1.
Briarcliff Manor, New York
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Briarcliff Manor /ˈbraɪərklɪf/ is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, around 30 miles north of New York City. It is on 5.9 square miles of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant, Briarcliff Manor includes the communities of Scarborough and Chilmark, and is served by the Scarborough station of the Metro-North Railroads Hudson Line. A section of the village, including buildings and homes covering 376 acres, is part of the Scarborough Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The village motto is A Village between Two Rivers, reflecting Briarcliff Manors location between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers, although the Pocantico is the primary boundary between Mount Pleasant and Ossining, since its incorporation the village has spread into Mount Pleasant. In the precolonial era, the area was inhabited by a band of the Wappinger tribes of Native Americans. In the early 19th century, the area was known as Whitsons Corners, Walter William Law moved to the area and purchased lands during the 1890s. Law developed the village, establishing schools, churches, parks, Briarcliff Manor was incorporated as a village in 1902, and celebrated its centennial on November 21,2002. The village has grown from 331 people when established to 7,867 in the 2010 census, Briarcliff Manor was historically known for its wealthy estate-owning families, including the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers. It still remains primarily residential and its population is still considered affluent by U. S. standards and it has about 180 acres of recreational facilities and parks, all accessible to the public. The village has seven Christian churches for various denominations and two synagogues, the oldest church is Saint Marys Episcopal Church, built in 1851. Briarcliff Manor has a local government, with departments including police, fire, recreation. It has a low rate, a 2012 study found it had the second-lowest in the state. In the New York State Legislature it is split between the New York State Assemblys 95th and 92nd districts, and the New York Senates 38th and 40th districts, in Congress the village is in New Yorks 17th District. Briarcliff Manors original settlement was known as Whitsons Corners for brothers John H. Richard, and Reuben Whitson, Whitsons Corners was named after the corner of Pleasantville and South State Roads, where John H. Whitsons house, the Crossways, stood from 1820 until the 1940s. The Briarcliff Congregational Churchs parish house currently stands at its former location, the neighboring community of Scarborough was known as Weskora until it was renamed in 1864, after resident William Kemeys ancestral hometown in Yorkshire. After the community was incorporated into Briarcliff Manor in 1906, the New York Central, soon afterward, attributed to the neighborhoods pride over their name, that sign was thrown into the Hudson River and replaced with the original Scarborough sign. Briarcliff Manor derives from Brier Cliff, a compound of the English words brier, the name originated in Ireland as that of the family home of John David Ogilby, a professor of ecclesiastical history at the General Theological Seminary. Ogilby had named his New York summer home Brier Cliff after his home in Ireland
2.
Hudson Line (Metro-North)
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Metro-North Railroads Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtraks Empire Corridor trains continuing north to, the line was originally the Hudson River Railroad, and later part of the famous Water Level Route of the New York Central Railroad. The Croton–Harmon station divides the line into two distinct segments, south of there, the line is electrified with third rail, serving suburban stations located relatively close together. Most of the zone has four tracks, usually two express and local tracks in each direction. For a few miles in the Bronx there are two or three tracks. Local service is provided by electric trains, while diesel trains run express. North of Croton–Harmon, the line is not electrified and is mostly double-tracked, service between Croton–Harmon and Poughkeepsie is provided by diesel trains, these generally run express and skip most of the lower stations. From just north of Spuyten Duyvil to the end of the line, the Hudson line was built by the Hudson River Railroad in 1851 as an extension to the Troy and Greenbush Railroad connecting Troy and Albany in the capital region. Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and merged it in 1869 with other short line railroads that Vanderbilt also owned including the New York and these two merged railroads were named the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. It was renamed the New York Central Railroad in 1914, the New York Central operated many intercity and commuter trains over this line for many years. It was a key route in connecting Grand Central Terminal in New York to LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, commuter service along the line was offered as far north as Albany Union Station, with 121 trains serving Albany per day during the NYCs peak years. At the end of the world war, private rail service began a sharp decline with the start of the Jet Age. The New York Central began losing money on almost all commuter, the railroad continued to lose money however. This however was denied, preserving Grand Central, in 1971 the National Railroad Passenger Corporation took over all intercity passenger service in the US. Penn Central continued to operate freight and commuter service along the Hudson line until it was folded into Conrail in 1976, Conrail operated commuter service to Albany until it abandoned service north of Poughkeepsie in 1981. In 1983, the MTA Metro-North Railroad took control of all operations in the Hudson Valley. In 2009 a new station was opened at East 153rd Street in the Bronx and it sees regular service on the Hudson Line, plus special service from the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines for New York Yankees games. On December 1,2013, a train derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx
3.
Side platform
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A side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. Dual side platform stations, one for direction of travel, is the basic station design used for double-track railway lines. Side platforms may result in a wider overall footprint for the station compared with a platform where a single width of platform can be shared by riders using either track. In some stations, the two platforms are connected by a footbridge running above and over the tracks. While a pair of platforms is often provided on a dual-track line. Where the station is close to a crossing the platforms may either be on the same side of the crossing road or alternatively may be staggered in one of two ways. With the near-side platforms configuration, each platform appears before the intersection, in some situations a single side platform can be served by multiple vehicles simultaneously with a scissors crossing provided to allow access mid-way along its length. Normally, the facilities of the station are located on the Up platform with the other platform accessed from a footbridge. However, in cases the stations main buildings are located on whichever side faces the town or village the station serves. Larger stations may have two platforms with several island platforms in between. Some are in a Spanish solution format, with two platforms and an island platform in between, serving two tracks
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
Volt
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The volt is the derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. One volt is defined as the difference in potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It is also equal to the difference between two parallel, infinite planes spaced 1 meter apart that create an electric field of 1 newton per coulomb. Additionally, it is the difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it. It can also be expressed as amperes times ohms, watts per ampere, or joules per coulomb, for the Josephson constant, KJ = 2e/h, the conventional value KJ-90 is used, K J-90 =0.4835979 GHz μ V. This standard is typically realized using an array of several thousand or tens of thousands of junctions. Empirically, several experiments have shown that the method is independent of device design, material, measurement setup, etc. in the water-flow analogy sometimes used to explain electric circuits by comparing them with water-filled pipes, voltage is likened to difference in water pressure. Current is proportional to the diameter of the pipe or the amount of water flowing at that pressure. A resistor would be a reduced diameter somewhere in the piping, the relationship between voltage and current is defined by Ohms Law. Ohms Law is analogous to the Hagen–Poiseuille equation, as both are linear models relating flux and potential in their respective systems, the voltage produced by each electrochemical cell in a battery is determined by the chemistry of that cell. Cells can be combined in series for multiples of that voltage, mechanical generators can usually be constructed to any voltage in a range of feasibility. High-voltage electric power lines,110 kV and up Lightning, Varies greatly. Volta had determined that the most effective pair of metals to produce electricity was zinc. In 1861, Latimer Clark and Sir Charles Bright coined the name volt for the unit of resistance, by 1873, the British Association for the Advancement of Science had defined the volt, ohm, and farad. In 1881, the International Electrical Congress, now the International Electrotechnical Commission and they made the volt equal to 108 cgs units of voltage, the cgs system at the time being the customary system of units in science. At that time, the volt was defined as the difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power. The international volt was defined in 1893 as 1/1.434 of the emf of a Clark cell and this definition was abandoned in 1908 in favor of a definition based on the international ohm and international ampere until the entire set of reproducible units was abandoned in 1948. Prior to the development of the Josephson junction voltage standard, the volt was maintained in laboratories using specially constructed batteries called standard cells
6.
Direct current
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Direct current is a flow of electrical charge carriers that always takes place in the same direction. The current need not always have the magnitude, but if it is to be defined as dc. This contrasts with alternating current which varies the direction of flow, sources of direct current include power supplies, electrochemical cells and batteries, and photovoltaic cells and panels. The intensity, or amplitude, of a direct current might fluctuate with time, in some such cases the dc has an ac component superimposed on it. An example of this is the output of a cell that receives a modulated light communications signal. A source of dc is sometimes called a dc generator, batteries and various other sources of dc produce a constant voltage. This is called pure dc and can be represented by a straight, the peak and effective values are the same. The peak to peak value is zero because the instantaneous amplitude never changes, in some instances the value of a dc voltage pulsates or oscillates rapidly with time, in a manner similar to the changes in an ac wave. The unfiltered output of a wave or a full wave rectifier. In 1820, Hans Christian Orsted discovered that electrical current creates a magnetic field and this discovery made scientists relate magnetism to the electric phenomena. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. He improved a 50-year-old idea using lower current electricity, a vacuum inside the globe and a small carbonized filament. At that time, the idea of lightning was not new. Edison not only invented an incandescent electric light, but an electric lighting system contained all the necessary elements to make the incandescent light safe, economical. Prior to 1879, direct current electricity had been used in lighting for the outdoors and it was in the 1880s when the modern electric utility industry began. It was an evolution from street lighting systems and from gas and it was located in Lower Manhattan, on Pearl Street. This station provided light and electricity to customers in a one square mile range, the station was called Thomas Edisons Pearl Street Electricity Generating Station. This station introduced four elements of an electric utility system, Efficient distribution, competitive price, reliable central generation
7.
Third rail
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A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a transit or rapid transit system. Third rail systems are supplied from direct current electricity. The third-rail system of electrification is unrelated to the third used in dual gauge railways. Third-rail systems are a means of providing electric power to trains. On most systems, the rail is placed on the sleeper ends outside the running rails. The conductor rail is supported on ceramic insulators or insulated brackets, the trains have metal contact blocks called shoes which make contact with the conductor rail. The traction current is returned to the station through the running rails. The conductor rail is made of high conductivity steel. The conductor rails have to be interrupted at level crossings, crossovers, tapered rails are provided at the ends of each section, to allow a smooth engagement of the trains contact shoes. Because third rail systems present electric shock hazards close to the ground, a very high current must therefore be used to transfer adequate power, resulting in high resistive losses, and requiring relatively closely spaced feed points. The electrified rail threatens electrocution of anyone wandering or falling onto the tracks. This can be avoided by using platform screen doors, or the risk can be reduced by placing the rail on the side of the track away from the platform. There is also a risk of pedestrians walking onto the tracks at level crossings, the Paris Metro has graphic warning signs pointing out the danger of electrocution from urinating on third rails, precautions which Chicago did not have. The end ramps of conductor rails present a practical limitation on speed due to the impact of the shoe. The world speed record for a rail train is 174 km/h attained on 11 April 1988 by a British Class 442 EMU. In the event of a collision with an object, the beveled end ramps of bottom running systems can facilitate the hazard of having third rail penetrate the interior of a passenger car. This is believed to have contributed to the death of five passengers in the Valhalla train crash of 2015, third rail systems using top contact are prone to accumulations of snow, or ice formed from refrozen snow, and this can interrupt operations
8.
Rush hour
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A rush hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday—once in the morning and once in the afternoon-evening, the term is often used for a period of peak congestion that may last for more than one hour. By analogy to vehicular traffic, the term Internet rush hour has been used to describe periods of peak data network usage, resulting in delays and slower delivery of data packets. The name is sometimes a misnomer, as the period often lasts more than one hour. Rush hour may be 6–10 am and 4–8 pm, Peak traffic periods may vary from city to city, from region to region, and seasonally. The frequency of public service is usually higher in the rush hour. The resulting crowding may force many passengers to stand, and others may be unable to board, if there is inadequate capacity, this can make public transport less attractive, leading to higher car use and partly shifting the congestion to roads. Transport demand management, such as road pricing or a charge, is designed to induce people to alter their travel timing to minimize congestion. Similarly, public transport fares may be higher during peak periods, season tickets or multi-ride tickets, sold at a discount, are commonly used in rush hours by commuters, and may or may not reflect rush hour fare differentials. Staggered hours have been promoted as a means of spreading demand across a time span, for example in Rush Hour. In Australia, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and in New Zealand, Auckland and Christchurch are usually the most congested cities in the morning 6–9am, in Melbourne the Monash Freeway, which connects Melbournes suburban sprawl, to the city is usually heavily congested each morning and evening. In Perth, Mitchell Freeway, Kwinana Freeway and various arterial roads are usually congested between peak hours, making movement between suburbs and the city quite slow, efforts to minimise traffic congestion during peak hour vary on a state by state and city by city basis. In Melbourne, congestion is managed by means including, Inbound transit lanes on busy freeways which are limited to motorcycles, free travel on metropolitan trains before 7am. Passengers must exit the system at their station before 7am. Dedicated bus lanes on major city roads such as Hoddle Street. Introduction of dedicated lanes in the inner city area to encourage cyclists. Prohibition of parking along busy roads during peak periods to create an extra lane for traffic. In São Paulo, Brazil, each vehicle is assigned a day of the week in which it cannot travel the roads during rush hour
9.
Metro-North Railroad
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With an average weekday ridership of 298,900 in 2014, it is the second-busiest commuter railroad in North America in terms of annual ridership, behind its sister railroad, the Long Island Rail Road. Metro-North also provides rail service within New York City at a reduced fare. There are 124 stations on Metro-North Railroads five active lines, which operate on more than 775 miles of track, the MTA has jurisdiction, through Metro-North, over railroad lines on the western and eastern portions of the Hudson River in New York. Service on the side of the Hudson is operated by New Jersey Transit under contract with the MTA. Three lines provide service on the east side of the Hudson River to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, the Hudson, Harlem. The Beacon Line is a line owned by Metro-North but is not in service. The Hudson and Harlem Lines terminate in Poughkeepsie and Wassaic, New York, the New Haven Line is operated through a partnership between Metro-North and the State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Transportation owns the tracks and stations within Connecticut, MTA owns the tracks and stations and handles capital improvements within New York State. MTA performs routine maintenance and provides services for the entire line, its branches. New cars and locomotives are purchased in a joint agreement between MTA and ConnDOT, with the agencies paying for 33. 3% and 66. 7% of costs respectively. ConnDOT pays more because most of the line is in Connecticut, the New Haven Line has three branches in Connecticut, the New Canaan Branch, Danbury Branch and Waterbury Branch. At New Haven, the Shore Line East connecting service, run by Connecticut, Amtrak operates intercity train service along the New Haven and Hudson Lines. The New Haven Line is part of Amtraks Northeast Corridor, at New Haven, the New Haven Line connects to the Amtrak New Haven–Springfield Line. The Hudson Line connects with the Oak Point Link and is the route for freight to and from the Bronx. Freight railroads CSX, CP Rail, P&W, and Housatonic Railroad have trackage rights on sections of the system, there are two branches, the Port Jervis Line and the Pascack Valley Line. The Port Jervis Line is accessed from two New Jersey Transit lines, the Main Line and the Bergen County Line. The Port Jervis Line terminates in Port Jervis, New York, most stops for the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley Lines are in New Jersey, so New Jersey Transit provides most of the rolling stock and all the staff, Metro-North supplies some equipment. Metro-North equipment has been used on other New Jersey Transit lines on the Hoboken division, All stations west of the Hudson River in New York are owned and operated by Metro-North, except Suffern, which is owned and operated by New Jersey Transit
10.
Grand Central Terminal
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Grand Central Terminal is a commuter, rapid transit railroad terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Its platforms, all ground, serve 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though the total number of tracks along platforms. The terminal serves commuters traveling on the Metro-North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, until 1991, the terminal served Amtrak, which moved to nearby Pennsylvania Station upon completion of the Empire Connection. The East Side Access project is underway to bring Long Island Rail Road service to the terminal, Grand Central Terminal has intricate designs both on its inside and outside. In addition, it contains a vast interior main concourse, the terminal is one of the worlds most visited tourist attractions, with 21.9 million visitors in 2013. Unlike other Metro-North stations, Grand Central Terminal is not owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Grand Central Station is the name of the nearby U. S. Post Office station at 450 Lexington Avenue, but may refer to the Grand Central – 42nd Street subway station that is located next to the terminal. The tracks are numbered according to their location in the terminal building, the upper-level tracks are numbered 11 to 42 east to west. Tracks 22 and 31 were removed in the late 1990s to build concourses for Grand Central North, Track 12 was removed to expand the platform between tracks 11 and 13 and track 14 is only used for loading a garbage train. The lower level has 27 tracks, numbered 100 to 126, east to west, currently, only tracks 102–112, odd-numbered tracks are usually on the east side of the platform, even-numbered tracks on the west. Grand Central Terminal has both monumental spaces and meticulously crafted detail, especially on its facade, in a February 2013 BBC News article, historian David Cannadine described it as one of the most majestic buildings of the twentieth century. In 2013, Grand Central Terminal hosted 21.6 million visitors, among them are chain stores, including a Starbucks coffee shop, a Rite Aid pharmacy and, as of December 2011, an Apple Store. Other chain restaurants include a Shake Shack, Grand Central Terminals 49-acre basements are among the largest in the city. This includes M42, a secret sub-basement under the terminal that contains the AC to DC converters used to supply DC traction current to the tracks. The exact location of M42 is a guarded secret and does not appear on maps, though it has been shown on the History Channel program Cities of the Underworld. Two of the rotary converters were not removed in the late 20th century when solid-state ones took over their job. During World War II, this facility was closely guarded because its sabotage would have impaired troop movement on the Eastern Seaboard. It is said that any unauthorized person entering the facility during the war risked being shot on sight, abwehr sent two spies to sabotage it, they were arrested by the FBI before they could strike
11.
Poughkeepsie station
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The Poughkeepsie Metro-North Railroad station serves Poughkeepsie, New York and surrounding areas as the north end of the Hudson Line. It is also served by many Amtrak trains, which continue north to Albany, Syracuse, Montreal, Buffalo, trains leave for New York every hour on weekdays, and about every 25 minutes during rush hour. It is 73.5 miles from Grand Central Terminal and travel time to Grand Central is about one hour,46 minutes, Poughkeepsie is 8.5 miles from New Hamburg, the next station to the south. This is the longest distance between stations on the Hudson Line, the longest on any Metro-North main line, and the third longest on the entire system, built in 1918, the main station building is meant to be a much smaller version of Grand Central. It was a source of pride when it opened. In 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, it and its five-bay facade features sculptured masonry designs over the five high arched windows. To the west, a 420x15-foot steel-frame overhead walkway provides access to the tracks via stairs and elevators, today it continues westward to provides access to the adjacent parking garage. At the time of the construction, it served the businesses along Main Street. The waiting room, modeled on Grand Central Terminal, is a high gallery lit during daylight by the windows, the 14 benches within are also original finished chestnut pieces. The walls are paneled in wood to eight feet, after which the stone shows all the way to the cornice. More original woodwork, the stained walnut rafters, is present in the ceiling, possibly modeled after a design in San Miniato al Monte. The northernmost MTA Police substation is adjacent to the station as well, as of August 2006, daily commuter ridership was 1,633 and there were 1,101 parking spots. There are five tracks at the level, enough to accommodate Amtrak and Metro-North stops simultaneously. The fourth and easternmost has a speed limit and is used mainly for non-revenue maintenance trains or those experiencing difficulties. In the late 1960s the North-South Arterial was built and elevated immediately to the stations east, somewhat isolating it from the rest of the city. Traffic going along the expressway gets a view of the station, and it. This station has two platforms each six cars long. The first Poughkeepsie station was built in 1850 as what became the New York Central Railroads Water Level Route worked its way up the Hudson River
12.
New York Central Railroad
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The New York Central Railroad was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. NYCs Grand Central Terminal in New York City is one of its best known extant landmarks, in 1968 the NYC merged with its former rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, to form Penn Central. That company went bankrupt in 1970 and was taken over by the federal government, Conrail was broken up in 1998, and portions of its system was transferred to the newly formed New York Central Lines LLC, a subsidiary leased to and eventually absorbed by CSX and Norfolk Southern. Those companies lines included the original New York Central main line, but outside that area it included lines that were never part of the New York Central system. At the end of 1925, the New York Central System operated 11,584 miles of road and 26,395 miles of track, at the end of 1967 the mileages were 9,696 miles and 18,454 miles. The Mohawk and Hudson opened on September 24,1831, and changed its name to the Albany, the Utica and Schenectady Railroad was chartered April 29,1833, as the railroad paralleled the Erie Canal it was prohibited from carrying freight. Revenue service began August 2,1836, extending the line of the Albany and Schenectady Railroad west from Schenectady along the side of the Mohawk River, opposite the Erie Canal. The Syracuse and Utica Railroad was chartered May 1,1836, the full line opened July 3,1839, extending the line further to Syracuse via Rome. This line was not direct, going out of its way to stay near the Erie Canal and serve Rome, nothing of that line was ever built, though the later West Shore Railroad, acquired by the NYC in 1885, served the same purpose. The Auburn and Syracuse Railroad was chartered May 1,1834, and opened mostly in 1838, a month later, with the opening of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad, this formed a complete line from Albany west via Syracuse to Auburn, about halfway to Geneva. The Auburn and Rochester Railroad was chartered May 13,1836, as an extension via Geneva and Canandaigua to Rochester. The two lines merged on August 1,1850, to form the rather indirect Rochester and Syracuse Railroad, to fix this, the Rochester and Syracuse Direct Railway was chartered and immediately merged into the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad on August 6,1850. That line opened June 1,1853, running more directly between those two cities, roughly parallel to the Erie Canal. The Tonawanda Railroad, to the west of Rochester, was chartered April 24,1832 to build from said city to Attica. The first section, from Rochester southwest to Batavia, opened May 5,1837, the Attica and Buffalo Railroad chartered in 1836 and opened on November 24,1842, running from Buffalo east to Attica. On March 19,1844, the Tonawanda Railroad was authorized to build the connection, the Albany and Schenectady Railroad bought all the baggage, mail and emigrant cars of the other railroads between Albany and Buffalo on February 17,1848, and began operating through cars. On December 7,1850, the Tonawanda Railroad and Attica and Buffalo Railroad merged to form the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad. A new direct line opened from Buffalo east to Batavia on April 26,1852, the line was added to the New York and Erie Railroad system and converted to the Eries 6 ft broad gauge
13.
Hudson Division
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Metro-North Railroads Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtraks Empire Corridor trains continuing north to, the line was originally the Hudson River Railroad, and later part of the famous Water Level Route of the New York Central Railroad. The Croton–Harmon station divides the line into two distinct segments, south of there, the line is electrified with third rail, serving suburban stations located relatively close together. Most of the zone has four tracks, usually two express and local tracks in each direction. For a few miles in the Bronx there are two or three tracks. Local service is provided by electric trains, while diesel trains run express. North of Croton–Harmon, the line is not electrified and is mostly double-tracked, service between Croton–Harmon and Poughkeepsie is provided by diesel trains, these generally run express and skip most of the lower stations. From just north of Spuyten Duyvil to the end of the line, the Hudson line was built by the Hudson River Railroad in 1851 as an extension to the Troy and Greenbush Railroad connecting Troy and Albany in the capital region. Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and merged it in 1869 with other short line railroads that Vanderbilt also owned including the New York and these two merged railroads were named the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. It was renamed the New York Central Railroad in 1914, the New York Central operated many intercity and commuter trains over this line for many years. It was a key route in connecting Grand Central Terminal in New York to LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, commuter service along the line was offered as far north as Albany Union Station, with 121 trains serving Albany per day during the NYCs peak years. At the end of the world war, private rail service began a sharp decline with the start of the Jet Age. The New York Central began losing money on almost all commuter, the railroad continued to lose money however. This however was denied, preserving Grand Central, in 1971 the National Railroad Passenger Corporation took over all intercity passenger service in the US. Penn Central continued to operate freight and commuter service along the Hudson line until it was folded into Conrail in 1976, Conrail operated commuter service to Albany until it abandoned service north of Poughkeepsie in 1981. In 1983, the MTA Metro-North Railroad took control of all operations in the Hudson Valley. In 2009 a new station was opened at East 153rd Street in the Bronx and it sees regular service on the Hudson Line, plus special service from the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines for New York Yankees games. On December 1,2013, a train derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx
14.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
15.
Hamlet (place)
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A hamlet is a small human settlement. The word and concept of a hamlet have roots in the Anglo-Norman settlement of England, in English geography, a hamlet is considered smaller than a village and distinctly without a church. The word comes from Anglo-Norman hamelete, corresponding to Old French hamelet and this, in turn, is a diminutive of Old French ham, possibly borrowed from Franconian languages. Compare with modern French Hameau, Dutch heem, German Heim, Old English hām, in Australia a hamlet is a small village. Officially, a hamlet differs from a village in having no commercial premises, in Bangladesh, Hamlet is known as Para or Paara. A village is divided by more than one Para and that is the smallest partition of a place in Bangladesh. Each para contains some families, or a group of families, in Canadas three territories, hamlets are officially designated municipalities. Canadas two largest hamlets – Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park – are located in Alberta and they each have populations, within their main urban area, in excess of 60, 000—well in excess of the 10, 000-person threshold that can choose to incorporate as a city in Alberta. As such, these two hamlets have been designated by the Province of Alberta as urban service areas. An urban service area is recognized as equivalent to a city for the purposes of provincial and federal program delivery, during the 18th century, for rich or noble people, it was up-to-date to create their own hameau in their gardens. They were a group of houses or farms with rustic appearance. The best known in the Hameau de la Reine built by the queen Marie-Antoinette in the park of the Château de Versailles, or the Hameau de Chantilly built by Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé in Chantilly, Oise. Lieu-dit is another name for hamlet, the difference is that a hamlet is permanently inhabited, but a lieu-dit is not. In Germany hamlets are called Weiler and they are often part of bigger villages and municipalities. Most German hamlets are situated in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, in the low Saxon dialect of northwestern Germany hamlets are called Bauerschaft. In different states of India, there are different words for hamlet, in Gujarat a hamlet is called a nesada, which are more prevalent in the Gir forest. In Maharashtra its called a paadaa, in southern Bihar, especially in the Magadh division, a hamlet is called a bigha. All over Indonesia, hamlets are translated as small village, or kampung and they are known as dusun in Central Java and East Java, banjar in Bali, jorong or kampuang in West Sumatra
16.
Peak hour
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A rush hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday—once in the morning and once in the afternoon-evening, the term is often used for a period of peak congestion that may last for more than one hour. By analogy to vehicular traffic, the term Internet rush hour has been used to describe periods of peak data network usage, resulting in delays and slower delivery of data packets. The name is sometimes a misnomer, as the period often lasts more than one hour. Rush hour may be 6–10 am and 4–8 pm, Peak traffic periods may vary from city to city, from region to region, and seasonally. The frequency of public service is usually higher in the rush hour. The resulting crowding may force many passengers to stand, and others may be unable to board, if there is inadequate capacity, this can make public transport less attractive, leading to higher car use and partly shifting the congestion to roads. Transport demand management, such as road pricing or a charge, is designed to induce people to alter their travel timing to minimize congestion. Similarly, public transport fares may be higher during peak periods, season tickets or multi-ride tickets, sold at a discount, are commonly used in rush hours by commuters, and may or may not reflect rush hour fare differentials. Staggered hours have been promoted as a means of spreading demand across a time span, for example in Rush Hour. In Australia, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and in New Zealand, Auckland and Christchurch are usually the most congested cities in the morning 6–9am, in Melbourne the Monash Freeway, which connects Melbournes suburban sprawl, to the city is usually heavily congested each morning and evening. In Perth, Mitchell Freeway, Kwinana Freeway and various arterial roads are usually congested between peak hours, making movement between suburbs and the city quite slow, efforts to minimise traffic congestion during peak hour vary on a state by state and city by city basis. In Melbourne, congestion is managed by means including, Inbound transit lanes on busy freeways which are limited to motorcycles, free travel on metropolitan trains before 7am. Passengers must exit the system at their station before 7am. Dedicated bus lanes on major city roads such as Hoddle Street. Introduction of dedicated lanes in the inner city area to encourage cyclists. Prohibition of parking along busy roads during peak periods to create an extra lane for traffic. In São Paulo, Brazil, each vehicle is assigned a day of the week in which it cannot travel the roads during rush hour
17.
Rensselaer, New York
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Rensselaer /rɛnsəˈlɪər/ is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the Hudson River directly opposite Albany. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,392, Rensselaer is on the west border of the county. Earliest settlement occurred as early as 1628, the city has a rich industrial history stretching back to the 19th century, when it became a major railroad hub, a distinction which it maintains as the location of the 14th busiest Amtrak station. It was one of the earliest locations of the dye industry in the United States, the natives of the area called it Petuquapoern and Juscum catick, and the Dutch claimed the land in 1609 based on Henry Hudsons exploration of the Hudson River. Later the area was called De Laets Burg in honor of one of the directors of the Dutch West India Co, settlement occurred at least as early as 1628. By 1642 there was a brewery and many farms, also a ferry was established by Hendrick Albertsen running from the mouth of Beaver Creek in Beverwyck to the future Rensselaer, Greenbush was the earliest settlement from Dutch times. The hamlet of East Albany was part of the village of Greenbush, the second hamlet that would be incorporated was Bath, which was laid out in 1795 and incorporated as a village prior to 1874. The Van Rensselaer family, which were the feudal landholders of the entire future Rensselaer County built a residence in the city of Rensselaer. This property was inherited by Hendrick van Rensselaer, Kiliaen van Rensselaers grandson and it was built on the site of where Dominie Megapolensis built his own house in 1642. At various times, the grounds were used as a campground for British, Fort Crailo was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The hamlet of Greenbush was a tract of land about one mile in size. This was purchased in May 1810 by William Akin, Titus Goodman and John Dickinson from Stephen Van Rensselaer and Stephen N. Bayard, the village was later incorporated in 1815. A new charter was granted in 1828, which was amended in 1854, and again in 1863, in 1897, Greenbush was chartered as a city, and its name was changed to Rensselaer. Its limits were extended in 1902 by the annexation of the village of Bath, in the 19th century Rensselaer became the site of the Boston & Albany Railroads passenger depot, shops, freight houses, roundhouse, and coach yard. It was the site of transfers between trains of the New York Central Railroad and the B&A, a ferry transported people to and from the Van Rensselaer Island and downtown Albany at Maiden Lane. In 1871 the Maiden Lane Bridge was built replacing the ferry, in 1903 the channel that separated the island from the mainland was filled in with sand dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River. When the NY Central and the B&A merged in 1900 the islands activities became important, though a new roundhouse. In 1882 the Hudson River Aniline and Color Works built their first plant in Rensselaer, however it burned 13 years later, in 1895 Building 61 was rebuilt and at the same time Building 71 was built as well
18.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U. S. MTA is the largest public transit authority in the United States. The construction of two bridges over the Long Island Sound was put under the jurisdiction of the MTA, the MTA took over full operations in 1983, as the Metro-North Commuter Railroad. Governor Rockefeller appointed his top aide, Dr. William J. Ronan, as chairman, Dr. Ronan served in this post until 1974. Veronique Hakim is currently the executive director of the MTA. The MTA is the largest regional public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere and its agencies serve a region of approximately 14.6 million people spread over 5,000 square miles in 12 counties in New York and two in Connecticut. MTA agencies now move more than 8.5 million customers per day, the MTAs systems carry over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 800,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday. The Related Entities represent a number of existing agencies which have come under the MTA umbrella. In turn, these previously existing agencies were successors to the property of companies that provided substantially the same services. Each of these Related Entities has a name and in some cases. The popular names were part of an overall corporate identification effort in 1994 to eliminate the confusion over the affiliations of the authorities that were part of the MTA. Each of these members has one vote, the county executives of Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Putnam counties also nominate one member each, but these members cast one collective vote. All board members are confirmed by the New York State Senate, the budget deficit of the MTA is a growing crisis for the organization as well as New York City and State residents and legislature. The MTA held $31 billion in debt in 2010 and it suffered from a $900 million gap in its operating budget for 2011. The capital budget, which covers repairs, technological upgrades, new trains, If this is not funded, the MTA will fund the repairs with debt and raise fares to cover repayments. The MTA has consistently run on a deficit, but increased spending in 2000–04 coupled with the economic downturn led to a increase in the financial burden that the MTA bore. The budget problems stem from multiple sources, the MTA cannot be supported solely by rider fares and road tolls. In the preliminary 2011 budget, MTA forecasted operating revenue totaled at $6.5 billion, therefore, the MTA must rely on other sources of funding to remain operational. Revenue collected from real estate taxes for transportation purposes helped to contain the deficit, however, due to the weak economy and unstable real estate market, money from these taxes severely decreased, in 2010, tax revenue fell at least 20% short of the projected value
19.
Prajadhipok
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Prajadhipok, also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the House of Chakri. He was the last absolute monarch and the first constitutional monarch of the country and his reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the Revolution of 1932. He is to date the only Siamese monarch of the Chakri Dynasty to abdicate, somdet Chaofa Prajadhipok Sakdidej was born on 8 November 1893 in Bangkok, Siam to King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri. Prince Prajadhipok was the youngest of nine born to the couple. Overall he was the kings second-youngest child, and the 33rd, unlikely to succeed to the throne, Prince Prajadhipok chose to pursue a military career. Like many of the children, he was sent abroad to study, going to Eton College in 1906. He received a commission in the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army based in Aldershot, in 1910 Chulalongkorn died and was succeeded by Prajadhipoks older brother, Crown Prince Vajiravudh, who became King Rama VI. Prince Prajadhipok was by then commissioned in both the British Army and the Royal Siamese Army, once home, Prajadhipok became a high-ranking military official in Siam. In 1917 he was ordained temporarily as a monk, as was customary for most Buddhist Siamese men, in August 1918 Prince Prajadhipok married his childhood friend and cousin Mom Chao Rambhai Barni, a descendant of King Mongkut and his Royal Consort Piam. They were married at the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace with the blessing of the king, after the war in Europe ended, he attended the École Superieure de Guerre in France, returning to Siam to the Siamese military. During this time, he was granted the additional title Krom Luang Sukhothai, Prajadhipok lived a generally quiet life with his wife at their residence, Sukhothai Palace, next to the Chao Phraya River. Prajadhipok soon found himself rising rapidly in succession to the throne, in 1925, King Vajiravudh himself died at the age of 44. Prajadhipok became absolute monarch at only thirty-two and he was crowned King of Siam on 25 February 1926. The system of referring to Chakri rulers as Rama was instituted by King Vajiravudh to follow European practice, relatively unprepared for his new responsibilities, Prajadhipok was nevertheless intelligent, diplomatic in his dealings with others, modest, and eager to learn. However, he had inherited serious problems from his predecessor, the most urgent of these problems was the economy. The budget was heavily in deficit, and the financial accounts were a nightmare. The entire world was in the throes of the Great Depression, within half a year only three of Vajiravhuds twelve ministers still served the new king, the rest having been replaced by members of the royal family. While the family brought back men of talent and experience
20.
Station building
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A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger railway station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers, a station building is not to be confused with the station itself. Whereas the latter is the whole facility giving passenger access to trains at a particular location, normally, a station building will be of adequate size for the type of service that is to be performed. It may range from a simple building with limited services to passengers to a large building with many indoor spaces providing many services. Some station buildings are of monumental proportions and styles, both in the past and in recent times, especially when constructed for a modern high-speed rail network, a station building may even be a true masterpiece of architecture. A typical railway station building will have an entrance hall off the road or square where the station is located. Near the entrance will be a counter, ticket machines. There will also be one or more waiting rooms, often divided by class, from the waiting rooms, there will usually be direct access to rail passenger services. Medium to large size station buildings will also have offices for rail staff involved in the management. Smaller or more stations will have no station building at all. Several decades were needed to find a formula for station building architecture that, like churches and town halls, the first station buildings gave no special emphasis to their function, being essentially a variation on the house or office building. Often the earliest station buildings were so modest that the visible element of the station was the train shed. Some early station building design teams tried to develop representative characteristics, initially, this was by use of traditional architectural symbols, primarily related to the form of a gate, such as a portico, a triumphal arch or Propylaea. But none of them have proved to be suitable for expression of specific railway station functions. One of the ideas was to form the station building porticos to highlight the driveway. This motif is present in the Newcastle Central station building. It became a more prominent motif in the twentieth century. In British railway stations, where - thanks to constant movement of trains - the exchange of passengers takes place rapidly, to some extent, the railway hotel buildings serve part of the stations function
21.
Rambai Barni
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Queen Rambai Barni of Siam, formerly Her Serene Highness Princess Rambai Barni Svastivatana, was the wife and Queen Consort of King Prajadhipok of Siam. Princess Rambai Barni Svastivatana was born on 20 December 1904, to Prince Svasti Sobhana and she was given the nickname, Thanying Na or Princess Na. At the age of two she entered the palace, to be given to a queen for education as was the custom, in Princess Rambai Barnis case it was Queen Saovabha, wife of HM King Chulalongkorn. From then on she lived at Dusit Palace, after the death of King Chulalongkorn in 1910, she was moved to the Grand Palace, where she studied at the Rajini School set up by Queen Saovabha. During this period she became close to her cousin, Queen Saovabhas youngest son, Prince Prajadhipok Sakdidej. The couple lived at the princes Bangkok residence, Sukhothai Palace, in 1925, King Vajiravudh died without leaving any male issue. The crown was passed on to his younger brother and heir. Princess Rambai Barnis husband ascended the throne as King Prajadhipok, she was given the appropriate title of Queen Consort of Siam. Prajadhipok followed his brothers abandonment of polygamy and instead had one queen, both the king and queen received modern European educations in their youth. Once they inherited the throne they set about modernizing the institution of monarchy, copying European dress and customs. It was here in June 1932 that the couple was told of the revolution instigated by the Khana Ratsadon. The event would be a point for Rambai Barni and her husband. In 1933, the couple left Siam for Europe where the king was due to have an eye operation in England, despite the long distance the king continued to fight with his government back in Bangkok, through letters and telegrams. The fight came to a head when the government refused to accept Prajadhipoks ancient power of pardon, the king first threatened, but when he was ignored, decided to abdicate his throne on 2 March 1935. He was succeeded by his nephew Ananda Mahidol, the couple settled in Surrey, first at Knowle House, then at Glen Pammant. The couple moved again to Vane Court, the oldest house in the village of Biddenden in Kent and they led a peaceful life there, gardening in the morning and the king writing his autobiography in the afternoon. In 1938 the royal couple moved again to Compton House, in the village of Wentworth in Virginia Water, the couple had no children, but adopted the infant son of one of Prajadhipoks deceased brothers. King Prajadhipok eventually died from heart failure on 30 May 1941, after the Kings death, the queen became more involved in politics
22.
Bangkok
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Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, over 14 million people live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, significantly dwarfing Thailands other urban centres in terms of importance. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam—later renamed Thailand—during the late 19th century, the city grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact on Thailands politics, economy, education, media and modern society. The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their headquarters in Bangkok. The city is now a regional force in finance and business. It is a hub for transport and health care, and has emerged as a regional centre for the arts, fashion. The city is known for its vibrant street life and cultural landmarks. The historic Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including Wat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the scenes of Khaosan Road. Bangkok is among the top tourist destinations. It is named the most visited city in MasterCards Global Destination Cities Index, Bangkoks rapid growth amidst little urban planning and regulation has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure systems. The city has turned to public transport in an attempt to solve this major problem. Five rapid transit lines are now in operation, with more systems under construction or planned by the national government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The history of Bangkok dates at least back to the early 15th century, because of its strategic location near the mouth of the river, the town gradually increased in importance. Bangkok initially served as a customs outpost with forts on both sides of the river, and became the site of a siege in 1688 in which the French were expelled from Siam. After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese Empire in 1767, the newly declared King Taksin established his capital at the town, in 1782, King Phutthayotfa Chulalok succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern banks Rattanakosin Island, thus founding the Rattanakosin Kingdom. The City Pillar was erected on 21 April, which is regarded as the date of foundation of the present city, Bangkoks economy gradually expanded through busy international trade, first with China, then with Western merchants returning in the early-to-mid 19th century. As the capital, Bangkok was the centre of Siams modernization as it faced pressure from Western powers in the late 19th century, Bangkok became the centre stage for power struggles between the military and political elite as the country abolished absolute monarchy in 1932
23.
Reid Hall, Manhattanville College
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Reid Hall, also known as The Castle, is a historic academic building located on the campus of Manhattanville College at Purchase, Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a four-story, L-shaped building built of blocks in the Renaissance Revival style. It features a tower and a corbelled battlement parapet that conceals a flat roof. It was designed by Stanford White and built in 1892 as a dwelling for Whitelaw Reid, frederick Law Olmsted was hired to landscape his estate. Reid Hall occupies the footprint of the property owner Ben Holladays Ophir Hall. The building was expanded in 1912 by McKim, Mead & White with a library wing. Reid Hall was at one time a site for the United Nations. The property was purchased by Manhattanville College in 1951 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York
24.
Manhattanville College
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Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in Manhattan, it was initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. Manhattanvilles mission is to educate students to become ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community, the school moved to its current location in Purchase, New York in 1952. Approximately 1,700 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students attend Manhattanville, Manhattanville students come from 76 countries and 48 states. The architectural and administrative centerpiece of the Manhattanville campus, Reid Hall is named after Whitelaw Reid, on either side of Reid Hall stand academic buildings on one side and on the other residence halls around a central quad designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park. The Manhattanville community regards the central quad and buildings as representing the academic vision of the commitment to integrated learning. Other historic buildings include Lady Chapel, the President’s Cottage known as the Barbara Debs House, the old Stables, Manhattanville traces its origins to an Academy of the Sacred Heart founded nearly 175 years ago on the Lower East Side of New York City. In August 1841 the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic religious order dedicated to the education of young women, in September 1844 the boarding school moved to Ravenswood in Astoria, Queens. However, within two years the location proved too remote, in 1847 the growing Academy relocated to the former estate of Jacob Lorillard in the village of Manhattanville on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. At the time the town was eight miles north of New York City. By the Civil War the Manhattanville Academy counted 280 pupils, the Academy was always diverse with a substantial proportion of the student body from Latin America and Europe. In 1880 the Academy began offering a two-year post-high school program for its students, in the early 20th century higher education opportunities for women increased as many academies transitioned to colleges. The first degrees were given in 1918, the Absolute Charter was signed May 29,1919. In 1935, The College of the Sacred Heart was accredited by the prestigious Association of American Universities, the name was officially changed to Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in 1937. In the 1930s the Manhattanville student body consisted of approximately 200 students, though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement. In May 1933 students created the Manhattanville Resolutions a document that pledged an active student commitment to racial justice and this commitment was tested when the first African-American student was admitted to the college in 1938. Alumni response to a student body was mixed. While the vast majority of letters praised Manhattanville for its courageous action, President Grace Dammann, RSCJ, viewed the negative responses as an opportunity to open hearts, at the annual Class Day reunion on May 31,1938, she delivered a passionate speech entitled Principles Versus Prejudices
25.
Absolute monarchy
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Absolute monarchy, or despotic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which one ruler has supreme authority that is not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs. These are often, but not always, hereditary monarchies, in contrast, in constitutional monarchies, the head of states authority derives from and is legally bounded or restricted by a constitution or legislature. Some monarchies have weak or symbolic legislatures and other bodies that the monarch can alter or dissolve at will. Countries where a monarch still maintains absolute power are Brunei, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the individual emirates composing the United Arab Emirates, Swaziland, in Ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh wielded absolute power over the country and was considered a living god by his people. In ancient Mesopotamia, many rulers of Assyria, Babylonia and Sumer were absolute monarchs as well, in ancient and medieval India, rulers of the Maurya, Satahavana, Gupta and Chalukya Empires, as well as other major and minor empires, were considered absolute monarchs. In the Khmer Empire, the kings were called Devaraja and Chakravartin, in Kingdom of Siam, the kings were esestablished Somburanaya-sittiraj. Throughout Chinese history, many emperors and one empress wielded absolute power through the Mandate of Heaven, in pre-Columbian America, the Inca Empire was ruled by a Sapa Inca, who was considered the son of Inti, the sun god and absolute ruler over the people and nation. Throughout much of European history, the right of kings was the theological justification for absolute monarchy. Many European monarchs, such as those of Russia, claimed supreme autocratic power by right. James VI of Scotland and his son Charles I of Scotland and England tried to import this principle, there is a considerable variety of opinion by historians on the extent of absolutism among European monarchs. Some, such as Perry Anderson, argue that quite a few monarchs achieved levels of absolutist control over their states, a widely held story about Louis XIV of France is that he proclaimed Létat, cest moi. What Louis did say was, The interests of the state come first, when one gives these priority, one labors for ones own good. These advantages to the state redounds to ones glory, although often criticized for his extravagances, such as the Palace of Versailles, he reigned over France for a long period, and some historians consider him a successful absolute monarch. More recently, revisionist historians have questioned whether Louis reign should be considered absolute, the King of France concentrated in his person legislative, executive, and judicial powers. He was the judicial authority. He could condemn men to death without the right of appeal and it was both his duty to punish offenses and stop them from being committed. From his judicial authority followed his power both to make laws and to annul them and this law consequently authorized the king to abolish all other centers of power. Most important was the abolition of the Council of the Realm and his actions largely originated the militaristic streak of the Hohenzollern
26.
Dark Shadows
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Dark Shadows is an American Gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27,1966 to April 2,1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, the series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins appeared ten months into its run. Dark Shadows also featured ghosts, werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, a small company of actors each played many roles, indeed, as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. The original network run of the show lasted for five years to amass 1,225 episodes. It continues to enjoy a cult following. In 2004 and 2007, Dark Shadows was ranked #19 and #23 on TV Guides Top Cult Shows Ever. Since 2006, the series has continued as a range of dramas produced by Big Finish Productions, featuring many of the original cast, including David Selby, Lara Parker. Creator Dan Curtis claimed he had a dream in 1965 of a young woman. The following day Curtis told his wife of the dream and pitched the idea as a TV series to ABC, network officials greenlit production and Curtis began hiring crew members. Art Wallace was hired to create a story from Curtiss dream sequence, Wallace wrote the story bible Shadows on the Wall, the proposed title for the show, later changed to Dark Shadows. Robert Costello was added as a producer, and Curtis took on the creator. Lela Swift, John Sedwick, and Henry Kaplan all agreed to be directors for the new series, Robert Cobert created the musical score and Sy Thomashoff designed the set. Curtis then set out to find the actress to play the girl on the train, veteran film star Joan Bennett was soon cast as Victorias employer Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, a woman who had not left her home in over eighteen years. Stage actor Louis Edmonds was cast as Elizabeths brother Roger Collins, Another stage actress, Nancy Barrett, was then cast as Elizabeths head-strong daughter Carolyn Stoddard, and child actor David Henesy was cast as Rogers troubled son David Collins. Dark Shadows had a rocky beginning, critics were quick to deem the series rather boring for its heavy use of unknown actress Moltke and the slow progression of the shows legacy. The earliest episodes consisted of introducing the characters and did not show any of the supernatural elements that later made the show a hit. As production on the continued, the introduction of many new and mysterious characters and various unknown actors. Most actors also ended up playing characters, and those same characters would often return through flasbacks or the unprecedented use of parallel time lines. m
27.
Collinsport
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Collinsport is the fictional setting of Dark Shadows, the 1960s Dan Curtis Productions Gothic horror soap opera. In the series, Collinsport is a small, coastal fishing village located in Hancock County in the U. S. state of Maine, characters on the show sometimes visit or refer to Bangor or Portland, Maine. The village is, according to the TV documentation, north of Frenchman Bay and near Bucksport, bucksports history and reputation for witchcraft tourism appears to have most directly inspired the fictional Collinsport. The train makes regular runs from Boston, and brought Victoria Winters to Collinsport, the local newspaper, The Collinsport Star is published daily. Population has never been confirmed but is enough to support a cannery, isaac Collins crossed the ocean in a small sailing ship in 1690 and landed in Frenchman Bay. He eventually found a small harbor nearby and started building what would become the town of Collinsport, the town prospered throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but suffered greatly during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Only the influx of visitors and artists during the 1950s and 1960s kept the town from going under completely. Recently the local fishing fleet has been hurt badly by the over-fishing of the Grand Banks, the Collinsport Inn is a three-story inn located on the main street in downtown Collinsport. It is well liked and used by tourists and locals alike. There is also a small café downstairs off the lobby and it is probably based on the Jed Prouty Tavern and Inn in Bucksport, Maine, but exterior footage was filmed at the Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut. The Blue Whale is a tavern in Collinsport and it was a very popular hang-out for most of the towns denizens. It also has a reputation for some of the very best seafood in the area and it is based on the Black Pearl Restaurant in downtown Newport, Rhode Island. Braithwaite & Sons are the local jewelers and silversmiths and they have been in business for well over 100 years, and have filled many custom orders for the Collins family during that time. One of the notable family members was Ezra Braithwaite. Ezra began working in the business as a young man sometime shortly before 1897. Ezra actually died in the Collinwood drawing room in 1969 on a business visit, brewsters is a local department store. Another long-standing name in the community, the Brewster surname has been mentioned as long ago as the 1840s, nestled in the heart of the village, the cool, high-ceilinged store is recessed from the street with an office on one end, and adjoining warehouses. The Collins General Store is known for its variety of wares — notably its bulk supply of pickles and cheeses
28.
Penn Central Transportation Company
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The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Class I railroad headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad was added to the merger in 1969, by 1970, the company had filed for what was, at that time, the Penn Central was created as a response to challenges faced by all three railroads in the late 1960s. The northeastern quarter of the United States, these railroads service area, was the most densely populated region of the U. S, in 1956, Congress had passed, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower had signed, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. This law authorized construction of the vast Interstate Highway System, which provided an economic boost to the trucking industry, another significant problem was the inability of the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads to respond to market conditions. The railroad industry at the time was heavily regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission and was unable to change the rates it charged shippers and passengers, therefore, reducing costs was the only way to become more profitable. Government regulation and agreements with labor unions tightly restricted what cost-cutting could take place, a merger seemed to be a promising way out of a difficult situation. The merged Penn Central was little better off than its constituent railroads were before, a merger implementation plan was drawn up, but not carried out. Attempts to integrate operations, personnel and equipment were not very successful, due to clashing corporate cultures, incompatible computer systems, Track conditions deteriorated and trains had to be run at reduced speeds, resulting in delayed shipments and personnel working extensive overtime. As a result, operating costs soared, derailments and wrecks became frequent, particularly in the Midwest. In addition, these new subsidiaries diverted management attention away from the problems in the core business, to make matters worse, management insisted on paying dividends to shareholders to create the illusion of success. The company had to more and more to keep operating. The interest on the loans became a financial burden. PCs poor shipment of Maine potatoes resulted in many rotting before they could get to market, in the winter of 1969, most of Maines potato production froze in PCs Selkirk Yard after being transferred from the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad. The American financial system was shocked when after two years of operations, the Penn Central Transportation Company was put into bankruptcy on June 21,1970. It was the largest corporate bankruptcy in American history at that time, although the Penn Central Transportation Company was put into bankruptcy, its parent Penn Central Company was able to survive. The Penn Centrals bankruptcy was the blow to long-haul private-sector passenger train service in the United States. The troubled company filed proposals with the ICC to abandon most of its passenger rail service
29.
Pennsylvania Railroad
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The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the Pennsy, the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U. S. for the first half of the 20th century. Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies and its only formidable rival was the New York Central, which carried around three-quarters of PRRs ton-miles. At one time, the PRR was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, with a larger than that of the U. S. government. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history, in 1968, PRR merged with rival NYC to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which filed for bankruptcy within two years. The viable parts were transferred in 1976 to Conrail, which was broken up in 1999, with 58 percent of the system going to the Norfolk Southern Railway. Amtrak received the electrified segment east of Harrisburg, with the opening of the Erie Canal and the beginnings of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Philadelphia business interests became concerned that the port of Philadelphia would lose traffic. The state legislature was pressed to build a canal across Pennsylvania and it soon became evident that a single canal would not be practical and a series of railroads, inclined planes, and canals was proposed. Because freight and passengers had to change several times along the route and canals froze in winter, it soon became apparent that the system was cumbersome. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted a charter to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1846 to build a rail line that would connect Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. The Directors chose John Edgar Thomson, an engineer from the Georgia Railroad, to survey, the crest of the mountain was penetrated by the 3, 612-foot Gallitzin Tunnels and then descended by a more moderate grade to Johnstown. The western end of the line was built from Pittsburgh east along the banks of the Allegheny. In 1857, the PRR purchased the Main Line of Public Works from the state of Pennsylvania, the line was double track from its inception, and by the end of the century a third and fourth track were added. Over the next 50 years, PRR expanded by gaining control of railroads by stock purchases. This line is still an important cross-state corridor, carrying Amtraks Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and he served as PRRs first Chief Engineer and third President. Track connection in Philadelphia was made via the PRRs Connecting Railway, the PRRs Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road opened on July 2,1872, between Baltimore and Washington, D. C. This route required transfer via horse car in Baltimore to the lines heading north from the city. On June 29,1873, the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel through Baltimore was completed, the PRR started the misleadingly named Pennsylvania Air Line service via the Northern Central Railway and Columbia, Pennsylvania
30.
Conrail
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Conrail, formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. Conrail is a portmanteau of consolidated and rail from the name of the company, the Federal Government created Conrail to take over the potentially profitable lines of multiple bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and Erie Lackawanna Railway. With the benefit of regulatory requirements being reduced, Conrail began to turn a profit in the 1980s and was turned over to private investors in 1987. Following Surface Transportation Board approval, CSX and NS took control in August 1998, the old company remains a jointly-owned subsidiary, with CSX and NS owning respectively 42 percent and 58 percent of its stock, corresponding to how much of Conrails assets they acquired. Each parent, however, has a voting interest. The primary asset retained by Conrail is ownership of the three Shared Assets Areas in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Detroit, both CSX and NS have the right to serve all shippers in these areas, paying Conrail for the cost of maintaining and improving trackage. They also make use of Conrail to perform switching and terminal services within the areas, Conrail also retains various support facilities including maintenance-of-way and training, as well as a 51 percent share in the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. In the years leading to 1973, the railroad system of the United States was collapsing. Its largest Eastern railroad, the Penn Central Railroad, had declared bankruptcy in 1970, at its lowest point, PC was losing over $1 million a day and trains were becoming lost all over the railroad. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes damaged the rundown Northeast railway network and threatened the solvency of other railroads, in mid-1973, officials with the bankrupt Penn Central threatened to liquidate and cease operations by years end if they did not receive government aid by October 1. This threat to U. S. freight and passenger traffic galvanized the Congress to quickly create a bill to nationalize the bankrupt railroads, the Association of American Railroads, which opposed nationalization, submitted an alternate proposal for a government-funded private company. Judge Fullam forced the Penn Central to operate into 1974, when, on January 2, after threatening a veto, President Richard Nixon signed the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 into law. The 3R Act, as it was called, provided funding to the bankrupt railroads. The USRA was incorporated February 1,1974, and Edward G. Jordan, arthur D. Lewis of Eastern Air Lines was appointed chairman April 30, and the remainder of the board was named May 30 and sworn in July 11. Under the 3R Act, the USRA was to create a Final System Plan to decide which lines should be included in the new Consolidated Rail Corporation, unlike most railroad consolidations, only the designated lines were to be taken over. Other lines would be sold to Amtrak, various governments, transportation agencies. Controlled railroads and jointly owned railroads such as Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, the EL had been formed in 1960 as a merger of the Erie Railroad and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. It too was bankrupt, but was somewhat stronger financially than the others and it was ruled reorganizable under Chapter 77 on April 30,1974, but on January 9,1975, with no end to its losses in sight, its trustees reconsidered and asked for inclusion
31.
MTA Arts & Design
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Since its inception in 1985, the program has installed art in over 260 transit stations. The art is intended to be site-specific with a goal of enhancing the journey for New Yorkers and visitors alike. MTA Arts & Design has works commissioned by over 300 artists, with entries in graphic art, photography installations, digital art, Music Under New York, Poetry in Motion, and special events. MTA Arts & Design was created in 1985 when the MTA began to address years of decline by rehabilitating and renewing the transit system, the commissioning of original artwork was part of the rebuilding, signaling to customers that the system considers riders’ comfort and experience within stations. Works use durable materials like tile and mosaic, bronze, stainless steel, glass. MTA Arts & Design also plays an important role in design elements and architecture within passenger stations as well as design elements. The Percent for Art projects link people to places with art that echoes the architectural or cultural history, urban design, the identity of New York City and its subway system is connected to the permanent artwork in the stations. The collection of work serves as the underground art museum and represents its vitality, energy. Most of the art is site-specific, artists are chosen through a competitive process with selection panels composed of visual-arts professionals. They review artists’ previous work, choose finalists who produce site-specific proposals, community representatives are invited to attend the meetings and provide input. Artist opportunities are posted on the A&D website and announced through social media, the January 1,2017 opening of the Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 stations added permanent installations by Vik Muniz, Chuck Close, Sarah Sze, and Jean Shin to the Arts & Design collection. More than 100 new projects are underway, including Ann Hamiltons artwork for the new Cortlandt Street station, another notable work, Sky Reflector-Net, was installed in 2014 in the then-new Fulton Center headhouse. It uses hundreds of mirrors to provide natural sunlight from a 53-foot skylight to an underground area as much as four stories deep. This is the first intentional skylight in the New York City Subway system since the 1945 closure of the original City Hall station, official website MTA Arts & Design Facebook MTA Arts & Design Twitter MTA Arts & Design Instagram
32.
Liliana Porter
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Liliana Porter is a contemporary artist working in a wide variety of media, including photography, printmaking, mixed media pieces, installation, and video. Porter was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941, as a teenager, she attended the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Mexico, where she studied under Guillermo Silva Santamaria and Mathias Goeritz. She returned to Argentina and completed her training at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, in 1964, she moved to New York City, where she co-founded the New York Graphic Workshop with fellow artists Luis Camnitzer and José Guillermo Castillo. In 1974 she was a co-founder and etching instructor at Studio Camnitzer, Porter cites Luis Felipe Noe, Giorgio Morandi, Roy Lichtenstein, the Arte Povera group, and the Guerrilla Girls as influences on her work. She has exhibited internationally and currently lives and works in New York and she has twice created work for the MTA of New York Citys Arts for Transit and Urban Design program, a program dedicated to creating public art for New York City Subway stations. In 1994, Porter created the mosaic series Alice, The Way Out, in 2012, she collaborated with Uruguayan artist Anna Tiscornia to create Untitled With Sky, a glass windscreen and glass mosaic seating for the Scarborough station. Porter and Tiscornia are continuing their collaboration and will exhibit their new work in January 2013 at the Galería del Paseo in Montevideo, guggenheim Fellowship The New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Fellowship Professional Staff Congress-CUNY Research Award Gainza, Maria. Liliana Porter and the Art of Simulation, http, //www. ashgate. com/isbn/9780754664659 Official website Liliana Porter at MoMA Liliana Porter on Artnet Liliana Porter at Dia Art Foundation
33.
Willet Hauser Architectural Glass
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The two united in 1977 and together are one of the largest stained glass studios in North America. In 2005 the company changed its name to Willet Hauser Architectural Glass, on January 9,2014, the Arizona-based national stained glass studio Associated Crafts® acquired Willet Hauser Architectural Glass, Inc. To date, Willet Hauser has created and/or restored windows in over 15,000 buildings located throughout the world, Willet Studios was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1898 by the muralist and stained glass artist William Willet and his wife, Anne Lee. In its inception, the studio went by the title of the Willet Stained Glass Company and by 1909, had incorporated as the Willet Stained Glass. By 1921, the firm was self-identified as An organization of artists, designers, devoted to the making of windows and decorations in the spirit and technique of the best European work of the Middle Ages. Anne Lee and their son, Henry Lee, took over the studio after Williams death in 1921, under Henrys guidance, the company expanded from a regional business to a studio of national and international renown, with completed projects in all fifty states and fourteen foreign countries. Under Henry Lees guidance, the studio experimented with new techniques, Willet Studios also developed the famous sculptured gold window technique and experimented with various methods of laminating stained glass, a technique known as Farbigem. In 1971, the Franklin Institute awarded Henry Lee Willet the Frank P. Brown Medal, in 1965, E. Crosby Willet, the son of Henry Lee Willet, became the third generation president of Willet Studios. The Hauser Art Glass Company, another long-standing American stained glass studio, was founded in 1946 by James E. Hauser in Winona, as the firms projects became larger and more complex, a number of glass artists specializing in the replication of different design styles joined the studio. The firm eventually began creating moderately priced windows for churches as well as windows for hotels, restaurants. The Willet Studio introduced the Dutch technique of Farbigem to the United States in 1966, research and development was carried out at the studio from 1967 into the 1980s. In the process of Farbigem a base plate is made by sandwiching plexiglass between two layers of glass, on this surface, layer upon layer of glass can be built up in all different directions. Designs can be traditional or abstract, the pieces are held together by a crystal clear, flexible adhesive that was developed in the Netherlands which allowed the glass to naturally expand and contract. Entire walls could be designed in decorative thicknesses of glass, the farbigem technique eventually fell out of favor due the deficient technology of the adhesive which, with time, allowed the multiple layers of glass to separate. Changes in aesthetic taste also contributed to its decline, today, windows similar to the farbigem technique are fabricated in stained glass studios under the name Laminated Glass. Henry Willet created the first sculptured gold window between 1948-49, when first devised, the sculptured gold overlay was based on leaded stained glass windows. Later, faceted glass set in epoxy resin was used and these glasses, about an inch in thickness, but possibly up to two inches for special effects, contribute great brilliance of color under transmitted daylight. The fact that the sculptured lead surface has been flown with 23 carat gold leaf is the secret of the brilliant metallic night effect, the appearance of silver can also be obtained by the use of palladium leaf, which does not tarnish
34.
Hurricane Irene
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Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone, which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. Irene is ranked as the seventh-costliest hurricane in United States history, due to development of atmospheric convection and a closed center of circulation, the system was designated as Tropical Storm Irene on August 20,2011. After intensifying, Irene made landfall in St. Croix as a tropical storm later that day. Early on August 21, the made a second landfall in Puerto Rico. While crossing the island, Irene strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, the storm paralleled offshore of Hispaniola, continuing to slowly intensify in the process. Shortly before making four landfalls in the Bahamas, Irene peaked as a 120 mph Category 3 hurricane, thereafter, the storm slowly leveled off in intensity as it struck the Bahamas and then curved northward after passing east of Grand Bahama. Early on the day, the storm re-emerged into the Atlantic from southeastern Virginia. Although Irene remained a hurricane over water, it weakened to a storm while making yet another landfall in the Little Egg Inlet in southeastern New Jersey on August 28. A few hours later, Irene made its ninth and final landfall in Brooklyn, early on August 29, Irene transitioned into an extratropical cyclone hitting Vermont after remaining inland as a tropical cyclone for less than 12 hours. Throughout its path, Irene caused widespread destruction and at least 56 deaths, damage estimates throughout the United States are estimated near $15. In addition, monetary losses in the Caribbean and Canada were $830 million, on August 15,2011, a tropical wave exited the west African coast, and emerged into the Atlantic, characterized by distinct low-level cyclonic rotation and deep tropical humidity. As the wave distanced itself from the islands, development of thunderstorms and showers in its proximity continued to remain scarce, the strong thunderstorm activity continued to become more pronounced around the main low-pressure feature. Its mid-level circulation continued to become established as hints of pronounced banding features curved north of the surface center. On August 21, the surface center reformed closer to the deepest convection, furthermore, with the improved structure, as well as light wind shear and high sea surface temperatures, Irene was forecast to strengthen to near hurricane force prior to landfall in Hispaniola. Hours later, Irene moved ashore, approaching from the southeast at landfall near Punta Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico, despite the storms interaction with land, radar imagery showed a ragged eye-like feature, and Doppler weather radar data indicated wind speeds in excess of hurricane force. Just after its landfall, Irene was accordingly upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. After briefly weakening on August 23, however, Irene began to develop a distinct eye encircled by an area of deepening convection the next morning, the cyclone subsequently underwent a partial eyewall replacement cycle, which resulted in some reduction in its winds. Early on August 27, Irene further weakened to a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Outer Banks of North Carolina, after having tracked over land for about 10 hours, the eye of Irene became cloud-filled, although the center remained well-defined on radar images
35.
United States Postal Service
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The United States Postal Service, is an independent agency of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution, Mail traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, where Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. The USPS as of February 2015 has 617,254 active employees, the USPS is the operator of the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world. The USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price, the USPS has exclusive access to letter boxes marked U. S. The USPS lost $5.5 billion in fiscal year 2014 and $5.1 billion in 2015, in the early years of the North American colonies, many attempts were made to initiate a postal service. These early attempts were of small scale and usually involved a colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony for example, for example, informal independently-run postal routes operated in Boston as early as 1639, with a Boston to New York City service starting in 1672. A central postal organization came to the colonies in 1691, when Thomas Neale received a 21-year grant from the British Crown for a North American Postal Service, the patent included the exclusive right to establish and collect a formal postal tax on official documents of all kinds. The tax was repealed a year later, Neale appointed Andrew Hamilton, Governor of New Jersey, as his deputy postmaster. The first postal service in America commenced in February 1692, rates of postage were fixed and authorized, and measures were taken to establish a post office in each town in Virginia. Massachusetts and the other colonies soon passed laws, and a very imperfect post office system was established. Neales patent expired in 1710, when Parliament extended the English postal system to the colonies, the chief office was established in New York City, where letters were conveyed by regular packets across the Atlantic. Before the Revolution, there was only a trickle of business or governmental correspondence between the colonies, most of the mail went back and forth to counting houses and government offices in London. The Revolution made Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress, News, new laws, political intelligence, and military orders circulated with a new urgency, and a postal system was necessary. Journalists took the lead, securing post office legislation that allowed them to reach their subscribers at very low cost, overthrowing the London-oriented imperial postal service in 1774-1775, printers enlisted merchants and the new political leadership, and created a new postal system. The United States Post Office was created on July 26,1775, the official post office was created in 1792 as the Post Office Department. It was based on the Constitutional authority empowering Congress To establish post offices, the 1792 law provided for a greatly expanded postal network, and served editors by charging newspapers an extremely low rate. The law guaranteed the sanctity of personal correspondence, and provided the country with low-cost access to information on public affairs. Rufus Easton was appointed by Thomas Jefferson first postmaster of St. Louis under the recommendation of Postmaster General Gideon Granger, Rufus Easton was the first postmaster and built the first post office west of the Mississippi
36.
William Rockefeller
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William Avery Rockefeller, Jr. was an American businessman and financier. He was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his older brother John Davison Rockefeller and he was also a prominent member of the Rockefeller family. William Jr. was born in Richford, New York and he was the middle son of con artist William Avery Rockefeller Sr. and Eliza Davison. In addition to elder brother John, William Jr. s siblings were Lucy, Mary and he also had two elder half-sisters, Clorinda and Cornelia, through his fathers affairs with mistress and housekeeper Nancy Brown. In 1853 his family moved to Strongsville, Ohio, as a young pupil in public school, he was inspired and motivated by his teacher-mentor, Rufus Osgood Mason, whom Rockefeller later named A Rockefeller Patron. In 1865, he entered the oil business by starting a refinery in Ohio, in 1867, his older brother Johns partnership of Rockefeller & Andrews absorbed this refinery. In 1870, that company became Standard Oil, Rockefeller was very adept in business matters. He served as the companys New York representative until 1911 when Standard Oil of New Jersey was split up by the United States Supreme Court. He also had interests in mining and processing, railways, and public utilities. In the late 1890s, Rockefeller joined fellow Standard Oil principal Henry H. Rogers in forming the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company, Rockefeller, along with Henry Rogers, devised a scheme which earned them a profit of $36 million. First, they purchased Anaconda Properties from Marcus Daly for $39 million, with the understanding that the check was to be deposited in the bank and remain there for a definite time. Rogers and Rockefeller then set up an organization, known as the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company, with their own clerks as dummy directors. They had Amalgamated Copper Company buy Anaconda from them for $75 million in capital stock, then, they borrowed $39 million from the bank using Amalgamated Copper as collateral. They paid back Daly for Anaconda and sold $75 million worth of stock in Amalgamated Copper to the public and they paid back the banks $39 million and had a profit of $36 million in cash. With help from banker John Dennis Ryan, Amalgamated acquired two competitors, and soon controlled all the mines of Butte, Montana. By the late 1920s it had become Anaconda Copper Company and was the fourth-largest company in the world, Rockefeller married Almira Geraldine Goodsell on May 25,1864 in Fairfield, Connecticut. There were many connections among this and other elite families and her sister Esther Judson Goodsell was married to Oliver Burr Jennings, who became one of the original stockholders of Standard Oil. Together, William and Almira had, Lewis Edward Rockefeller Emma Rockefeller and he had caught a cold during a car trip he took with brother John and nephew John, Jr. to visit his childhood home in Richford, New York
37.
John D. Rockefeller
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John Davison Rockefeller Sr. was an American oil industry business magnate and philanthropist. He is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time, born into a large family in upstate New York, he was shaped by his con man father and religious mother. His family moved several times before settling in Cleveland, Ohio. Rockefeller became an assistant bookkeeper at the age of 16, and went into a partnership with Maurice B. Clark. After buying them out, he and his brother William founded Rockefeller & Andrews with Samuel Andrews, instead of drilling for oil, he concentrated on refining. In 1867, Henry Flagler entered the partnership, the Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler company grew by incorporating local refineries. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefellers wealth soared and he became the richest person in the country, Oil was used throughout the country as a light source until the introduction of electricity and as a fuel after the invention of the automobile. Furthermore, Rockefeller gained enormous influence over the industry, which transported his oil around the country. Standard Oil was the first great business trust in the United States, Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry, and along with other key contemporary industrialists such as steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, defined the structure of modern philanthropy. His peak net worth was estimated at $336 billion in 1913, Rockefeller spent the last 40 years of his life in retirement at his estate in Westchester County, New York. His foundations pioneered the development of research and were instrumental in the eradication of hookworm. Rockefeller was also the founder of both the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University and funded the establishment of Central Philippine University in the Philippines and he was a devout Northern Baptist, and supported many church-based institutions. Rockefeller adhered to total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco throughout his life and he was a faithful congregant of the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church, where he taught Sunday school, and served as a trustee, clerk, and occasional janitor. Religion was a force throughout his life, and Rockefeller believed it to be the source of his success. Rockefeller was the second of six children and eldest son born in Richford, New York, to con artist William Avery Bill Rockefeller and his siblings were Lucy, William Jr. Mary, and twins Franklin and Frances. His father was of English and German descent while his mother was of Scots-Irish descent, Bill was first a lumberman and then a traveling salesman who identified himself as a botanic physician and sold elixirs. The locals referred to the mysterious but fun-loving man as Big Bill and he was a sworn foe of conventional morality who had opted for a vagabond existence and who returned to his family infrequently. Throughout his life, Bill was notorious for shady schemes, in between the births of Lucy and John, Bill and his mistress/housekeeper Nancy Brown had a daughter named Clorinda who died young
38.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard
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Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard was an American heiress and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. As a philanthropist, she funded the YMCA, helping create a hotel for guests of the organization and she was married to prominent New York City lawyer, banker, and newspaper editor Elliott Fitch Shepard. Born 1845 in Staten Island, New York, the eldest daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt, townhouse on Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street designed by John B. Snook, provided to them by her father and shared with her sister Emily Thorn Vanderbilt Woodlea, on February 18,1868 Margaret Louisa married Elliot Fitch Shepard in the Church of the Incarnation in New York. They had five daughters and one son, Florence, Maria Louise, Edith, Margaret, Alice Louise and Elliot Fitch Shepard, Jr. An ardent supporter of the YWCA, she built, in 1891, the Margaret Louisa, mrs. Shepard fully financed and furnished the building. Margaret Louisa narrowly escaped being a victim of the RMS Titanic, having booked passage, Margaret died at her apartment on 998 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on March 3,1924. She is interred at the Vanderbilt mausoleum, Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island
39.
Walter W. Law
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Walter William Law was a businessman and the founder of the 8, 000-person village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. He was a president of furniture and carpet retailer W. & J. Sloane, and later founded the Briarcliff Lodge, the Briarcliff Table Water Company, Briarcliff Farms. He founded or assisted in establishing schools, churches, and parks in the village. In the early 1900s, Walter Law was the largest individual landholder in Westchester County, Walter Law was born in Kidderminster, England, and was one of ten children of a carpet dealer. He relocated to the United States in 1859, where he lived until his death, throughout his life, he was employed at various places, including at W. & J. Sloane, where he worked for 24 years. After retiring to a house on Scarborough Road in the community of Whitsons Corners, New York. Law died in 1924 in Summerville, South Carolina, during rest cure treatment, Walter Law was born on November 13,1837 in the English town of Kidderminster. He was one of ten born to John and Elizabeth Bird Law. His father sold carpets and dry goods, at the time, Law was educated in private schools in Kidderminster, however, he left school and began working as a cash boy for a draper at the age of fourteen. Shortly after the United Kingdoms election of 1859, the Law family left Kidderminster and that year, Law moved to the United States, having gained an interest in the US after reading about it. He left England with letters of introduction written by his father and he arrived in New York City on January 22,1860. Law originally found a job as a carpet salesman. He continued until he discovered that his employer was misrepresenting domestic rugs as being imported and was charging premium prices. His next employer, an outfitter of steamships and hotels, went out of business in the 1860s, Law struggled through unemployment, and even while working, pay was low. At one point, Law was employed at a store and was making eight dollars a week, later on, Law contacted William Sloane, head of W. & J. Sloane. Sloane hired him out of kindness than need for employees. In 1866, at the age of 29, Law began work under Sloane with wages of $1 a day, after four years of employment, Walter Law became a partner in the company and later became a trustee for life. Originally Law mostly worked in retail, but with the Civil War, wholesale demands increased
40.
Philipse Manor (Metro-North station)
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The Philipse Manor Metro-North Railroad station serves residents of Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States, via the Hudson Line. Trains leave for New York City every 25 to 35 minutes on weekdays and it is 25.7 miles from Grand Central Terminal and travel time to Grand Central is as little as 38 minutes, with some local trains taking 57 minutes. Trains of electric multiple units serve the station, built around 1910, the Tudorbethan architecture of the stations original has earned it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as an intact example of an early commuter rail station. It is the station on the Hudson Line besides Poughkeepsie to be so recognized. The main building is a one-story hip-roofed octagonal structure of rock-faced granite block with stone, stucco and it is built into the bluff created when the tracks were cut, and thus access to them was provided through the basement, through doors which have since been bricked off. The stations east facade is augmented with two gabled portes-cocheres projecting at oblique angles, each supported by a granite pier. Trapezoidal wings also jut from the sides of the octagon. The loggia across the facade has central round arched opening with a parapet and this does not lead to an entrance, instead backing the fireplace and its corbeled stone chimney. The roof original used slate, but this has been replaced with asphalt shingles, inside, the fireplace uses several colors of granite, flanked with original iron radiators. It is complemented by dark oak matchboards over the stucco, laid to simulate paneling, further ornamentation includes a double frieze at ceiling level. The more modern station subsequently built by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority consists of two concrete, elevated side platforms with dark-green painted steel shelters. Between them are the four tracks of this section of the Hudson Line, a green overpass connects the two platforms. The construction of the Hudson River Railroad and its acquisition by the New York Central in the late 19th century opened up the river towns in Westchester County for suburbanization. Undeveloped areas along the line were soon snapped up by developers who saw the possibilities. In 1900 one, John Brisben Walker, acquired the old Kingsland estate in the north of North Tarrytown and he made the rail service possible by building the station and presenting it to the railroad. It remained in use throughout the private ownership of the railroad, the station has since been reused as the Hudson Valley Writers Center, which won an award from the Preservation League of New York State for its work on the station in 2005. As of 2008 the MTA has been working to extend the platforms to accommodate trains and improve service. It is part of a $56 million program focused on all the Rivertowns stations, the agency expects it will be complete by 2010
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Empire Corridor
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Amtraks Empire Service and Maple Leaf serve the entire length of this corridor, and the Maple Leaf continues to Toronto. The Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line provides commuter service between Poughkeepsie, New York and Grand Central Terminal. The corridor is one of ten federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States. If the proposed high-speed service were built on the corridor, trains traveling between Buffalo and New York City would travel at speeds of up to 125 mph. In the 1890s service on the Empire State Express service between New York City and Buffalo was about 1 hour faster than Amtraks service in 2013. On September 14,1891 the Empire State Express covered the 436 miles between New York City and Buffalo in 7 hours and 6 minutes, averaging 61.4 mph, the Empire Corridor is largely owned by CSX Transportation, which owns the trackage between Niagara Falls and Poughkeepsie. South of Poughkeepsie, Metro-North owns the trackage to Yonkers, from which Amtrak owns the trackage into Pennsylvania Station, on October 18,2011, Amtrak and CSX announced an agreement for Amtrak to lease, operate and maintain the CSX-owned trackage between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady. Amtrak officially assumed control of the line on December 1,2012, the busiest segment of the Empire Corridor is between New York City and Albany with multiple trains per day. The following trains operate along the segments of the corridor, Empire Service. Most trains operate along the segment between New York and Rensselaer, with two trains in each direction continuing west to Niagara. Ethan Allen Express, three trains in each direction daily from New York City to Rutland, splitting from the corridor in Rensselaer, adirondack, New York City to Central Station, splitting from the corridor in Rensselaer. Lake Shore Limited- New York City to Chicago, splitting from the corridor at Depew (though half of the train splits off in Rensselaer to continue east to Boston, Maple Leaf- daily from New York City to Toronto, operating on the entire corridor. Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line, from Poughkeepsie, New York to Grand Central Terminal, New York Freight service is provided by CSX Transportation
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Ossining (Metro-North station)
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Trains leave for New York City every 25 to 35 minutes on weekdays. It is 30.1 miles from Grand Central Terminal and travel time to Grand Central is about 48 minutes, just south of the station is a section of track which runs through the middle of Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Among the riverside industrial concerns benefiting from the railroad were the quarries at Sing Sing Prison, Benjamin Brandreths pill factory. These businesses gradually supplanted the boat builders and docks that had occupied the riverfront in the early 19th century, originally the station building was at grade level. In 1914 the New York Central Railroad, which the Hudson River had long been merged into, built a new station and it was placed on metal stilts to allow Main Street to pass over the tracks, eliminating the grade crossing that had been part of the original station. Like the rest of the Hudson Line, the became a Penn Central station once the NYC & Pennsylvania Railroads merged in 1968. Penn Centrals continuous financial despair throughout the 1970s forced them to turn over their service to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The station and the railroad were turned over to Conrail in 1976, in 2000, New York Waterways used the station as the eastern port for the Haverstraw–Ossining Pedestrian Ferry creating a link between the station and Central Rockland County. The station has two island platforms each 10 cars long. Track 1 does not have power, and is used by diesel trains only. Ossining Station was visible in the background of certain commercials for Kaopectate used in 2009. In the series premiere of AMCs Mad Men, set in March 1960, Don Draper is seen disembarking the New York Central train at Ossining, this is the first indication that he lives in the area
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