Driving a subway is so easy an 8-year-old could do it – and one straphanger claims that's who he saw behind the controls of his train.
Jules Cattie, a 41-year-old lawyer who lives on the East Side, was shocked when he saw a young child at the helm, next to the driver, of his Lexington Avenue express train Sunday, according to the Daily News. And the MTA has suspended a subway operator and conductor without pay while they investigate the charges.
"I saw him driving. He couldn't have been more than 8 or 9," Cattie told the News about the kid. " I thought, 'This is really dangerous.' That has to be the craziest thing I've ever seen." Kids obviously aren't allowed to drive trains; no one's even allowed to be in the cab with the train operator, according to MTA rules. So if what Cattie says he saw wasn't just a figment of his imagination, someone's going to be in trouble.
At first, Cattie just thought the train operator was teaching a newbie how to drive a subway because he heard her giving instructions. "It's green, speed up," and "Yellow, slow down," he recalled the operator saying.
But when the train stopped at 14th Street and a boy came out of the driver's cab to tell riders they were being held up because of traffic, Cattie was stupefied. He pressed his face up against the glass of the cab to get a better look, and saw what he thought was an MTA operator letting her son have a go at the controls, reports the News.
"The kid was standing there with a female conductor behind him. A little, little kid standing there," Cattie, who took a picture of the two with his cell phone, said. Given recent news about devastating train accidents in Washington and California, the lawyer found the sight particularly disturbing.
Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that an unauthorized person was in the operator's cab as the subway traveled through Manhattan on Sunday. They are still investigating whether the person was allowed to operate the train. NYC Transit said the unidentified train operator had 16 years of experience and the conductor was a 10-year veteran.
This wouldn't be the first time a transit employee was disciplined for giving someone else a turn behind the controls. Ten days ago, a Long Island Rail Road engineer was suspended without pay for allowing a passenger to drive the train.
Pascal Katana, a Fourth Year student at the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, developed an electronic device that 'automates' fishing. The trap employs amplification of the sound made by fish while feeding. The acoustic signals are radiated and attract other fish who head toward the direction of the source thinking there is food there.
Once a good catch is detected by a net weighing mechanism, it triggers a GPRS/GSM device attached to the system and the fisherman gets a call/sms informing him that his catch is ready. Pascal is in the process of developing a by-catch control system which will ensure that his contraption doesn't cause overfishing.
What's up good people, So are we really talking about the president wearing loose or baggy jeans??? WTH!!! How can this be an issue with the most powerful man in the land?
Well Mr. Lovettelli is going to break it down for you so that everyone understands the real story behind the so called fashion faux pa!
Attention Vouge, Cosmo, CNN, MSNBC, Fox and every white person in Washington there are some things you need to know about black men and this includes the POTUS! (President of the United States)
Black menDON'T WEAR SKINNY JEANS PERIOD!!! (MEN IN GENERAL SHOULD NOT BE WEARING SKINNY JEANS AT ALL!)
Now I'm not sayin' the president is sagging or anything because he is not but as a black man I can speak for a quite few of them and from experience and a black man will get his pimp, playa or brah man card suspended if he gets caught pulling a stunt like that in public! The President pants are comfortable and appropriate (he is at a baseball game) and DAMN IT, he is the President of the United States and he can wear whatever makes him feel good! If the fashionista's don't like it, well that's too damn bad!
As if the media doesn't have enough to report on President Obama already, his attire to a baseball game is top news? This is a sad state of journalism!!!
Take a peek at former President George Bush and see what he wore when he threw out the first pitch during the St. Louis Cardinals’ season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
He has on slacks, who goes to a baseball game practically in a suit? I don't seem to remember this much hoopla about President Bush's attire for wearing slacks??? This is one of the few times you will hear me say "Its A Black President thing and you won't understand!!!"
"I'm a little frumpy,' admits president after being called out for wearing outdated Levi's at a baseball game."
Barack Obama walks out to throw the first pitch at the Major League Baseball's all-star game in St Louis, Missouri.
Obama was challenged on a television news programme about the shapeless, creased and hopelessly outdated Levi's blue jeans he wore to the baseball all-star game last week. "I'm a little frumpy," he said on NBC's Today programme, after presenter Meredith Vieira ribbed him about his baseball attire. "I hate to shop, those jeans are comfortable. For those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans I'm sorry, I'm not the guy."
"For people who want a president to look great in tight jeans, I'm sorry." No apology necessary, Mr. President. The thought of our Commander-In-Chief wearing skinny jeans is a terrifying prospect.
The last comment may have been a slag on former president George Bush, whose Texas cowboy look provoked swoons from some voters during his 2000 run for the White House. Obama's shyness about his physique even applies on the basketball court: He eschews the shorts typical to the game in favour of long dark workout pants and a tucked-in T-shirt.
On the rare occasions he allows himself to be photographed in short pants – or shirtless – the president has shown he has little to hide under clothing more suited to one's grandparents. He exercises regularly, even ordering aides to schedule daily workout sessions during the marathon presidential campaign, and watches his weight. In December the president allowed himself to be photographed without a shirt on a Hawaiian beach. NBC's Meredith Viera
"The sun glinted off chiselled pectorals sculpted during four weightlifting sessions each week, and a body toned by regular treadmill runs and basketball games," the Washington Post's Eli Saslow wrote in a typical media reaction. Obama told the Today show that during his tenure as a state senator in Springfield, Illinois he owned only four suits, and that his glamourous wife would tease him when they would wear to a patina.
According to German fashion writer Bernhard Roetzel, author of Gentleman: A Timeless Guide to Fashion, even now Obama's attire could use a bit of freshening up. "I find his suit trousers sometimes a bit too long," he told the New York Times fashion blog. "The president should also choose shirts, suits and ties with less contrasting colours in order to make his face look fresher - dark blue or black suits and white shirts are too harsh. Dark grays for the suit and light blue for the shirt would look better, in my opinion. And I never understood why the man with the biggest intelligence agency behind him didn't know that a white tie is not worn with a dinner suit."
15-year-old Kimberly Anyadike became the youngest African-American female pilot to ever fly across the United States, finishing a 13 day flight and 23 cities with the help of her safety pilot, 87 year old Tuskegee Airman, Levi Thornhill.
Anyadike, who met over 50 Tuskegee Airmen during her trip, says she "wanted to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves," and that she wanted to pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen along the way, as "They left such a great legacy. I had big shoes to fill. All they wanted to do was to be patriots for this country. They were told no, that they were stupid, that they didn't have cognitive development to fly planes. They didn't listen. They just did what they wanted to do." A clip of the pilot, below:
“Tuskegee Airmen Briefing” Toni Frisell 1945
Anyadike is believed to be the youngest African American female to have completed the journey, and among the youngest people in the nation (regardless of race or gender) to have done so.
She left from Compton at the end of last month on a small red-tailed Cessna. The tail of the plane was painted red in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen who she hoped to honor:
They [The Tuskegee Airmen] left such a great legacy. I had big shoes to fill . . . All they wanted to do was to be patriots for this country. They were told no, that they were stupid, that they didn’t have cognitive development to fly planes. They didn’t listen. They just did what they wanted to do. (LA Times)
Video above is after the completion of the cross country trip Anyadike’s co-pilot was also a Tuskegee Airman and during the 13 day trip, she stopped in 4 different states along the eastbound leg of the trip to meet surviving members of the all African-American Air Force unit. 50 Airman signed her small plane in thanks. Many were glad to see the legacy of African American pilots continuing into the next generation.
TAM is also a shining examples of black people doing for themselves. Founder, Jamaican-American, Robin Petgrave started the program to inspire youth and get them off the streets and away from exploitation. It is currently supported by the Association of Black Pilots and the Tuskegee Airman Chapter in LA, as well as the KIPP school (open to all inner city youth seeking college prep education). And TAM is part of a larger community effort to help inspire kids from Compton that many locals have spoken out in praise of and helped support through time, effort, media, and funds.
In a world where we are still willing to kick children out of a pool for being the wrong “complexion” or to disparage the intelligence of young girls while encouraging them to see their power in flesh and product, Anyadike offers a critical alternative of hardwork, knowing one’s history, and daring to dream. The collective effort of women and men from Congress to Compton ensured that the youngest black female pilot just made a safe and historic flight around our nation. Her skills and accomplishment will no doubt inspire other young girls and nationally disparaged youth; they certainly inspired me.
Anyadike also understands the importance of continuing the legacy, stating her other main reason for taking the flight amidst discouragement from others was:
Given that the first all African-American female crew (pilot, co-pilot, and flight attendants) flew only a year ago, Anyadike’s significance to women’s aviation cannot be underestimated. Not only does her flight represent an important shift away from a largely male, or male only, tradition in aviation (black or white) but was also part of the efforts of several strong women to keep the program where she learned to fly alive.
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, designed to inspire at-risk and low income youth to not only learn to fly but also to take hold of their dreams, was largely supported by female Congressmen. Senator Diane Finestein and Congresswoman Richardson have been key advocates for the program and were also on hand to meet Anyadike when she reached the East Coast. Congresswomen Juanita Millender-McDonald and Figueroa have been important local advocates for the program, taking their accomplishments to the hill.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonal also helped spearhead efforts to get the program re-funded under the Bush administration; those effots were stopped by then-Pres Bush, citing Katrina rebuilding as his reason, tho many believe it was part of a longstanding tradition of Republicans to refuse to fund targeted programs regardless of how beneficial they may be. While Bush failed to see the significance of the program, the male pilots behind the program were much clearer on its goals and were just as keen as the women involved to ensure female representation and gender equity in the program.
Here is a little bit of the story on the President checking out a young ladies "Junk in the Trunk", and I'm sure this story is not over! Some of this story I picked and added some of my own comments to another bloggers story and the only reason I did it that way was to show that President Obama is still a brotha and is not dead. Thanks tohttp://www.averagebro.com/for the story link upand my comments are in Italics! http://www.averagebro.com/2009/07/bootygate-really.html
So, nearly a week after an optical illusion turned into a silly faux controversy, the media is still prattling on and on about Barack Obama supposedly ogling the booty of a 16 year old Brazilian girl. All I see is a black man helping a beautiful brown skinned sister down some stairs, but that's just me.
(They are in Brazil...WTH would you expect with the way woman look down there...That's a black mans dream, to chill in Rio and enjoy all the eye candy that practically grows on trees!!!
Clearly Obama didn't oggle the young girl's butt. I have no idea why this is still being discussed. Perhaps the stupidest criticism I've heard is that if George W. Bush had done this, it'd be all over the news. Uhhh, really. Did folks somehow forget this?
It's neat how the media picks up this and runs with it because of the character of President Obama but when George does it, everyone buries it and never speaks of it. Oh well, I guess even the highest man in office can still be human and have haters all over the place!
At least if President Obama is going to get "busted" for checking out a woman from Brazil's backside, thank God she has a nice figure and a butt worth looking at!!! Unlike President Bush's photo op with two girls at what looks like a volleyball game...President Bush, let me help you out here!!! If you look real close, she still has no azz!!! So you may want to reevaluate that thumbs up there Brah!!!
This falls right in line with common stereotypes. A black man can't resist peeking at butts, even underaged ones. And his tall, muscular black wife probably kicked his ass when they got back to the hotel. Cause, you know, that's what angry, black women do! She may be the First Lady but she still is a sista and I'm sure it comes out sometimes!!!
Riiiiight. I can't help but think that there's a little bit of "oversexed Black man"-style racial politricks lurking under the surface here. What say ye'?
Question: Is "BootyGate" being blown out of proportion? Is there a double standard for liberals and Conservatives, or is this more black and white?
There is more than enough going on in politics, plus I thought you could not run for public office if you haven't had an affair! SOP I guess and plus if the other politions are doing it like clock work what's the big deal with a look?
Look at Gov. Mark Sanford...He has a wife and a girlfriend too! I'm Just Sayin!!!
The Michael Smerconish Program interviewed an eyewitness named "Jan," who is a member of The Valley Swim Club. Jan says the children from The Creative Steps Day Camp were very well-behaved, and the camp supervisors were highly attentive. This puts a dent in the argument that, perhaps, the children were behaving in an overly rowdy fashion, which is why they were ejected.
NBC reports that more than 60 African-American campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club because -- according to John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club -- "there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."
It may surprise some Americans to learn that not only do certain private clubs still refuse to admit African-Americans, women, and gay people, but that this kind of enrollment discrimination is considered perfectly legal.
While the total number of private clubs is unknown, there are around at least 4,000 private golf clubs, according to Golf Digest. Of course, since these clubs are private, their exact enrollment standards aren't part of the public record, so there is no way to know for sure if they discriminate against ethnic minorities, women, or homosexuals. Furthermore, even if they do adopt official "white males only" policies, these practices are considered "legal" in some jurisdictions, though many clubs have been sued for discrimination.
Because of the shroud of secrecy surrounding enrollment at private clubs, these discriminatory practices usually only come to light when the media catches a prominent politician on the fairway. Katon Dawson, South Carolina GOP chairman and former candidate for the RNC chair, was forced to resign from the Forest Lake Club after members made public the fact that the club has a whites-only restriction and no black members. Then there was Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who hosted a golf fundraiser at a whites-only club back in 2000 along with then-lawmakers Bob Ney and Tom DeLay.
Back in 1992, Bill Clinton was accused of attending an all-white private golf club, though Mark Grobmeyer, the Little Rock lawyer who played at the club with Clinton, denied there was a "no blacks" policy. Why were there no black players then? Mr. Grobmeyer replied, "None have applied."
President Kennedy was once challenged by future Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, over his membership at the Links Country Club because the club excluded Jews from membership. President Kennedy reportedly chuckled and replied, "Hell, Arthur, they don't even allow Catholics."
This recent case of discrimination at the Philadelphia club is merely a continuation of discriminatory admission standards. Such official bans on non-Anglo Saxon men may seem superfluous considering outrageous membership fees are usually enough deterrence to keep non-white people off the golf courses and out of the pools, but when The Creative Steps Day Camp managed to pay the $1900 for their young campers to enter The Valley Swim Club, the staff resorted to drastic measures.
"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."
Remarks like that make it difficult to remember that it's 2009. According to attorney Benjamin Leedy, another shameful episode occurred a little over a decade ago when Hall Thompson, founder of the all-white Shoal Creek club in Birmingham, AL (site of the 1990 PGA Championship,) declared that his club would not be pressured into accepting African-American members. "This is our home, and we pick and choose who we want," he said.
Leedy cites another recent example in 2003 at the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, where Martha Burke, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, demanded that the club allow women to become members. Hootie Johnson chairman of Augusta National, responded "There may well come a day when women will be invited to join our membership, but that timetable will be ours and not at the point of a bayonet."
In 2001, Birgit Koebke and Kendall French, a lesbian couple registered as domestic partners under the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003, sued Bernardo Heights Country Club alleging that the club discriminated against them on the basis of sexual orientation. The club's membership privileges were only available to members' spouses and children, but not to members' domestic partners. In 2005, the California Supreme Court concluded "that since, under California law, registered domestic partners have rights equivalent to legal spouses, the question of whether the club's practice of granting playing privileges to members' spouses but not to members' registered domestic partners constituted unlawful discrimination under California's anti-discrimination law must be left to a jury decide."
This most recent case of discrimination in Philadelphia is particularly sinister because it involves banishing children. "I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor. What a terrible lesson to teach two children -- one white and one black. The white child learns to fear those who are different from them.
The black child learns there is something "wrong" and "dirty" about their very existence. Hopefully, another more enlightened swim club will welcome the campers from The Creative Steps Day Camp, who are now looking for a place to keep cool during the summer.
I have worked in the aviation industry for 30 years and I have worked almost every position so I have a little insight on many jobs in the industry. Former flight attendant and, commercial rated pilot and trying to get a job doing that one day and I want to have my own airline one day hopefully soon! I have the patience of a saint. I love all the different areas in aviation and I look forward to the future to see what it brings.
Agency conducting "vigorous and thorough" investigation
So, nearly a week after an optical illusion turned into a silly 
