CATA Changes Part II

The Capital Area Transit Authority has over 30 fixed routes to help get riders from point A to point B, according to www.cata.org,  but the operation isn't flawless.

Those who utilize the transit system often praise CATA for its cheap prices, simplicity and convenient nature, but criticize other aspects of the operation.

“I don’t take the bus as often as I would like to, just because it takes so long to get everywhere,” Michigan State University Junior Kali Tate said. 

"The last one comes at 10 p.m., I think there should be ones at 11 or 12," Nermin Kady, a fellow MSU student who spends about an hour and a half on the bus daily, said. 

"Sometimes you're stuck in your lab, and have to rush to finish before 10 p.m. so you can make the bus," Kady said.

The new Bus Rapid Transit project would attempt to fix these issues by creating lanes solely for BRT transit vehicles to eliminate congestion, as well as a target frequency of six minutes. 

CATA Changes Part I

Lansing may be following the likes of Cleveland, Oakland, and San Francisco when it comes to their transit systems, if the Capital City receives federal funding.

The Capital Area Transit Authority wants to eventually transform their 1 Bus Line to a Bus Rapid Transit alternative, which would be much more cost-effective and efficient.

"BRT is also faster than traditional bus service, due in large part to far fewer stops and traffic impediments within lanes dedicated to buses," Laurie Robison, Director of Marketing and Public Information Officer for CATA, said. 


Much like a light rail system, the Bus Rapid Transit plan would feature central lanes for the BRT vehicles only, as well as 28 new stations along the 8.45 mile stretch of Grand River and Michigan Avenues where the new system would be placed, according to the Michigan/Grand River Transportation Study.

CATA is applying to gain access to the Small Starts program through the Federal Transit Administration, in order to get funding since the SAFETEA-LU bill has yet to be renewed, which would also give them the needed funding to execute their plan.

Baby Facebook? Part II

Because of the many concerns surrounding Facebook's potential new policy, the website claims to be doing the best they can to ensure privacy and safety, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

"We are in continuous dialogue with stakeholders, regulators and other policymakers about how best to help parents keep their kids safe in an evolving online environment," a Facebook spokesman said. 

 

Since policing age requirements on the internet is such a tricky task, the new, more lax,  Facebook rules might not be too tremendous of a change.  

According to Consumer Reports in 2011, approximately 7.5 million children under 13 were already using Facebook, after lying about their ages to gain access, and about 5 million of them are under the age of 10. 

The young users would have access to the same Facebook everyone else does, but with special buffers and parental controls to ensure a heightened level of safety, according to the Wall Street Journal and Facebook spokesmen. 

The new policy hasn't been finalized, and Facebook is waiting to hear if their new policy lies within the guidelines of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which would be necessary for the policy to come to fruition. 

Baby Facebook? Part I

A new Facebook policy is in the works to allow children under the age of 13 into the world of social networking, leaving some adults questioning whether the site is appropriate for children that young.

After many recent accounts of cyberbullying, and with advertising and other content that is geared towards the website's main market: college and high school-aged users, parents are skeptical.

"I think it just opens so many doors for kids to get into trouble," Jill Langlinais, Mother of three children ages 13 and under, said. 

Another concern is, if preteens are given the go-ahead to make profiles, that their time in front of the computer screen will only increase- a number that is already pretty large. 

Since the new users would be so young, some parents are also nervous that the children won't understand the seriousness that comes with a social media profile.

"I don’t think they understand that, once you put something out there, it’s there forever. It just doesn’t go away," Langlinais said.  "Kids that little don’t understand how that sort of technology should be used." 

The Tigers succeeded in being victorious in Chicago this evening, with a 8-4 win over the Cubs. 

The Cubs took the lead in the second inning and held onto it until the 6th inning, when Brennan Boesche, Tiger outfielder, batted in three runs, then hit a home run shortly after to give the Tigers a solid lead that the home team couldn't come back from,. according to AOL Sports News. 

Not even the record-setting crowd of  41,326 fans at Wrigley Field could give the Cubs what they needed to pull out a victory; Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello threw his first win since May 6 according to ESPN. 

But the battle isn't over just yet, the two teams will face off one more time in the windy city, tomorrow at 2:20 p.m.

Tigers and Cubs Face-off

Tonight, the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers play each other for the second time in this series.

After beating the Tigers 4-3 last night, the Cubs are looking to cap their fifth straight home win- an anomaly for the Chicago team, currently in last place in the National League and, well, pretty much all of Major League Baseball with a 21-40 record, according to ESPN.

After a rough 8-25 streak on the road, according to ESPN, the Cubs are happy to see Wrigley's pearly gates, and it's showing after last night's win.

The Tigers, currently six games behind the White Sox- the leaders of the Central Division, are looking for a win at Wrigley tonight to close the gap, and end their opponent's streak.