Saturday, November 16, 2024
BITCOIN COULD REACH $285,000 ACCORDING TO ANALYST PROJECTION
Thursday, August 29, 2024
NEW YORK INTENSIFIES ITS FIGHT AGAINST FARE EVASION IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has decided to take strong action against fare evasion on New York City buses. Following an alarming report indicating that nearly half of passengers don’t pay for their rides, the MTA announced the deployment of unarmed inspectors on local buses throughout the city. These inspectors will monitor passengers who evade fares, asking them to leave the bus and, in some cases, they may face a citation or arrest.
Fare evasion on New York buses is one of the biggest problems facing the city’s public transportation system, costing the MTA over $300 million annually. Since the onset of the pandemic, the issue has worsened significantly. In 2022, an estimated $315 million in revenue was lost due to bus fare evasion and an additional $285 million due to subway fare evasion.
In response to this challenge, inspectors, part of the MTA’s "EAGLE" unit, will patrol bus routes with the highest rates of evasion, working alongside NYPD officers stationed at key bus stops. These officers will have the authority to issue fines ranging from $50 to $100 and may even arrest offenders in extreme cases.
Although the MTA implemented a similar initiative in 2022, which included inspectors and officers at 20 bus stops, fare evasion has continued to rise. By early this year, the fare evasion rate on buses had reached 47%, a significant increase from 35% the previous year.
One of the reasons behind this ongoing issue is that bus drivers are not encouraged to enforce fare payment due to concerns for their safety. Incidents like the fatal stabbing of a driver in 2008 or the more recent case in 2023, where a driver was grazed by a bullet after expelling a passenger who didn’t pay, have led MTA policies to prioritize employee safety.
For the MTA, resolving the fare evasion problem is crucial, as fare revenue is essential to funding numerous transportation projects that have been postponed. The New York City Police Department has reaffirmed its commitment to the initiative, reallocating officers to support the MTA’s efforts in the fight against fare evasion.
During Mayor Eric Adams’ tenure, there has been an increased crackdown on fare evasion, especially in the subway. Although most of the evasion occurs on buses, fare evasion arrests in the subway system rose by 250% between 2022 and 2023, with fines increasing by 160%.
With these measures, the MTA aims to restore confidence in the transportation system and ensure that passengers pay their fair share to keep one of the world’s largest public transportation networks running smoothly.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
THE STORY OF THE WINKLEVOSS TWINS: FROM BETRAYAL TO BILLIONS IN CRYPTO
In 2004, two Harvard twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, had a revolutionary idea for a social network.
They hired Mark Zuckerberg to develop it, but instead launched Facebook months later, excluding the twins from the project. Enraged, they sued Zuckerberg and, after a lengthy legal battle, settled in 2008 for $65 million: $20 million in cash and $45 million in Facebook stock.
Rather than walk away, the Winklevosses decided to hold on to the stock. When Facebook went public in 2012, those shares were valued at $200 million. As Facebook's success grew, so did the twins' fortune.

In 2017, the price of Bitcoin reached $20,000, and the Winklevosses' initial investment was worth $1.3 billion. However, instead of withdrawing their investment, they chose to reinvest in the expansion of the crypto market.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Bitcoin established itself as “digital gold” and surpassed $60,000 in 2021, bringing the twins’ crypto empire to a multi-billion dollar value.
The Winklevoss story offers valuable lessons on how to turn setbacks into opportunities. Their success demonstrates the importance of spotting emerging trends, thinking long-term, educating others, and staying curious.
Rather than letting a rejection define their future, they used that setback as a springboard to a multi-million dollar fortune in the world of crypto.
What can you learn from this story? Sometimes, failures can open new doors to great successes. What will be your next move to turn a setback into an opportunity?














