that your picture is being used fraudulently or commercially and without your permission. There are some very good people online and they will let you know.

2. If someone wants to meet you online or take the initial online conversation offline to a phone conversation or a meeting, ask them to verify themselves. This is done very simply: Have them take a picture and in that picture, ask them to hold up a copy of that days' current issue of the daily newspaper or a handwritten sign, which they hold in front of them, showing their email address, screen name and your screen name and the current days date. If they take a day or two to do this, pass them by. They probably need to get the person who is in cahoots with them to take this photo and it's requirements. (Make sure that you already have a photo or photos with the same requirements that you are asking them to provide). It takes no time to take a photo and because all digital cameras have automatic settings, you do not need someone to take the photo for you.

3. Never, NEVER, ever meet someone in a location that is not public or unfamiliar to you. You should know how to get to that location and how to leave that location. This same location should always, ALWAYS be in a public place and well traveled by others. Never, never, EVER meet someone after hours be it very early in the morning, when there is little to no pedestrian traffic or late at night, when the same atmosphere is present.

Finally, my personal advice is simple. Don't use the Internet for dating purposes. There are too many people with leaks in their helmets to chance a meeting. There are so many more venues for casual meetings and potential dating interests in the first person that the Internet.

Most people up to no good online, view the Internet as some cyber-fantasy world and the people or characters that they meet in it as some other worldly or imaginary figure found in most computer games.

A Gem of a New York City Restaurant

2008-08-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

I was taken out to dinner a few weeks ago by some of the sales staff of my former employer as they felt that I helped them with some sales leads, (I'm a Search Engine Specialist) and I was asked to choose the restaurant. Now I always remembered watching the old "Odd Couple" TV show with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall and it seemed that every time Oscar went into a restaurant in that show, it looked similar to Smith & Wollensky on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. So I chose this as the place to eat.

We met on a Friday evening in the summer, so I knew we wouldn't all get their till 7 or 8pm. I arrived at 6:30pm and the maître d'told me to have a seat at the bar and have a drink and not to worry about my reservation, as most of the reservations made would be late. I thanked him and sauntered over to the bar.

I ordered my standard Vodka and Cranberry. Now, I believe I can drink with the best of them. In fact, I believe I can trace my lineage back to the earliest drunken sailors on Roman galleys. I digress. Have you ever went to a bar in New York, ordered and consumed your drink and the cranberry juice tasted like something other than cranberry juice and the vodka was hiding in another glass or another bar? This drink prepared was perfectly made; the desired effect I was seeking was achieved.

I normally have three or four drinks, especially with dinner but I had only one for the entire night! We were seated comfortably on the second floor and the waiter came and asked us what we wanted to start with and we all ordered water and he brought out some fresh and warm bread. We all decided that we would have the seafood appetizer (there were four of us) as a starter, tomato and mozzarella salad in a vinaigrette seasoned sauce.

The main fare for me was the well done "Hulk Hogan" prime rib (I added in the Hulk Hogan moniker for effect) with seared asparagus. The other members of my party ordered a T-bone steak dish for two or was it three. The final member of the party ordered a fish dinner; something filleted.

I like a restaurant, whose wait staff seems genuinely interested in your comfort and the enjoyment of your meal. Not the wait staff who will say anything to appear groveling to get the end-of-meal tip. Our waiter gave us our space, made suggestions and really made sure our dining experience at Smith & Wollensky was going to be something to fondly remember. I recommend Smith & Wollensky strongly as they provide a value for the money spent, for the comfortable seating and for satisfying the ancestral drunken sailor in me.

They are conveniently located at 49th Street and 3rd Avenue, with transportation nearby (6 train at 51st and Lexington and the E, V and 6 train at 53rd and 3rd Avenue). It is minutes from Penn and Grand Central Stations. Visit their website at: smithandwollensky. I took some photos to show try and capture some of our dining experience.

The outside of Smith & Wollensky

The stairway to the upper level. Notice the photos of previous patrons, showing that Smith & Wollensky has a rich history in New York.

This was the Appetizer (Note the Shrimps on Steroids)

This is the steak I had. I was watching my weight, so I washed down my meal with a small diet coke.

This was the two-person T-Bone steak

Overall, the experience was pleasant and the staff warm and friendly. There is good value and you will not leave Smith & Wollensky expecting to have a midnight snack at home.

A Lazy Sunday Afternoon in Central Park New York

2008-08-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

I always strive to find something unique or something that can only be found in New York City, so with camera in hand, I went to Central Park this past Sunday. Of course, the standard fair for summer in Central Park are the bicyclist, the horse drawn carraiges and just the casual strollers. I entered the park at 72nd Street on the West Side and I heard music off in the distance. So I surmised; where there is music there art people.

Lo and behold, I came across a large crowd of people standing behind barricades and lining the perimeter of an oval. Inside this oval, in the center was a DJ booth and around this oval were people roller skating to old style club and disco music.

There were couples, roller skate daredevils, children and some adults as old as 68 years old--all on roller skates, moving and body spinning to the music. One gentlemen named Kelly had his own headphones on and was shirtless and was skating backwards around the oval and all the while avoiding other skaters.

The organizers of this group, clad in purple, let it be known that all were welcome to don a pair of skates and join in but with one prerequisite: Leave the negativity outside the barricades! After watching the skaters for awhile and seeing that they have been doing this for quite some time, it's easy to see why such a large crowd was at this "event". It does not go without saying that roller dancing is very good exercise and good clean fun and to see this in the middle of Central Park was interested and a pretty good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

It was apparent that most of the skaters were older but not old people who grew up in a simpler time. Some newbies or people for our current generation might want to venture to Central Park on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, close to the 72nd Street, West Side entrance and follow the music. The skaters will show how when they were growing up, they lived in a simpler, easier time.

I was about to leave for the day, when the dj (DJ E) put on MFSB's Love is the Message, arguably the still reigning national anthem of the New York club and dance circuit. How could I not capture "The Message" on video with roller skaters grooving to this?

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These roller skating dancers are usually in Central Park on Saturday and Sunday between 2 and 6:30pm. Come check it out. It's good, clean fun.

High Voltage Power Supply Video, Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp

2008-08-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation, a high voltage power supply, Monoblock X-Ray power source and custom high voltage power supplies company created a time lapse photography video of it's world headquarters in Hauppauge New York. It was posted on Yahoo, Google and Youtube video. I'm embedding all three video clips, to show how each video sharing website treats the video in Flash format.

High Voltage Power Supply Video, Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp @ Yahoo! Video

Saturday In Flushing Queens New York - Chartered Territory

2008-06-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

One of the most overlooked boroughs in the city of New York, next to Staten Island, has to be the Borough of Queens. There is much that Queens has to offer including a great quality of life, bedroom communities and a sense of neighbors and neighborhoods.

The focus of this post is my short weekend travel to Flushing Queens and its bustling community, including it's own Chinatown. Yes, Chinatown, which rivals the Chinatown we all know as being in Manhattan at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge. That community and neighborhood is for another day.

I took the 7 train to the last stop, Main Street and just did a little footwork and walked down to Northern Boulevard and walked back to Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street. Along the way, I took some photos of the neighborhood, to show the Chinese flavor of the neighborhood, with its jewelry stores, banks, restaurants and trading stores. This was old stomping grounds as we used to play touch football in a league across from Flushing High School on 149th Street and 25th Avenue.

Pedestrian Traffic on Main Street

I dined at the La Coral Cafe - It was very good Chinese cuisine. I had Duck Wonton Soup.

Just another restaurant showing the diversity of the cuisine in Flushing Chinatown.

A view from Main Street of a Trading Store

Long Island Rail Road Flushing - Main Street Station

A fresh fish, vegetable and fruit stand on Kissena Boulevard

My mission for the day was not to go and take pictures of Chinatown-Flushing. My mission was to go and purchase a mountain bike. When we used to play football in Queens, we won the semi-finals for our league and came within a game of winning the league championship. Of course, we won a substantial amount of money, so we went to a Mets game (this was in April), froze and before going home, we asked around the Flushing neighborhood, where a bicycle shop could be found.

We were directed to Kissena Boulevard and we walked about 6 blocks and found the bike shop of our dreams. Cannondale, Schwinn, Mongoose, Raleigh - this store had it all and the prices were not Manhattan-esque. The prices are reasonable, the service is fantastic and we have been going to this bike shop for the past 10 years.

Its called the Kissena Bicycle Center located at 45-70 Kissena Boulevard, 718-358-0986

My Bicycle - Mongoose 27- Speed Mountain Bike

Tomorrows post will be about my visit to Shea Stadium and the new Shea Stadium in the rain

Salmonella Outbreak in Tomatoes - Food Safety Inspection

2008-06-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading the New York times today and of course there is the current problem of tracking down the salmonella outbreak in certain kinds of tomatoes and these from different parts of the country. ("Tomatoes grown in the following states, territories and countries have not been associated with the current outbreak: Arkansas, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico." - from the New York Times story of June 11, 2008)

Here is an excerpt from the New York times story about the Federal government increasing funding for food safety:

"And federal authorities have yet to create a stronger set of rules and enforcement procedures. Many parties — food-safety advocates, food producers, Congressional Republicans and Democrats and even some within the F.D.A. — have said such rules are essential to make food safer.

In November the food and drug agency released a “food protection plan,” but the Bush administration did not ask for the money to finance parts of it until Monday night. The health and human services secretary, Michael O. Leavitt, said on Monday that he would amend the administration’s budget request by asking for an additional $275 million for next year, $125 million of which would go to food protection.

At a news conference, Mr. Leavitt said he “would like to once again strongly urge Congress to act quickly to enhance the safety of food and medical products,” comments that angered some in Congress, including Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Specter said that administration delays in seeking money for food protection efforts at the food and drug agency amounted to “criminal negligence.”

“The failure to have these inspections is subjecting people to bodily injury and death,” said Mr. Specter, who sent a letter to Mr. Leavitt on Tuesday insisting that the additional money for the F.D.A. should be included in a supplemental request this year, not in next year’s budget.

Food-safety advocates criticized what they said was the government’s inaction in preventing outbreaks of food poisoning.

“How many times does this have to happen before F.D.A. gets serious about food safety?” asked Sarah Klein, a staff lawyer at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

So I looked at what does the government do to inspect our food and it seems that there are industrial machines that irradiate food such as pork to kill the parasites that cause trichinosis, which would allow the pork seller to label their package for sale as "certified pork".

See this information on the United States Department of Agriculture website at:

USDA website

The data on this website is from 2001, so there may be updates on the website. Another way that our food is protected is through the use of large, industrial food scanning machines, which search for contaminants through the use of xraying the food, using electron beams and some other-worldly scientific processes.

I found a link of a picture and demo of one of these machines:

food safety inspection machines

and here is another:

food safety inspection technology

Looking at these machines and also with my previous posts on dc high voltage power supplies and high voltage electronics, it's apparent to me that some of these food safety inspection machines, with their sizes, would need extensive high voltage power supply units. It's amazing to see the applications of science in our every day lives. I thought high voltage power supplies were only for railroads, ct scanners and hospital xray machines. I have much to learn.

New York High Voltage Power Substation in Brooklyn

2008-06-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

While strolling in Brooklyn New York last Sunday, I came across this high voltage power substation and marveled at the detail of this electrical engineering feat. I'm sure this substation powers quite a few homes and businesses in Brooklyn, so I noticed that the facility was very secure, so I give the operators of this facility a double thumbs up for that. This seems like it is a significant power source and it kind of blends in with the community.

Here is the same post on both Youtube and Metacafe:

New York High Voltage Power Supply Substation in Brooklyn - The most amazing videos are a click away

High Voltage Power Supply Company -Spellman High Voltage

2008-05-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've come across one of the last large manufacturers on Long Island New York named Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation. It is privately owned, has over 1100 employees and has a niche market manufacturing high voltage power supplies to such industries as medical imaging (xray tubes, MRI power supply), airport security scanners and chemical detection devices. Additionally, they manufacture bertan, AC, DC, flyback, switch mode and high frequency power supplies and semi conductors for industrial application.

Their website also features safety information for high voltage power supplies and information for industrial power supply specifications and purchases.

Their web property features manuals and technical documents in pdf and html format. You may visit their website at: Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp Website

A View To A Kill

2008-05-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

While waiting for my train on the Jamaica station platform of the LIRR, I happened to glance around and noticed the proximity of Club Kalua to both the LIRR tracks, station and the AirTrain station, which had an errant shot come its way. Nothing really to make of it but the view was interesting.

Here are two pictures of Club Kalua, scene of the Sean Bell shooting and killing.

Note the Air Train columns in the foreground

and a closer view of Club Kalua

New Blog of New York-Centric Things

2008-04-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

While I spend most of my time blogging about topics related to various subjects, most of these topics are created in my off time and while traveling around the City of New York. I don't have a special love for New York though but it does have a whole host of topics that I can get creative with and with my trusty camera in hand, I have created a new blog which will have all topics generated in my off time. Stay tuned for this as I have 35 topics with their associated pictures and videos of some pretty unique places in and around New York City, including restaurants and cruise ship terminals. The blog address is:

http://newyorktristate.blogspot.com/. The posts will start coming fast in furious in a day or so. Let's see how powerful this blog, backed by a few English and French community forums, can be in promoting and demoting consumer causes and questionable business concerns. This will be the first post tomorrow.

There Ought To Be A Law - The Newtown Creek Travesty

2008-03-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

I had been planning on taking a walking tour of the area in and around Newtown Creek in Brooklyn, which has been a part of the federal Superfund cleanup program for as long as I can remember. This being in the center of one of the largest cities in the world and in a robust residential area makes this slow cleanup and continued contamination almost criminal...well, criminal. In Greenpoint where most of this spill is centered, the residents complain of high incidences of cancer, birth defects and other afflictions. I went down to the beginning of the Newtown Creek and followed it at different points and took the following pictures. As a child, we used to go down to what we referred to as "the freight yard" and played tag along the rail road tracks and the rail bridge and no, no one ever fell in. The last person who probably swam in the Newtown Creek, were probably members of George Washington's army during the revolution as that was probably the last time the Newtown Creek was clean enough for it.

This is an old building, still in operation, at the beginning of the freight rail yard that leads to the railroad bridge over the Newtown Creek. Note the 1858.

Here is a look at the rail corrider to the entrance of the rail bridge over the Newtown Creek

Here is a look at the beginning of the Newtown Creek. Note the ducks and geese in this putrid liquidway (can't call it water)

Here is another look at the beginning of the Newtown_Creek. Note the geese.

Here is the first picture of Newtown Creek on our little stroll upstream. Note the containment boom. I'm not a marine biologist or an environmental expert but isn't a containment boom supposed to either contain something or keep something from getting in or out? Guess what business this containment boom was deployed next to? See the next photo:

and the next:

You may be able to see the containment boom along the shoreline with a two feet gap to contain whatever it is that it's meant to contain. "Black gold, Texas tea, well the first thing you know...Sorry, I was humming a few lines from the Beverly Hillbillies.

Had to quickly circle back. This is under the railroad bridge at the beginning of the Newtown Creek.

A fish-less liquidway

Upstream on Newtown Creek. Eerily lifeless

SEMPO and SES at The New York Hilton

2008-03-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so 2 weeks ago, I went to the New York City inaugural meetup for SEMPO at Yahoo's New York offices and met a few folks like Sara Holoubek, Dave Fall and others and then the following week, I went to the the SES conference held at the New York Hilton (54th Street and Avenue of the Americas (or simply 6th Avenue) and met loads of SEO types. Here are some flicks, pictures, photos of some of the principals at the Monday evening event:

Eric Bryant (the Tall Guy) and Sara Holoubek of saraholoubek.com

Here is another of SEMPO Board of Directors members Sara Holoubek and Chris Boggs of www.emergentmarketing.com/

Here are SEMPO Board Members (from right to left) Fionnuala (Fionn) Downhill of Elixir Systems, Ron Jones of Symetri Internet Marketing and Katie Donovan of the SEMPO Institute

On day 2 of the event, I was feeling no pain, so I stopped this NYPD Police Officer and posed him in Times Square--just because. Note the thumbs up and the big Kool-aid smile.

On the Saturday before this event, I was walking in downtown Brooklyn and on the phone with one of my personal website moderators and mentioned that my New York sports video website was getting some top rankings on live.com for "New York Sports" and "New York sports video", while walking through a park in downtown Brooklyn and 4 women who were talking became excited when I mentioned live.com. I stopped and we started talking and 90 minutes later at about 11:00pm, I parted company and told them I would be at the SES the following week. The picture below is of one of the women, Jen Mizousawa, Search Strategist for Microsoft

Here are random pictures of SEMPOs eatup meetup networking event on Wednesday evening:

See, you eat first

Then you wash it all down

More food:

We, (myself and my British national wingman from Broadview Networks) hustled up to the Spotlight club and this is the result -- dark club + 3 stories above the stage + crowded balcony + massive amounts of blood in alcohol streams = this photo:

It is the DJ of sponsor webmasterradio.fm
emceeing the karaoke contest at this venue.

These events went on while I networked on the floor of the SES on behalf of my company LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell and sent by SEO Expert, Clay Cazier

New York SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) Inaugural Meetup

2008-03-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

For the past month, in my office, we have been gearing up for the inaugural New York SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) meetup. Initially, Sara Holoubek (saraholoubek.com), free agent consultant, columnist and SEMPO board member had space booked at Double Clicks offices with space for up to 100 people but because of the overwhelming, positive response for the meetup, it was moved to Yahoo's Offices, which had room for over 100 people, which allowed this writer to attend. (See Photos):

Much thanks go to the sponsors of this event, namely, Yahoo and Clickable. The space and the refreshments were very much appreciated and set the theme for this very unique Search Engine Marketing users group. See Photos:

All succulent appetizers and beverages provided by Clickable and Yahoo

Items in this picture appear closer than they actually are

A Place to go to wash everything down

The 2nd Place to wash everything down

After arriving and sampling the food, the meeting was called to order by David Fall, VP, Product Management - Search Technology for Double Click and SEMPO Board Member who presented an eloquent introduction about SEMPO, it's purpose and goals and how the New York SEMPO meetup factors in. (See Photo of David below)

Followed by David, was Sara Holoubek, who was born to lead the New York SEMPO meetups. She skillfully illicited key future discussion points, stayed on message and gave both sponsors (Yahoo, Clickable) their due. She allowed this writer, an SEO Specialist for Martindale-Hubbell, to compile this little pictorial and she gave floor time to Maia Benson of Martindale-Hubbell to speak about the SEO initiatives underway at Martindale for all of its clients. (See Photo of Sara holoubek below)

As we moved from discussion to "liquid refreshments", this writer knows that the stewardship of the New York SEMPO meetups are in good hands with the likes of David Fall and Sara Holoubek. For more information on membership in SEMPO, visit the SEMPO website

New York Pennylvania Station Announcer is An Institution

2008-03-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for my train in Penn Station this morning and I took out my camera just to record the audio of the New York Pennsylvania station announcer who is female and has been doing this for over 30 years. I can remember when I was going to a gym out in Iselin NJ in 1986 and this same announcer, announcing the train departures and arrivals for both Amtrak and New Jersey transit. Of course, New York Penn Station is the hub for the Long Island Rail Road, New York City subway and of course, Madison Square Garden. As New York Penn Station serves 4.2 million passengers a week, this woman's voice is an institution.

New York Pennsylvania Station and Amtrak Train Schedules

Updated on May 29, 2008:

Here is a story that the New York Times ran about the Penn Station Announcer which my blog post featured:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/11amtrak.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=amtrak%20announcer&st=cse&oref=slogin

'Twas a New Jersey Car Accident or Personal Injury Waiting To Happen

2008-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to work this morning at 7:08am and I was on 78 near Union New Jersey when I heard a pop and the engine started smoking. Being the cool guy that I am, I checked that I was clear on my right hand side and eased the vehicle into the "distress lane". I remembered that I left my cell phone home, so it was sit there and wait for a New Jersey state trooper to come to my aid. Well, a New Jersey state trooper never came but an older gentlemen did pull up, in an emergency vehicle. let me use his cell phone and called a tow truck. He said the tow truck may come in 15 minutes or it may come in an hour.

The tow truck came: See photo:

This is what pissed me off: This is my brothers "vehicle". He was going to Florida and needed me to take him to the airport at 4am Sunday nite/Monday morning. So that he did not have to pay for a cab ($45 to LaGuardia) he asked me to drive and told me to use his car to drive to work. Now, I was just fine taking the train althought it was 110 - 120 minutes each way but it was stable. If you tell me to use your vehicle, wouldn't it have been nice to let me know if there were existing problems with this vehicle?

See photo:

I was looking at the vehicles zip by me at 70 - 100mph and noticed that some of them were a little bit too close, so I got a "America's Craziest Vehicle Crashes While Waiting on 78 For A Rescue Vehicle" video flashback, so I moved over to the passenger seat and invented brand new, never before heard curse words about my brother. I could have been in a car or auto accident in New Jersey. Wait, there were more tractor trailers coming too close to me, so I would have been in a truck accident in New Jersey and where I did move to the passenger side, I would have suffered some sort of personal injury on this New Jersey highway and it made me think about what safety measures to take when a. your brother gives you a vehicle to drive to work in, that was Nissans first ever test vehicle made and b. where could I find such safety information on the web.

It does not go without saying that my brother is like the Collyer Brothers with his vehicle. Enough already! Let's throw this car away and get a new one! There was one thing I have always said I will never borrow: someones underwear. Now there are two: any of my brothers' vehicles.

Just A Few Links from Some of The Comments on This Blog

2008-03-11T04:49:00.000-07:00

I see that a few of the commentators on this blog have a few neat websites (including the authors'), so I figured I'd post some of these websites in a separate post and a brief description of each, including those that I use as reference points, so here goes:

Splaxon.com - New York sports videos, New York City personal training video, NY fitness photos and forums.

wbgpc.com - Child neprology, pediatric medical malpractice, Atlanta Georgia personal injury attorneys

Power Supply Manufacturer Selects Apriso - Spellman High Voltage Electronics

Spellman High Voltage Electronics puts a new charge into lean manufacturing operations

gnosisarts.com - New Jersey music teacher, Roselle Park New Jersey piano instructor, NJ jazz musician

ERP Customization and Spellman High Voltage

katzdeli.com - New York New York restaurant, New York pastrami sandwich, NYC dill pickles, NY deli sandwiches

Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization - SEMPO, SEO, Search Marketing

High Voltage Power Supplies and Safety Information - Blog of High voltage power supplies at www.highvoltagepowersupply.blogspot.com

New York Sports Videos - New York sports video, bodybuilding videos, personal training movies

High Voltage Direct Current Power Supply Manufacturer - High Voltage Power Supply Corporation - Spellman High Voltage Power Supply

Labor Law Posters and business advice

http://www.businessknowhow.com

Photo From One of Many SuperBowl Parties - NY Giants vs. NE Patriots

2008-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I took this photo the day of the Super Bowl and thought I had lost it but I downloaded it from my camera and put it in an obscure directory on my computer. All I know is that the game was great and I made sure that I balanced my intake of food with drink, so I wasn't a stumbling, bumbling idiot like the many that I saw on my trip back home to New York City from Newark New Jersey, where the Super Bowl party was held.

Here is the photo:

And Yet another New York City Restaurant Review

2008-03-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

So my birth month started on March 5th, so I'm being wined and dined because of this and we decided to go to a chinese restaurant, where I just love the food. The restaurant is called Kam Chueh, located at 40 Bowery, at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and accessible via the IRT 6 and BMT M, N, R trains from the Canal Street station. They have fresh everything, including crab, lobster, shrimp, bass and eel. As soon as you enter the restaurant, there are fresh water tanks filled with crabs, lobster, shrimp, sea bass and eel. See the photo:

and the outside of the chinese restaurant:

And now the food. I give the food 5 stars for the freshness and 5 stars for the serv ice. I have even been allowed in the back to visit with the chefs (they have 6) and the food comes out quickly. If you ever want to experience real deal chinese food, visit Kam Chueh or call them at (212) 791-6868. Ask for Oliver.

Food pictures:

Jumbo Shrimp, Spare Ribs

Shrimp Fried Rice:

Shrimp Fried Rice, Ribs, Jumbo Shrimp, Braised Chicken Wings

Beef with Scallions

Braised Chicken Wings

Shrimp Fried Rice

Lobster Tank

New York City Restaurant Review

2008-03-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've been going to Katz' Delicattessen for as long as I can remember and their food is great. I give it 5 stars for value: for about $13.00 you get a super-overstuffed pastrami sandwich and real dill pickles; not the kind that come in some jar in a supermarket; these are slowly cured in their own recipe and compliments the sandwiches that they make. While you wait for your sandwich to be made, the butchers at Katz deli do an old New York butcher shop type of thing: While they prepare your sandwich, they cut a few slices of the meat, put it on a plate and let you sample what you are about to get. I give 5 stars for this old-school service and an over-all 5 stars for Katz continuing to be Katz. Here is a picture of my sandwich (long since gone):

and another:

I call this sandwich "Take A Bite Out Of Crime" because it's criminal to have eaten this sandwich.

Baycol and the FDA

2008-03-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

I was reading those news snippet thingy's on Yahoo this past weekend (I think it was Friday) and I came across an article about the FDA investigating itself on why it approved a drug called Baycol (see FDA Q & A) which has directly or indirectly caused 31 deaths. The Bayer Corporation manufactured this drug and has paid out $1.1 billion dollars in settlements since the recall in 2001. The short of it is that Baycol is a cholesterol lowering drug, which worked directly in (and apparently on the liver), when used in combination with other drugs and the end result is a condition called rhabdomyolysis.

When somebody gets rhabdomyolysis, their muscle tissue breaks down and releases toxic chemicals into the bloodstream. These toxic chemicals from the breakdown of the muscle tissue can lead to kidney failure, hyperkalemia ( abnormally high blood levels of potassium) and cardiac arrest. (See the description of Baycol and its side effects from a pharmacist)

Construction Boom In NYC - Scaffolding and Construction Accidents on The Rise?

2008-02-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

The New York City Department of Buildings has launched an initiative to inspect all construction/scaffolding sites in the wake of 2 firefighters losing their lives at the Deutsche Bank building and a other fatal scaffold collapses in and around New York City. I took a few photos of this construction scaffolding at PS 147 in Brooklyn, which is an accident waiting to happen. Also, I wonder how many documented workers there are working on this and other construction sites in and around the city?

See the story in Crains Business:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/FREE/783550041/1058/SUB

Brooklyn School Scaffold

The Changing Landscape of South Carolina and Their Police Vehicles

2008-02-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know what got me to posting about South Carolina (maybe it was because my mother was born and raised there) and my grandmother was one of the few female African American business landowners there. (Hmmmm. I can see another blog topic in the making) I couldn't travel down there anytime soon and I didn't want to write about how the sorry Knicks used the University of Charleston as their practice facility, so I figured since I'm on the vein of vintage police cars, I might as well post some from the State of South Carolina. The oldest is from 1975 (yes, they did have police cars before then) and I couldn't find any older than this one online. So here goes the pictures of South Caroline vintage police cars, showing how these guys chased down, captured or arrested their criminals in years past; hopefully...legally.

1975 Ford LTD

State Police

Charleston Tahoe

Beaufort Police Vehicle

Greenville Police Car

More to come. Anyone wanting to comment on these police vehicles, stories about police, their good or bad experiences with police in South Carolina, feel free to post up to and including, false arrests, emergency rescues, apprehension of criminals, South Carolina police brutality & misconduct or anything else.

On Another Vein - Diseases and Conditions Affecting Children

2008-02-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

Whenever I come across a disease, condition or affliction, where the target is children, I can't help but to speak up as these types of conditions always are tearjerker material. I knew from prior readings that some newborns/toddlers faced such major operations as kidney, liver and heart transplants but I never knew to the extent that the medical conditions that warranted these transplants existed. So I shall start a thread or discussion about (in laymans terms -I'm no expert) on pediatric conditions which occur abnormally but have a man-made cause, which in my opinion is the worse. If you can pre-emptively repair or fix a known problem which might adversely affect the life or lives of newborns or pre-age children, I say, spare no expense. If that condition is allowed to exist and fester and a child is affected to the point of serious injury or death, I say, go after the culprit(s) with both hands and both feet. Let us discuss pediatric medicine and specifically renal diseases and pediatric nephrology.

What is Pediatric Nephrology?

Nephrology is the scientific study of the kidneys, particularly their functions and diseases and a nephrologist is a physician who specializes in the kidneys. The kidneys remove waste from the body (urine), filter toxins from the blood and help regulate the concentration of certain elements in the blood. Children whose kidneys have become seriously impaired require immediate and specialized medical care. (From
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

The various diseases of the kidneys that pediatric nephrologists treat are:

Chronic kidney failure, Congenital urologic/nephrologic disorders, hematuria, hypertension (ACE Inhibitors), in utero kidney anomalies, kidney stones, renal stone disorders, renal transplants, urinary tract infection, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, neutropenia. This information was referenced by the Mayo Clinic

It is not the suggestion that pediatric nephrologists are the causes of unnatural nephrology events or causes. They are very specialized and well trained and their area of medicinal practice usually is achieved by spending 11 years of training prior to achieving residency in this field. The causes that I refer to are injuries to the fetus during slips and falls, accidents such as auto or vehicular crashes, environmental conditions such as exposure to toxic and chemical environments during pre and post natal care and incorrect prescription of drugs with known side effects.

These are instances where the most thorough or successful personal injury attorney, medical malpractice or even product liability lawyers' services need to be utilized. To see a pregnant woman slip and fall and the fetus become injured because a pavement was not shoveled, a mopped floor was not flagged as having a slippery surface when wet or a cracked sidewalk not repaired is inexcusable. To have to relegate a newborn to a life of kidney dialysis, stones, diabetes and total or chronic kidney failure because of a preventable injury, should be prosecuted in court against the offender, so that the parents of the child can be sure that the child receives the necessary medical care, which is not inexpensive and can have a respectable quality of life.

Next Up: Ace Inhibitors - Their Use and side effects

Guide to Renal Conditions and Diseases Affecting Children

Changing Landscape of Brooklyn Part 2 (Hospitals)

2008-02-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

During my last walking tour of downtown Brooklyn, I passed by this building, which is a condo development on the corner of Carlton Avenues and Greene Avenues:

It is an obscenity what they are asking for this building, which I suspect is a pre-capitalization on the Atlantic Yards/Nets Stadium project, which is only a few blocks away

Considering that the neighborhood is rich with history such as the old Brooklyn Eye & Ear Hospital, (see the old ad in a medical journal):

[Graduate Course in Ophthalmic
Plastic Surgery
The Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital will present
an intensive course in Ophthalmic Plastic
Surgery, April 24 through 26, 1974. For registration
and further information please contact
Dr. Vernon Dressier, Administrator, Brooklyn Eye
and Ear Hospital, 29 Greene Ave., Brooklyn,
N. Y. 11238.

or the old Adelphi Hospital at 50 Greene Ave (where this writer was born). Both are now high-end rentals/coops/condos. See the photo: and this headline in the New York Times of 1942:

"To stimulate interest among parents to purchase war stamps and bonds for their babies, the Adelphi Hospital, Greene Avenue and Adelphi Street, Brooklyn, held a baby health and beauty contest yesterday. Four "victory babies," winners in the competition, received paid-up war stamp books, which may be exchanged for bonds".

Now, both of these hospitals were in a simpler time: no stray bullets hitting innocent men, women or children, no medical malpractice claims or personal injury attorneys laying in wait at the entrance of the hospital. In fact, on Greene Avenue, one could leave ones door open in the early evening and nite in the summer to catch the breeze coming off of Fulton Street. Now, we have such behemoth-type hospitals such as Woodhull, which exist to only justify themselves. New York City government has taken going to the hospital for emergency care an adventure and it is no wonder that overbilling to medicare, New York personal injury, wrongful death and medical malpractice claims are through the roof in Brooklyn and the rest of New York.

A Photo of Woodhull Hospital

Up Next: Kings County Hospital

The Changing Landscape of New York - Brooklyn

2008-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

So I went around downtown Brooklyn last weekend to see how much it has changed and I noticed this huge real estate boom. Forest City Ratner, the owners of the New Jersey Nets, are building at least 12 office towers, with some housing private businesses and others housing city, state and federal government offices. For instance, the Klitgord Auditorium on the corner of Jay and Tillary Streets and part of New York City Technical College is being torn down and an office tower is being built there. In exchange for the air rights, Forest City Ratner will be building a state of art gymnasium for the college and they have air rights above the 2nd or 3rd floor of this struction, which, I am told, will be 30 - 40 stories high.

Similarly, the family court building (for those not up on this: this is where New York divorce, child custody, family law, child support and matrimonial law issues are decided) on Jay Street (next to the Brookly Marriott) owns the first 10 floors but Forest City Ratner has air rights for this structure as well. The Brooklyn real estate market is truly booming as you will see from the following pictorial:

This condo development was built directly across from the New York City Brooklyn House of Dentention, a local jail holding facility, connected to the Brooklyn New York Criminal Court building. This was a satellite holding facility for Brooklyn but which has been closed because of budget cuts, overcrowding, police brutality and misconduct complaints. (Boro Pres Demands House of Dentention Closure)

And of course, here is a picture of the Brooklyn New York House of Detention located on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn for those arrested for criminal and civil contempt proceedings. Joined at the hip with the Brooklyn Criminal Court building. The New York City Police Departments Central Booking has be relocated here for arrest processing and holding for arraignments and pre-arraignments (whatever that is, they hold you while they figure out what crime to charge you with?):

As I mentioned before the Brooklyn New York House of Detention is connected via tunnel to the Brooklyn Criminal Court building (See photo)

This is where all criminal arrests are arraigned and processed. This is a Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and NY New York criminal defense lawyer and NYC police misconduct attorneys playground and it is where most of the police overtime in New York City is spent -- waiting for the district attorney or prosecutor to release the arresting police officer back to regular duty after an arrest.

Right down the street was this new development. Don't know who its by or what its for but it is brand new real estate under construction in Brooklyn. So here it is:

To show the proximity to these projects, I have used existing landmarks in Brooklyn, such as the Brooklyn House of Detention and Brooklyn Criminal Court House. This little beauty is next to Brooklyn NY Landlord/Tenant Court on Livingston Street (See photo)

This is where New York real estate lawyers & Brooklyn NY civil litigation attorneys dwell. They plead cases involving eviction and dispossess in New York. FYI: In New York City, if a landlord illegally evicts you, after you have legally resided on his or her property for 30 or more days, you may call the New York Police Department, where the matter becomes criminal and the landlord may be subject to arrest.

The Changing Landscape of Florida

2008-02-11T11:00:00.001-08:00

This is not necessarily New York but the vintage police car photo post was very interesting so I figured why just stop at New York City? Since it's very cold today here in NY today (13 degrees), I figured let me look for a warm climate and feature their police cars. Will it warm people up by seeing Florida state and local police vehicles and cars? Probably not but here goes anyway. It goes back to what the previous post said: Seeing how other states control their criminal activity or how it was controlled and how they transported their criminals after arrest. One of the photos though looks like something that Gillespie would have driven in the movie "Heat of the Night":

Florida State Police Car

Kissemmee Florida Police Patrol Vehicle 1971

Naples Florida Police Car

The Changing Landscape of New York City

2008-02-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

I didn't notice how much New York City has changed and I set out to capture a little bit of this history but not all of it (just too much) but I figured I would start with a pretty interesting piece of history and that is with law enforcement in New
York City.

I was looking at New York City Police Department patrol cars or as they call them, RMP's for radio motor patrol and I set about to find photos of previous RMP's for the NYPD and the style of vehicle, color, make and model are very interesting over the years. From the curent white and blue to the blue and white to the old green and black RMPs of the 60's and 70's. It's also amazing in our day and age what equipment the NYPD used to thwart criminals and criminal activity in New York. Here goes:

1968 RMP (Green, Black & White)

1966 RMP (Green, Black & White)

1980's NY Housing Police Dept RMP (Red, Orange, White)

1970's Port Authority PD RMP

1990's NYPD Blue and White RMP

1990's NYPD Blue and White RMP

1990's NY Transit Police RMP

Its worth noting that the NY transit police and housing police were folded into the NYPD. Up Next: The changing skyline of New York City including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx and Queens.

Some Video from my bodybuilding and personal training site

2008-02-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

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My Workout Videos Peace

To view more of my videos, go to: Check out MY Free Workout
Videos

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My Workout Videos Peace

To view more of my videos, go to: Check out MY Free Workout
Videos

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My Workout Videos Peace

To view more of my videos, go to: Check out MY Free Workout
Videos

Video and Audio Search Optimization

2008-01-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

I have been playing around with optimizing video and audio on the web, that is, making it easier to search for true video and audio that is embedded in video files, instead of having a returned video search result for youtube, google, yahoo, aol, metacafe or dailymotion video websites.

I have partially accomplished this through the saturation of the words "video, videos, movie and movies" in my title, description and keyword meta tags on my webpages/website. I also use those search engines which have their own video format and create my video files in that format (Hint-There is only one). I have recently found a way to index audio files in the search engines and because the audio files are embedded in video files, it indexes both the audio and video. I have approximately 150, thirty second video clips of sports, personal training, bodybuilding, football on my website, http://www.splaxon.com/cpg, with at least 200 video clips to be uploaded.

I have now started to see my website come up number 1 on Google and live.com for search terms such as "New York sports video" and "New York personal training video", not just because of the saturation of keywords or keyphrases but because of the video files that I am using. (Note: There is NO Flash on my website) I have identified another technique, which I am currently testing which will allow me to get even more standalone video results to my website, without using the big video upload services previously mentioned. Stay tuned here for my results coming soon.

Dallas Plummer

Digital Photos/Videos Breakdown on Web

2008-01-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

I've been posting video and photos on the web for so long that I've noticed a phenomena where the digital photo and video files, will start to break down or decay after repeated viewing. The only reason I can see that this happens is because of the repeated I/O on the video and digital files on the server. What I have started to do and in order to keep my files crisp and clear for new users, is to upload the same file every few months or maybe even once a year, depending on the location of the image and the use that that image or video file plays on my website.My Website

View Article on image, video and print decay online.

To load balance any machine, you must attack or decrease the instance of disc I/O's. A disc i/o on the low end is a read of a file on a particular disc; on the high end it is a write, update or replace of that file. In the next posting, I will talk about disc i/o's and how to optimize your disc to decrease the seek time on your disc drive heads.

Where The Buffalo Roam (splaxon.com)

2008-01-07T08:10:00.001-08:00

The western plains, in the mid 1800's to the end of the 19th century, boasted herds of buffalo in the millions but from the wasteful western buffalo hunts, the herds dwindled down to a few hundred.

The new domain of the human buffalo; (two-footed bovine or homo sapien) is the world wide web and where the human buffalo roam online in the billions. My goal on this post is the attempt to explain online trails, that is, what is a hit, a page view, a visitor or visit to a website and online traffic as a whole. For the purpose of simplicity, we shall use my personal website as our example of describing what a "hit" is.

Please click on the splaxon.com "picture" below:

The link, circled in black, is a link on the home page of the splaxon.com website, which, when this link is depressed, it is called a "hit". The resulting page being loaded from the initial "hit", is called a
Page View

(See example below)

A visit is a visit to a website by someone surfing the web. A single visit can reult in hundreds of hits and hundreds of page views to a single website. Understanding what hits, page views, visits, 404 errors and partial page loads, will help those who are seeking to understand the patterns of website visitors and internet marketing.

The title of this posting is "Where The Buffalo Roam" as the increase of traffic on the world wide web is tremendous and from personal experience and analytics, I have found that the day of and after Christmas for the past five years, has seen a great increase in website traffic to my website. I have attributed this to logical thinking. I estimate that in the United States alone, there are 3 - 5 million new users on the internet in the day of and just after Christmas, as these many people will have received or will be receiving new computers as Christmas gifts. I then go to the most basic ISP's or web portals and observe the forums and chat rooms and lo and behold, the users themselves state that they are brand new to the internet and are seeking navigation help in their first online surfing experience. More to follow on this posting.

links

2007-10-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/internet/seo

http://www.businessknowhow.com

http://www.businessknowhow.com/posters/

http://www.splaxon.com/clipshare/

Semblance of Order

2007-10-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

This is my attempt (feeble or otherwise) in bringing some semblance of order to the web. What I will attempt to do is write a little snippet on each website that I visit and whether I think its good or not. We shall see. Let's start with this two websites, which I both own:

One is a video sharing website and youtube clone featuring New York sports and fitness videos, bodybuilding vids, basketball, baseball, football and soccer video. It is www.splaxon.com. There are also bodybuilding, fitness and sports photos and pictures.

and for SEO or search engine optimization, search engine marketing or SEM as well as for video optimization, there is www.seoposse.com