Diversity

My college class will have their first exam next week.  I gave them a list of problems to help them prepare and spent the evening letting them work on problems (which they all did.)

As the class was leaving, I heard a Spanish woman calling across to a Korean male asking him to text her his answers so they could compare.  An African American student sat and worked with a boy from South East  Asia and a Jewish girl and a Pakistani girl in a hijab also exchanged numbers.

I love teaching in Queens.  I love seeing students from such diverse backgrounds bonding together and working to succeed.  Queens is one of the greatest places in the world to live.

Puma

Flushing Meadow Queens Zoo, today.

PS 1

PS 1-an old school now used as an art museum for some of the world's most experimental art. I like the art but love walking around this old, re-purposed school building.

Vacation On The Cheap V

Queens has some of the most beautiful parks in the world.  Take this one near 35th and Bell--Gold Pond.  There is fishing and hiking around the pond.  Cross the street for nice ball parks.  Climb the steps to a gazebo and more park land or go over the bridge to walk alongside the Cross Island Parkway and watch fishing and boating (or do those things) without spending a dime.

There Were A Few Spring Days

This cold rainy Saturday had me looking through some pictures of better whether days.  Thi were taken at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City.  It is a beautiful area, right on the water, with interesting things going on. aAdmission is free and parking is easy.   Aside from the Do It Fair, there were some fine acrobats.  More pictures on facebook.

Hidden Treasure

 



I haven't written about NYC in a while, that doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying my own city.

I am embarrassed to write that I finally got to PS 1 and 5 Pointz yesterday, for the first time.  Long Island City, right in my own bag yard, is almost as foreign to me as Artic Circle.

First off, 5 Points has some of the most wonderful graffiti anyone will every see.  The buildings are truly works of art.  I'm only sorry I didn't bring my good camera. (The PS 1 website said no photos inside so I didn't bother.)  These paintings alone are worth the trip to the area.

I was not expecting much from PS 1, an annex of the MOMA, but I was sure wrong.  It is great to see this old school building put to use.  Aside from all the workshops and lectures going on, the artwork is great.  There is a fantastic exhibit by African American artists from the '60s and '70s on the ground floor and the upper levels also have some pretty interesting sculptures and artworks.  I would hope every school in the city brings their students here to see what can be done with materials at hand, particularly things others consider junk and garbage.  I am sure my husband is glad I never taught art because I know I would have a full house of this stuff.  Even without talent, I have an urge to start creating after this trip.

(above is my husband's favorite picture)

Who Would Have Guessed Streets Like This Existed In NYC?

I thought I knew my city pretty well but I am always looking for new places to explore so when I saw an Artfacting exhibit in Willets Point (Iron Triangle) I welcomed the chance to see something new.  We couldn't find the exhibit, but the streets were something to see.  There are wall to wall auto shops, no pavement and no sewers.  I only took a few pictures from the car's window and posted them here.  I plan on returning and spending more time with my camera in hand.

Real Photos and Mine



There is a fantastic photo exhibit by Andrew Moore at the Queens Museum.  So, if you like photography, go see it.  Here is a great, little museum in my own back yard.

I really enjoyed his photos and was thrilled to see many of my subjects are his as well.  I only wish mine could be half as good.

I Should Learn To Read

My husband says I am killing him.  His idea of retirement is sitting on a recliner and playing with his cats and his i-Pad.  Mine  is getting out and seeing the world.

Today I took him to the Museum Of The Moving Image in Astoria.  I wanted to see the Jim Henson exhibit which, if I would have read, I would have known it didn't open until July 16.  But, we had a great time anyway.  It was kind of weird seeing the toys I played with and the ones my kids played with in a museum.  Even my babies have turned into antiques.  And, the best news of all, teachers get in free!  All you need to do is show a valid ID.

He did grudgingly admit the day was fun and agreed to go back once the Muppet exhibit is up and running.

(I'll post some of the interesting pictures on facebook in a few day.)

A Beautiful Spring Day

A beautfiul day to use my new lens at the Queens Botanical Gardens.

A few more pictures here.  (These might be my best ever!)

And, a post from one of my favorite calculus girls.  She is on her way to California to compete in a national science fair.  Wish her luck and fun.

Top ten reasons why e is inferior to pi

10) e is less challenging to spell than pi.

9) e ~=2.718281828459045, which can be easily memorized to its billionth place,

whereas pi needs "skills" to be memorized.

8) The character for e is so cheap that it can be found on a keyboard. But

pi is special (it's under "special symbols" in word processor programs.)

7) Pi is the bigger piece of pie.

6) e has an easy limit definition and infinite series. The limit definition of

pi and the infinite series are much harder.

5) e you understand what it is even though you start learning it late when

you're in pre-calculus. But pi, even after five or six years it's still hard to

know what it really is.

4) People mistakenly confuse Euler's Number (e) with Euler's Constant (gamma).

There is no confusion with the one and only pi

3) e is named after a person, but pi stands for itself.

2) Pi is much shorter and easier to say than "Euler's Number".

1) To read pi, you don't have to know that Euler's name is really pronounced Oiler.

Ethnic Neighborhoods

If you can't travel, or don't like to fly, you can experience much of the world from visiting different NYC neighborhoods.

Just jumping in the car and driving less than 15 minutes brought us to the Orient today. After an interesting walk through the Queens Botanical Gardens, we walked up Main Street and passed stores and restaurants rivaling all in China Town and I am sure many in Asia itself, although I have never been there to compare.

Years ago, used to meet my mom on Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Her bus from Co-op City dropped her there and we spent hours shopping, eating and just walking around. The high point for her was always when we ran into one of my students and they would tell her how much they liked me and what a great teacher they thought I was. Right now, I wish I could call her and tell her about how the neighborhood has changed.

We had some yummy snacks, really cheap and bought some great produce.

Adventures end. Tomorrow is back to work. My husband can get back to relaxing in his lounger. He can't wait for me to walk out the door. I did take some fantastic pictures at the Gardens. Some look quite professional. You can see them here on facebook.

Hall Of Science

My poor planning (not knowing that streets and avenues after numbers makes a difference in an address) left us at odds as to how to spend the day. On a whim, we paid a visit to Flushing's Hall of Science. It has been many years since we have been to this wonderful place and had no idea as to its growth. The kid in us came out as we played with all the interactive exhibits and explored some of the wonders of science.

Some of the exhibits were the same ones I remembered from the past but many were brand new to me. Of course, my favorites, pictured above, were mathematics. Years ago, this part of the exhibit did not exist. I may have to break down and take a class trip here. The things I saw were just too good not to share.

My favorite exhibit wasn't in the mathematics part, but in a part of the Hall and it was all about networks. I taught a course in the community college on networks and it was really cool seeing all the applications, including ant farms, dance floors and phone connections. It would be nice to share real life math with my students.

Calculus --This is an example of the model Archimedes used over 200 years ago to show that the volume of a cylinder is equal to the volume of a sphere and a cone. He did it by using slices, one of the ways we find volume in calculus.

We spend lots of time on minimum and maximum problems.

This one you have to see to appreciate.

A great example as to why every operation is not commutative.

The Mobius strip--not only explained, but with a little train running around to illustrate exactly what it is.

This one I really loved. Balls fell randomly and as you watched, the normal distribution really appeared. Unfortunately, I did not make it in one spot until it finished.

Macabre People

What is it about a tragedy that draws us and grabs our attention like nothing else?

We happened to be in Corona today as the fire department was putting out a horrendous blaze. There were more fire trucks, police officers and emergency vehicles there than I have ever seen in one place before.

What made me start clicking away?

What made other people at the scene do the same?

Why do we allow a disaster to grab hold of us and not let go?

This would probably make a good advertisement for Poland Springs Water. The poor fireman were so uncomfortable in the heat.

Tourist At Home

The Unisphere from the 1964 -65 World's Fair

The New York State Pavilion, or what is left of it, from the Fair.

The flowers were in bloom.

Panorama views of the city. The little red triangles represent blocks with more than 3 foreclosures. These were predominately in parts of Brooklyn, southeast Queens and south Bronx. Manhattan skyline

Statue of Liberty

You can see the Twin Towers here.

Throggs Neck Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge, linking Queens and the Bronx. I never realized how much longer the Throggs Neck Bridge is than the Whitestone and I take both all the time.

Co-op City, Bronx. I used to live in one of the "X" buildings shown. My apartment was on the 31st floor of a 33 story building. Hating the elevator, I tried to limit my going and comings to once (or at most twice) a day.

The 7 train, nicknamed the Orient Express due to all the Asian people who live on its line. The train is a direct link to Citi Field and the National Tennis Stadium.

Great ices. I had two--orange vanilla and vanilla chocolate chip. they don't mix flavors.

From a nearby park. Nice to see the city providing services for its residences.

Boccie court

After every vacation, I feel a need to do something touristy in my own city. but, still being jet lagged I needed to stay close to home and spent the day in Corona. We hit Flushing Meadow Park and checked out the art museum which has a great panorama or NYC (the only place photos are permitted) and then went to the Lemon Ice King. Anyone who watched the King Of Queens has seen this place in the opening minute. Of course my Nikon made the trip too.