Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day, Novermber 27, 1959

Times Square Tea Party Fail

Imagine my surprise when blocks of 7th Avenue were blocked off for yet another demonstration in Times Square. Iran election? Iraq troop withdrawal? Michael Jackson tribute? No. It was a Tea Party.

Here's a quick pic from my phone.



Maybe about 100 people? Looks like more signs than teabaggers. Here's the rest of the avenue.



Looks like the police had a fairly easy time with crowd control. TEA PARTY FAIL!

Jon Stewart 2009

First good slam of the New Year by Jon Stewart directed at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Strip Maul

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Bloomberg regarding the Israeli response in Gaza (video): "Let me just phrase it for you in something that will bring it home: If you're in your apartment and some emotionally disturbed person is banging on the front door screaming,'I'm gonna come through this door and kill you,' do you want us to respond with one police officer, which is proportional, or with all the resources at our command?"

Stewart: I guess it depends if I force that guy to live in my hallway and make him go through checkpoints every time he has to take a shit. But then again by removing him by force, as long as you really believe that there'll be no more crazy people left in New York, (using McCain "Dick Fingers") okay.

Last Minute Shopping

A little bit chilly in a rainy Bryant Park on this Christmas Eve day.

(Pic taken by Broadway Carl on his crappy Treo700WX. Not the phone, just the camera feature.)

Thanks, George.

What a Weekend! Collapses, Campaigns and Criticisms

Weekends are hard for me to do any blogging since they are two of my three longest work days of the week (the other being Wednesday if you've noticed a pattern... all three of you) so when so many things happen at once, it's hard to get it all down.

I'll start with the horrible crane collapse in New York City since that's where I'm based. They just pulled another body out of the rubble today, making the death toll 5 so far. It's amazing it was only 5 people when you think about it, but two people are still missing. Here's are a couple of pictures a co-worker took with his cell phone.

It seems the crane was doing an imitation of Bear Stearns and it's financial collapse. Bear Stearns was bailed out by JP Morgan Trust today for about $236 million. This was a company that was worth $20 BILLION about 14 months ago. I smell something fishy.

Speaking of collapses, another Bush speech this morning, another stock market nose dive. And what else would you expect when the President of the United States, amid $4 per gallon gasoline, oil at $112 a barrel, soaring food prices, federal bailouts of major banks, millions of homes in forclosure and the stock market tanking would have the idiocy to say the economy is fine?!

Then you have this whole Obama/Rev. Wright thing being comepletely blown out of proportion - where's the outrage on Hagee?

Compare this statement...

Obama: "...I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."

...with this one -

McCain: "Well I think it's important to note that pastor John Hagee who has supported and endorsed my candidacy supports what I stand for and believe in. When he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes. And I am very proud of the Pastor John Hagee's spiritual leadership to thousands of people and I am proud of his commitment to the independence and the freedom of the state of Israel. That does not mean that I support or endorse or agree with some of the things that Pastor John Hagee might have said or positions that he may have taken on other issues. I don't have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy. They are supporting my candidacy. I am not endorsing some of their positions."

McCain's statement is so tepid, yet he completely dismisses any notion that it should be an issue. And to tell the truth, I happen to agree with McCain that issues like these are distracting from what is important. Who gives a shit about what these pastors, ministers, rabbis, shamans or witch doctors think? They are not a part of their respective campaigns.

But what's good for the goose should good for the very old vulture. Despite Obama "vehemently disagree[ing] and strongly condemn[ing]" Rev. Wright's comments, the MSM continues to throw Wright's statements in Obama's face, but gives McCain a pass with his 'we're not going to agree on everything' trivial dismissal. Where's the logic?

What else does he have to do? If Obama had answered Tim Russert's Farrakhan question with the McCain line, "I don't have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy," we'd be crowning Hillary Clinton the Democratic nominee by now. The hypocrisy astounds.

And there's one onther thing that the MSM has dropped the ball on. Does anyone remember Vicki Iseman? Chris Kelly does, and put a little perspective on it.

Eliot Spitzer's hooker has a song and we still haven't even heard John McCain's lobbyist speak. What gives?
How the hell did someone named Vicki Iseman become the only American since 9/11 entitled to privacy?

It's not about sex. It's about accountability, transparency and being honest. And speaking of transparency, I guess that's no longer part of Hillary Clinton's platform, since to this point, she's refusing to disclose a list of earmarks she's proposed since being in the Senate like Obama has.

Piss and a Crapper, Two Bits!

Pay toilets in New York are back, hopefully permanently. When visiting Italy this past year, I was surprised to see so many public toilets and then it dawned on me that New York City had tried to do this repeatedly and failed.

I'm so happy, I could shit!

... city officials reveled in the toilet paper roll-cutting ceremony (which, fittingly, they did with their hands) on Madison Avenue, between 23rd and 24th Streets. But they couldn’t resist the temptation of scatological humor: “No. 1!” (Janette Sadik-Khan, transportation commissioner), “in loo of” (Adrian Benepe, parks commissioner), “doesn’t block pedestrian movement” (Daniel L. Doctoroff, outgoing deputy mayor for economic development).

One wonders where the rest of these toilets will be installed (no specific loactions are mentioned in the article).