Winter

It's been cold lately, but it's hard to convey temperature unless the element that sustains life--water--is present in the form of ice or snow. I was walking around my work place today, and it was so pretty. I regretted not having my camera with me. Here are some pictures I've taken over the years in my extended neighborhood.

Clicking on the pictures, makes them larger!

A Nice Way to Move About......(with fewer emmissions!)

Well, I didn't have this in mind, but I'd prefer this sight to a Hummer that burns a ton of oil every mile and takes 15 normal car lengths in my city!

I don't know how this would work in big congested cities, but I think it's a great idea, if it is taken seriously and the infrastructure is made to support such a change. I'm talking about bicycles for the urbanites! European cities have been trying this for a while already. London just announced that it will provide 6,000 free bikes for rent for a small fee so people could easily & efficiently move about their city. To encourage Londoners and visitors to the city to actually use the bikes, they have planned to first establish a series of bike lanes and bike paths that will easily link up many of London's most popular spots.

"The cycle hire scheme in Paris has proved a huge success, and I have now instructed Transport for London to work with the London boroughs and interested parties to develop and implement a bike hire scheme in central London, accessible to all Londoners," London mayor, Ken Livingstone said in a press release.

New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg is seriously looking into this as well. I hope it goes through, but knowing the city, some major changes need to take place to make this a safe alternative.

Now, here's another pet peeve of mine: unnecessary monsters on the road! What's up with those people who probably have some kind of a psychological complex to drive those humangous SUVs... I know, it's more of a statement that a utility. Those "Sport Utility Vehicles" also happen to give you very poor gas mileage. You know, that kind of a fossil fuel God put in the soil of countries that don't like us! The kind of fuel we spend fortunes at the pump and to maintain a military presence overseas to make sure we get it... Ah, also throw in the thousands of American soldiers' lives lost in the process of acquiring such fuel for those people who say they support our troops.

Those magnetic stickers many SUV owners have placed on their cars say, Support the Troops. OK, I often asked, what does such a statement mean? How does an American exactly support the soldiers fighting for our freedoms and lifestyle? There seems to me that it's not sacrifice at all if you say, I do so because I can afford it! Those magnetic ribbons do something for sure. They are an irritation, and they dmost likely support some guy in China who makes those plastic stickers.

I think people should pay a premium based on their impact on the environment and all the other resources, especially when certain behaviors & symbols are not of necessity but of showing off!

Again, Mr. Livingston has a bright idea: Drivers of 4x4s, high-powered sports cars, and other high-emission vehicles will have to pay $49 a day to enter central London! This is (only) tripple the current charge. But, wait, most governments would stop here, not this mayor. He said that fuel-efficient vehicles will get a free ride! Wow, now, that's a thought!

I thought I had finished this post until I read this Alternet article You've got to be kidding, and I got more infurated. General Motors calls this new trend (?) intelligent indulgence! I'm not making this up. GM is pushing hybrid monsters as a public relations move and to give some kind of a fig-leaf excuse to people to keep buying unnecessarily huge vehicles. I don't know how many people would buy into the idea that a innefficient & gas-guzzler car is OK because it's a hybrid... I'm all for better fuel-efficient standards but I believe this is ridiculous. From a 10 MPG to 13.5, or whatever little more it is, it still doesn't make any sense to me. All to drive from the supermarket to the movie theater to a few blocks around the house. By the way, 98% of the "off road vehicles" never leave the paved roads!

Happy New Year.... and, a Few Scenes from Chinatown in New York.

We've had some very warm days this February--broke records too--but today, when we decide to go out to a parade, a blast of arctic air comes around! Not only that, but for about an hour we had a snowstorm! I mean it was so cold that my fingers froze in order to take these pictures. They're not artistic, just a small glimpse into a segment of the mosaic we call "the city."


We have a rather big Chinese community in New York City, and as you might have heard, they're celebrating a new year. All this past week, there've been several fun events around town, and a parade on Sunday in Chinatown, downtown Manhattan.

Overall it was a nice experience. I think I was there last year too. Visiting Chinatown, it's a mini adventure. One advice though: don't eat anything you don't recognize or you can't acertain what it is! At the very least, the taste or the combination of ingredients may surprise you. Many of the signs are in Chinese only and the shopkeepers often aren't very fluent in English. But, you must try the food there, including the deserts. By the way, food is far less expensive than anywhere else; for example, the price of a cup of coffee is only 75 cents--which is unheard of after Starbucks appeared.

Chinatown spreads over many blocks in lower part of the island, and it's adjacent to Little Italy. I'm already planning a trip to Mulberry Street for some Italian treats, even though their prices are more in line with those in Rome, and paying with US dollars!

Looking at the Moon

It was one of those nights when I tossed and turned and then woke up. It was around 3 am. I looked outside, and I saw this moon. I grabbed my camera , set it on long exposure, and....

I have a 4-year old digital camera, use no filters, so it's been difficult to capture the moon as a disk instead of a fuzzy light. But, here are some decent pictures of the moon I took in the last few years.

A summer moon aligns with lines of trees in a walkway by the Hudson river.Peeking through the clouds. This very old pier served as a gateway to many thousands of immigrants who entered the US mainland.

Yes, it was magical... strolling by the water with the skyline all lit up and the moon overhead. The moon appeared as a bright disk, but it was to capture it.
Can you spot the moon in the pictures below?


Note: If you click on the pictures, they open up larger in a new window.