Under the category of "Can people with money get any worse, comes" this story from the New York News. It seems that even the tsumani can't keep people from their vacations and their demand for the usual services connected with them. Imagine the outrage of not having champagne available for a guest. Where is the traditional submissive asian hospitality?

Santa's Ugly Secret

Santa's Ugly Secret
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Santa caught, on the feast of Stephen, either tipsy from post Christmas cheer or just getting rid of all the treats left by the children of the world. Whatever the reason it was a shameful display of lack of self control.

Xmas Lunch

Xmas Lunch
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Nothing like a Nathan's hotdog to put you in the holiday spirit. I am not being condescending here as that is what I had for Xmas lunch.

What day is it?

What day is it?
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Christmas afternoon on Brighton Beach. One of these "groups" misread the calendar and/or the weather report.

A Gaggle Of Santas

A Gaggle Of Santas
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

A large group of santas converged at East Broadway and Eldridge Street for unknown purposes. The Chinese were oblivious and unimpressed. They just went around them; just another sidewalk blockage.

Soiled Pinstripes

The New York papers are having a field day with the BALCO story in general and the Jason Giambi story in particular. They are lamenting the disgrace of the Yankees having had their great tradition soiled by the steroids taking of Jason Giambi. I rarely read the New York Post but one was at a table I was having coffee at Friday and they and their fans were being particularily stupid, as only the New York Post can. As a Mets fans my brother and I have always loathed the Yankees and were not in the least sad at their post season demise, especially at the hands of the hated Red Sox. In response to this hypocritical uproar by the media and the Yankee fans my brother Peter wrote the following email to the New York Post:

"Please stop! I never realized that when you become a Yankee you passed through the gates of heaven. This is a team concerned only with winning. A team that is good at it. But this is a team that will win at any price and overlook any situation and pay anything to win. Hell be damned.

Please stop about the Yankees being disgraced. This is a team that employed great and greatest players of all time. Saint Mickey, Sir Whitey and poor Billy Martin. And yes there was the Great Bambino. Had the press at that time been anything like it is these days. The investigative journalists would have been exposed their reputations and antics that would most likely rival today’s scandals.This is a team that has employed Steve Howe, A 5 time drug test failure Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden….. I know that Mr. Steinbrenner only signed them out the goodness of his heart. He saw no advantage to these signings. These players had no potential to aid in bringing him championships. Well maybe just a little!

Please Stop with Jason Giambi disgracing the pinstripes. There was no whispering or no physical signs that he was involved with some type of body altering substances? Of course, had they heard these whispers or opened their eyes they would not have signed him to the ridiculous contract. Of course the Yankees want to be rid of their embarrassment. Not only has he disgraced the pinstripes, He really stinks. Now that he is clean and also off fast food he brings nothing to the table for the Yankees. Had he been any good and lived up to his supposed potential, I doubt you would be hearing about the Yankees trying to null and void his contract. Do you think the San Francisco Giants will be rushing to the major League Baseball offices in the near future?

Please Start looking at what the NY Yankees, Mets, Jets LA Lakers etc. Please Start making these people what they are, Liars, thugs etc. Please Start communicating to my son and other kids that its not alright to do this stuff and that you can get away with it and it can help your performance and it will make you a lot of money. Communicate that it’s not OK to rape someone and get away with it because you have a lot of money. Please communicate to my son and others like him that these athletes are no longer role models and someone that they should look up to anymore.

That is the disgrace that you should be writing about."

Big Secret!

Big Secret!
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Just before I took this, the kids were in an even tighter huddle, all intently looking at something they obviously wanted to keep to themselves.

Definitely not kosher!

Definitely not kosher!
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Tuesday morning delivery. As the truck was unloading two groups of school kids went by; the younger ones were more inquisitive while the older ones (low teens) were more squimish. Both groups stopped and stared; not unlike your petting zoo in the burbs.

Anti-Gravity Crane

Anti-Gravity Crane
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

On Madison Avenue this crane seems to have conquered gravity. Either that or its owners have discovered the ever elusive skyhook.

Steamy Pike Street

Steamy Pike Street
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Actually we do live in sin city; notice the steam from hell leaking into the atmosphere.

New camera, Canon A95. My Olympus 2500 is getting long in the tooth. I have taken approximately 25,000 pictures with it and either the photoelectric stuff in the camera is getting old or the memory cards are loosing pixels, but I think the picture quality is degrading. I would get new cards, but they don't make the 64 meg smart cards anymore so I a SOL as far as that goes.

Thank god that at least some of the christian fundos of the Bush administration are leaving, most infamous Ashcroft. I have the feeling that he was left high and dry by the administration on this terrorist nonsense and the torture memos. As far as I could tell he was a nonentity during the re-election campaign; almost not heard from.

Now we must get rid of Rumsfeld and his henchmen in the Pentagon.

Rudders

Rudders
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Another walk to South Street. The rudders of both the Wavertree (background) and the Peking.

Karl Rove on a Gay Warpath

Read in the NY Daily News that Karl Rove was definitely going to push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages in this term. Wouldn't it be great if anyone who has slept with him, male or female, came forward so that this nazi could be neutralized. I have found that those that protest as much as him and his cronies and other christian fundos, are really gay and are trying to cover it up by being more anti-gay than the average person; "...methinks he doth protest too much..." (apologies to W. Shakespeare's Hamlet).

Christian Fundos are right here in New York

I am at the 34th Street Library (34th and Madison), and as a break from what I working on, I looked at Eric Hancock's blog and clicked a Thursday November 4th link he referred to (My God -- this guy can really drive [Windows Media format).
The NYPL is blocking the site because it:
"The site you are trying to access has been blocked by The New York Public Library.
El sitio que está tratando de acceder ha sido bloqueado por la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York.

Reason: 
Motivo:
The Websense category "Sex" is filtered. URL:  http://media.skoopy.com/vids/vid_00314.wmv"

The page goes on to say that: "In order for the Library to remain eligible for certain federal funding, commercial filtering software has been installed on the Library’s Internet connection. The filter is designed to protect against visual depictions of obscenity, child pornography, and materials that are “harmful to minors” and is required by the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). All Library users are expected to adhere to the Library's Policy on Public Use of the Internet.

Wired Library computers have options for users 17 years of age or older to disable the Internet filtering software to permit access to the Internet for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.

Contact the Library at filtering@nypl.org to request that a site be unblocked or to suggest that a site be blocked. Other feedback regarding filtering is also welcome."

I have read stories of local librarians engaging in subtle sabotage of the Patriot Act, but I guess New York librarians are just big pussies and have no backbone to stand up to the christian fundos. Another step closer to the "Talibanization of America".

South Street Seaport

South Street Seaport
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Multi-masted "Peking" and one of the old tugs at South Street Seaport Museum. I was down there to sit, read and have a smoothie from a stand on the third floor, but alas it has closed. On that floor they have deck chairs on the East River side of the Pier and it is nice to sit there and read.

IQ's Sallie Mae Info

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Ok, the guy won. But let us not forget what he stands for. He stands for the 17th century and witch hunts and Christian fundamentalism. He is against anything and anyone who goes against his strict reading of the bible. He is an isolationist to the nth degree and has no use for people who do not see that his cowboy mentality is the right thing to have.

Let us not allow him any quarter, but keep his feet to the fire. Let us write to him every time he mispronounces a word, fails to answer a question posed to him and most importantly lies or misrepresents the truth. We, the American People are not as dumb as the he and his henchmen (who by the way look like they want to wear the ss on their lapels) have played us to be. They put up scares before the voters and played to their most base fears. They convinced the middle americans that "they" were coming to get them and that the solution was a continuity of leadership. Unfortunately they have not exercised any leadership in their first term, only cowardice. This cowardice was presented under smoke and mirrors. This will come back to haunt him as everything that happens now is his responsibility; no more blaming the previous administration and unfortunately it will haunt and hurt us.

I can't believe that this fucking moron has been re-elected. So much for my faith in the american electorate.

What a bunch of fucking losers we are.

Wartime Footing?

Wartime Footing?
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Again along the Hudson. I can't understand what these guys are protecting me from; or are they just floating around and getting their rocks off by having a machine gun on the front and back of their boat.

I certainly don't feel any safer knowing they are guarding a walkway along the Husdon (North) River.

While Lawrence Lee is helping me recover all my past posts on my Eastbroadwayron I am using this one. It has some nice features. I like the matchup with Flickr for images and the ease of changing the basic look of the website, and the error checking.

Cruise ship going up the Hudson

Cruise ship in the river
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Battery Park city, along the promenade. This cruise ship was sailing up the Hudson.

Election Day 2004
The polls are still open in NY and across the country. For the life of me I cannot understand how it can be close. Every time I see george bush and hear him I cannot for the life of me see what a supposed 50% of the population sees in him. I only see a person surrounded by henchmen who want to complete the talibanization of the US. I think that if he wins we will see an attempt to form a mini theoracy in this country.

I have some faith in the wisdom of the American electorate, I hope I am proved correct and that we vote this bum out of office. I also feel that if we don't it will literally blow up in our faces.

Market on Arthur Avenue

Market on Arthur Avenue
Originally uploaded by ronon44.

Was up at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx last Saturday. I have lived all my life in New York City and this is the first time I went up there. It is what I remember Mulberry Street to be like; not like the theme park it is now, but a real neighborhood.

Delicious Thanks

Still recovering from the iBook hard drive crash. Have recovered all the pictures, music and documents, but only 90% of the applications. Am working on finding my application disks for InDesigh 2.0 Toast 6.0 and filemaker 6.0 and 7.0; they are somewhere in the piles of CDs that have accumulated in various places; and what a pile it is.

In looking for the stuff on CD and DVD backups I discovered I have multiple copies of the same thing and I surprised myself by labeling over 60% of the disks with comprehensible information on the disks. A streak of efficiency that is surprising.

When the time comes I will restore Radio Userland and use that as the primary blog and return to this one as a supplementary one.

21st Century Setback

Not having a good technological year. First my Handspring went, then my first generation iPod went the way of all things first generation electronically. Following that my Sony disk player went along with the iPod and my iBook had a sudden hard drive crash. At least my mechnical pencil is still working.

As dumb luck would have it I did backup most of my stuff on the hard drive because I needed space on it to burn a DVD. I am not too sure about the applications, but I think I have all the serial numbers. What a pain.

Was at the bike arrests on Friday evening. It had the air of a carnival, but I think the cops thought of it as a dress rehearsal for the big show today. I did take some video (I am a better still photographer than a video person).

The NYPD had their own video people taking video of the crowd; NYPD video person #1. Here is another one NYPD video person #2.


I also took some video of some of the first bikers "perp walk."

Was at the bike arrests on Friday evening. It had the air of a carnival, but I think the cops thought of it as a dress rehearsal for the big show today. I did take some video (I am a better still photographer than a video person).

The NYPD had their own video people taking video of the crowd; NYPD video person #1. Here is another one NYPD video person #2.


I also took some video of some of the first bikers "perp walk."

Fast mail sign in and password:

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Watched Bill Clinton's speech early this morning on C-Span. It was wonderful. He could be elected again this year if he could run.

A friend of mine was visiting me from France. He wanted to go to some interesting places and I suggested that he visit the FDNY Museum, which I like very much. I used to visit it once a year and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an off the beaten path museum. He went there and was greeted by one do the greeters, most likely a retired NYC fireman. The greeter was friendly until he asked my friend where he was from and when he heard "France" he turned away and was extremely cool to my friend; I was told it was bordering on unfriendliness at best to hostility.

Not a good impression!!! I will probably never go back there, nor will I recommend it to anyone else.

Projects:

1. Venice Biennial


2. Prescription Database


3. J-RT Homepage


4. LitIq homepage


5. FTPing to Qube1 from the outside


6. 10 minute movie Tokyo

Presently reading Good Muslim, Bad Muslim by Professor Mahmood Mamdani. My roommate was reading it today on the bus and someone asked him if the book was any good and if it was pro-Israel or anti-Israel. It is sad that any commentary on the problems of the world are contingent on whether or not they are pro or anti-Israel.

Standing outside the old Limelight on 20th Street. I was talked into going to a post screening party of the movie Corporation. Didn't see the movie but was reminded why I don't drink or go to these things; filled with stupid wannabes. I left early and am waiting for some people to leave so we can get something to eat.

Boy I do hate these gatherings and the people who are perpetually attracted to them; what a snob I am.

They finally came out and we went to the 24 hour Turkish on Houston and Orchard. I really like this place, good food, inexpensive, and either a short bus ride M-15 or walk home.

I went to Farenheit 9/11. I loved it. I thought it was better than Bowling for Columbine. I am aware that there are criticisms that Michael Moore is fast and loose with editing and the truth; I don't necessarily agree, but then again I am admittedly one of the believing choir.

Yes he takes some "cheap" shots at some congressmen and edits outs anything that does not support his position, but at least he offers a shred of truth about George Bush(es). He may even be guilty of putting forth "Red Herrings" in order to lead the viewer along the path, but it is a path worth taking.

After the Bushes I think his biggest target is the main stream media. I saw him in an interview with Matt Lauree(?) and Matt was asking him some tough questions about Farenheit 9/11, questions that he should be asking. At the end of the interview Michael Moore told Matt Lauree that if he and the rest of the main stream media had asked President Bush and his cohorts questions half at tough as the ones he was asking him, we would not be in the mess we were in today.

I am trying to explain to my roommate the culture surrounding "blogging". It is tough sledding. I think he is getting it after an hour and a half of explanation and show and tell.