Visiting A Roof Repair Company in Orlando and Preparing A Full Course Meal in the Hotel Room

 So I was down in Orlando Florida to visit a friend who has a roofing company, which focuses on tile roof repair, ceramic tile roof repair, balcony and terrace waterproofing and leak repair and roof leak repair. I also had fun cooking in my hotel room and prepared a soul food meal for the team of people who I met down there. 

This included potato salad, collard greens and fried chicken, which I purchased from this organic store in Orlando Florida called Freshfield Farms.

Here are some photos of my hotel room meal preparation:

Uncooked Collard Greens

Fried Chicken

Potato Salad

Cooked Collard Greens

Collard Greens Being Cooked

I went traveling around Orange County, Florida and visited such places as Orlando, Winter Park, Windermere, College Park, Orlando, Dr. Phillips and also to Seminole County locations such as Heathrow.

As you can see from these photo links, the tile roof repair and leak repair company of Northmen Roofing is interesting in it's business and the homes that they service are immaculate and high end.

The WaterGate Hotel in Washington DC - Scene of the WaterGate Scandal Which Took Down A US Presidency

Heavy Summer Meal - Organic Roast Turkey in a Fresh Ginger Sauce

Here is an organic roast turkey that I cooked a week ago, which I pre-boiled in this huge pot that I have to get the turkey loosened up and which I added fresh ground ginger, sea salt and other "assorted spices" to.  I then put him/her into the oven and covered with foil, all the while basting it for about 2.5 hours.  I stuck a full onion into its cavity to provide additional flavor and what you get is a falling off the bone turkey and with special juiciness in the breast area, which is always notoriously dry in most turkeys.  For more videos and photos of cooking, fitness and just photos as I travel out and about in New York City and NJ, visit:  www.dallasplummer.com

Facebook App Owns Your Phone - Privacy Compromised on Smartphones

I use Facebook on my smartphone, which is a Verizon Droid Razr Maxx.  I use it when I am traveling and simply when I am bored beyond words.  How one gets on Facebook using their smartphone will be the difference between giving Facebook total control over your phone and ultimately your life or just browsing Facebook for the fun of it.

I go to my smartphones "desktop" and I open the browser which came installed with the phone or I use Google Chrome, which I personally downloaded.  I type in the url, (www.facebook.com) and it brings me to the signon screen and I enter my email address and password and I am in.  I am now free to browse Facebook till my battery dies, with no repercussions.

Here is where your privacy and phone security is compromised:

Most people have the Facebook application or App pre-installed on their phone when they first purchase it.  It is on your phones desktop in the form of the big Facebook "F".  Once you click on it, you are immediately logged in to Facebook and your smartphone, its data, location, network connectivity, SD card and all phone call logs are now accessible by Facebook or a hacker who might hack into Facebooks' servers. 

The photo to the left is a screen shot of my Droid Razr Maxx smartphone showing the App Info for the Facebook App, which came pre-loaded onto my phone from Verizon.  It shows the version number, total storage space, data and SD card.

 This screen shot shows the permissions for the Facebook App on my smartphone, which is universal in nature.  It clearly states, that "this app (Facebook) can access the following on your phone":

Your personal information and it can modify or change your phone contacts, email contacts, it can read your call log, read your contacts and write to your call log, that is, it will insert calls or numbers which you never called!  It can access your precise GPS location and approximate network location.  It has full access to your phones network and here is the kicker:  Your accounts:  it can add, remover or create any account on your phone and set passwords!  It can modify, change or delete the contents of your SD card.

Finally, Facebook and the folks behind it can:  record audio, take pictures and videos using your smartphone, read the phone status of your phone calls and the identity of all callers and prevent your phone from going to "sleep".  Now some people might say, "hey, they can't do that". 

Well, Facebook stated previously, "if you don't like our privacy setup, don't use it".  Simply put, if you are going to use Facebook from your smartphone, never, ever use the pre-installed app that came with your phone and never download and use the Facebook app for any smartphone.  Use the browser on your smartphone instead.

Excellent Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown New York City

I've been meaning to post something about this Chinese restaurant for awhile but I needed to have photos, which I took in and around the restaurant, on my desktop and/or laptop computer.  Because I took some of these photos with my smartphone, I was too lazy to download the photos, so there's the reason for the delay.

Years ago and on this blog, I visited a restaurant called Kam Chueh.  This was my regular New York City chinese restaurant or quite simply, when I went to Chinatown at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge on the Manhattan side, this is where I would go.  I qualified this location because there are quite a few Chinatowns in New York City.  There is a Chinatown in Flushing Queens, there is a Chinatown in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and there is the traditional one in New York City at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge.  Unfortunately, because of the 9/11 attacks and because the economy in Chinatown suffered, Kam Chueh is no more.  Here is my walking tour of Chinatown in Flushing Queens on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

I tried quite a few chinese restaurants all over the city and finally, I have been hooked on Feng Cheng Yuan Restaurant at 100 Bowery, New York, NY 10013.  There number is (212) 226-8778.  I do not believe they have a website...yet. They are a very good and reasonably priced chinese restaurant in New York.

Here are a few photos of the meal that we consumed while there and the signature dish there are the barbeque ribs.  They cover the ribs in this very delicious sauce and it makes you forget you are eating ribs.

Barbeque Spare Ribs with Sauce

Here is the shrimp fried rice dish, which was equally very good and well made:

Shrimp Fried Rice

The pepper steak was delicious as well and was a very healthy dish:

As you can see, there is a balance of steak, peppers, onions, tomatoes and rich sauce and all cooked in the healthy setting of a wok.












Here are photos of us grazing, er, eating and of the interior of the restaurant.

Chinese Food Spread

 Here are photos of the interior of Feng Cheng Yuan Restaurant

 

In conclusion, the ribs were $6.00 per order, the fried chicken wings were $5.50 for 5, the shrimp fried rice was about $9.00 and the pepper steak was about the same ($9.00).  It closes pretty early on the weekends (12:00am) and if you want the ribs or hanging meat dishes, you should get there before 9pm.  There service is decent and the dining room is spacious.  You can do no wrong by visiting this New York City chinese restaurant.

Explaining Riptides at Robert Moses State Park and Water Rescue Video

While at Robert Moses State Park in Suffolk County, I was standing in some very cold water, in crashing waves about waist high while explaining what a rip tide is.  While the waves were making it hard for me and my camera guy Jordan Edwards to stand up, we both heard a whistle and I looked off about 150 away to see a lifeguard running to the water and swimming to a young boy who appeared to be in distress.

Lifeguards sit in elevated chairs above the water, on hot days and are tasked with making sure no one is in distress in the water or is in danger of drowning.  The amount of money that they lifeguards make is next to nothing in relation to the job that they do.  They should be paid like the best first responder and if a lifeguard is not a first responder, we need to re-define who or what it is.

Here is the water rescue video, taken yesterday at Robert Moses State Park:

Facebook and Your Private Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Denver Colorado - Coors Field, Pepsi Center and Invesco Field

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

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

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





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


















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











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

















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

Washington DC Hotel Video, Tourism, Travel and Restaurant Photos

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

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

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

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

Amtrak Acela Video




Amtrak Acela Train Photo



















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

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

Washington DC Hotel Bedroom Photo














Living Room Picture at Washington Embassy Suites Hotel













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













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

United States Supreme Court Video





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














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


Salad and Cocktail at Washington DC Steak House Restaurant






Washington DC Steak Restaurant Photo of Tenderloin Tips and Mushrooms








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

Here is the Washington DC Hotel Video which I created.











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





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

New York City Super Bowl Party in New York City Hotel

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

Living Room Area of New York City Hotel



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

Here is the Bedroom of this New York City Hotel



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

Beers Chilling in Sink at NYC Hotel



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

New York StrapHanger Origin Video at NYC Transit Museum

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

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




















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












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

Mortgage Backed Securites, Foreclosures and Shady Real Estate Practices

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technorati Profile

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shea Stadium, The New York Mets and Missed Baseball Opportunities

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

Shea Stadium Subway Series Photo





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

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

Shea Stadium - Another Angle of Last Subway Series Game





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

Shea Stadium Alongside Citi-Field, Last Subway Series Game



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

Another Photo of the 2009 Home of the New York Mets



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


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



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




View of Shea Stadium - Right Field Opening