I have always regarded Thomas Jefferson-- author of the Declaration of Independence and third US President (1801-1809)-- as one of America's greatest leaders and statesmen. This view is of course shared by many millions of people around the world.
While most of his writings and beliefs always struck me as well deserving to be carved in stone and displayed as hallmarks of American liberty and democracy, there was one quotation that never ceased to trouble me. The remark I am referring to was his comment that Americans should revolt against their government every 20 years. Here is what he wrote: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Periodic revolution, at least once every 20 years, was a medicine necessary for the sound health of government. What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."
As a government major in college and for all the years since then, I chalked up this remark to showing that no one, even someone as great as Jefferson, can be right all the time. I belatedly recognize how right he was after all and how his comments should be an inspiration to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
I am delighted to see that Occupy Wall Street is back, hopefully in large numbers and force. It is clear that the disparity between the extremely wealthy in this country and the vast majority of the people is becoming greater all the time. There are no outstanding champions of the people to turn this situation around. So it is up to movements like Occupy Wall Street, which may constitute one of the people's last chances to restore balance in our economy and society.
Predictably, instead of being encouraged and supported, Occupy Wall Street is systematically beaten down by the power elite. It is imperative, however, that the movement succeed entirely by peaceful means. This is precisely how Occupy Wall Street operates, which makes their movement admirable as well as necessary. Occupy Wall Street can gather strength from Jefferson's vision and understanding that even a democratic country like ours can lose its way and needs a popular revolt to restore the right balance. With all due respect to Mr. Jefferson, I still take issue with his belief that armed rebellion and bloodshed are necessary. Recent leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King have shown that profound change can be brought about without violence.
People should recognize that Occupy Wall Street, like the Suffragettes and Civil Rights movements, lies within the mainstream spirit and traditions of America.
Toucan
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Tottenville
Here is an urban bike adventure you can enjoy in NYC involving three ferries and a "railroad". We did it yesterday and enjoyed a full day's worth of wonderful sightseeing and exercise, leaving at noon and returning close to midnight. Our destination was Tottenville, a small "town" with a quaint nineteenth century sounding name at the southern tip of Staten Island. We chose our route to maximize ferry rides and sightseeing in a part of the City unfamiliar to us.
The first leg of our journey, after travel by bike to Brooklyn Bridge Park, consisted of three free ferry rides: from Brooklyn to Governor's Island; a second ferry from there to Battery Park in Manhattan; and finally the Staten Island Ferry to St. George on Staten Island. We could have biked directly across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Staten Island Ferry, but chose the maritime route as more interesting.
The second leg was a 40 minute ride on the Staten Island Railroad across Staten Island to the last stop-- Tottenville. Despite being lifelong New Yorkers, my wife and I had never before visited Staten Island, except by car on a highway across Staten Island to or from New Jersey. This so-called railroad actually consists of MTA subway cars that travel exclusively on outdoor tracks. Both the ride and the passing neighborhoods were more reminiscent of Metro-North Railroad in Westchester than anything a subway rider would experience elsewhere in the City. Staten Island feels totally different from the other four boroughs: quieter, more suburban, and car-oriented.
On arrival in Tottenville, we found a very sleepy place, with few stores and little activity. One highlight, however, was the Conference Center, which we biked to in a few minutes. A pretty stone house there overlooking the water was the scene of an important pre-Revolutionary War conference attended by a British Admiral and three American negotiators, including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The purpose of the meeting was a final attempt to avoid war by a negotiated settlement. The effort failed and full-scale warfare quickly ensued, when the Americans refused to give in. The event is reenacted every year. We unknowingly missed the program by a few hours. Typical of the laid-back atmosphere on Staten Island, one of the women running the program gave us a supply of corn chowder, corn bread, and tomatoes grown on the grounds to take home. We plan to return next September for the full show.
Retracing our steps, we had dinner in an Indian restaurant in Manhattan before pedaling home across the Brooklyn Bridge and along mostly deserted and quiet Brooklyn streets.
The first leg of our journey, after travel by bike to Brooklyn Bridge Park, consisted of three free ferry rides: from Brooklyn to Governor's Island; a second ferry from there to Battery Park in Manhattan; and finally the Staten Island Ferry to St. George on Staten Island. We could have biked directly across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Staten Island Ferry, but chose the maritime route as more interesting.
The second leg was a 40 minute ride on the Staten Island Railroad across Staten Island to the last stop-- Tottenville. Despite being lifelong New Yorkers, my wife and I had never before visited Staten Island, except by car on a highway across Staten Island to or from New Jersey. This so-called railroad actually consists of MTA subway cars that travel exclusively on outdoor tracks. Both the ride and the passing neighborhoods were more reminiscent of Metro-North Railroad in Westchester than anything a subway rider would experience elsewhere in the City. Staten Island feels totally different from the other four boroughs: quieter, more suburban, and car-oriented.
On arrival in Tottenville, we found a very sleepy place, with few stores and little activity. One highlight, however, was the Conference Center, which we biked to in a few minutes. A pretty stone house there overlooking the water was the scene of an important pre-Revolutionary War conference attended by a British Admiral and three American negotiators, including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The purpose of the meeting was a final attempt to avoid war by a negotiated settlement. The effort failed and full-scale warfare quickly ensued, when the Americans refused to give in. The event is reenacted every year. We unknowingly missed the program by a few hours. Typical of the laid-back atmosphere on Staten Island, one of the women running the program gave us a supply of corn chowder, corn bread, and tomatoes grown on the grounds to take home. We plan to return next September for the full show.
Retracing our steps, we had dinner in an Indian restaurant in Manhattan before pedaling home across the Brooklyn Bridge and along mostly deserted and quiet Brooklyn streets.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Sidewalks of New York
The time has come to fix the sidewalk in front of our house so people will not trip and injure themselves. New sidewalks are not cheap. The going rate is at least $8 a square foot. With sidewalks usually being 10 feet wide and frontage of 17-20 feet or more, the cost can easily reach $1500-2000 plus. People often wait for the City to do the work, which then sends the homeowner a bill for reimbursement.
Like many others, we don't want to wait years until a City-hired contractor gets to our block. My neighbor got a notice for a defective sidewalk from a City inspector around the year 2000. The repairs were never made until he hired a private contractor last year to get the job done.
This being NYC, nothing is easy. Tomorrow afternoon I have a third potential contractor coming to submit a bid. I not only have to compare bids, but I also need to judge the quality of his work by hopefully looking at other jobs that he's done recently. I don't know the first thing about sidewalks, but by the time this is over I will have learned a lot. Three or four of my neighbors also need to have new sidewalks in front of their houses. They have graciously delegated to me all of the investigation and decision-making involved on this project. Lucky me !!
As I said, nothing is easy here. In my case, a huge 80 foot tree in front of our house has roots that are pushing up the pavement. However, the City prohibits cutting roots, so this morning a tree expert from the Parks Dept arrived to examine and provide directives to our contractor. We got on a list and waited a month for this consultation to occur.
In my imagination, it was much easier in the old days, say in turn-of-the-century London, where prices were more or less standard, there was integrity, and one licensed contractor was as good as another. Now it's much harder. You pay when the job is "done", the quality of materials and workmanship can vary, and there is no automatic City inspection to approve the work. If the work is defective, your only recourse is costly and time-consuming litigation for damages.
To demonstrate my growing knowledge in this area, do you know if sidewalks are paved with concrete or cement? The correct answer is concrete, which is made from cement.
Like many others, we don't want to wait years until a City-hired contractor gets to our block. My neighbor got a notice for a defective sidewalk from a City inspector around the year 2000. The repairs were never made until he hired a private contractor last year to get the job done.
This being NYC, nothing is easy. Tomorrow afternoon I have a third potential contractor coming to submit a bid. I not only have to compare bids, but I also need to judge the quality of his work by hopefully looking at other jobs that he's done recently. I don't know the first thing about sidewalks, but by the time this is over I will have learned a lot. Three or four of my neighbors also need to have new sidewalks in front of their houses. They have graciously delegated to me all of the investigation and decision-making involved on this project. Lucky me !!
As I said, nothing is easy here. In my case, a huge 80 foot tree in front of our house has roots that are pushing up the pavement. However, the City prohibits cutting roots, so this morning a tree expert from the Parks Dept arrived to examine and provide directives to our contractor. We got on a list and waited a month for this consultation to occur.
In my imagination, it was much easier in the old days, say in turn-of-the-century London, where prices were more or less standard, there was integrity, and one licensed contractor was as good as another. Now it's much harder. You pay when the job is "done", the quality of materials and workmanship can vary, and there is no automatic City inspection to approve the work. If the work is defective, your only recourse is costly and time-consuming litigation for damages.
To demonstrate my growing knowledge in this area, do you know if sidewalks are paved with concrete or cement? The correct answer is concrete, which is made from cement.
MAD
Last Friday evening I visited the Museum of Arts and Design, or as they say-- "MAD"-- located on Columbus Circle at 59th Street on the Upper West Side. ( As an unrelated but interesting piece of trivia, all distances from NYC are officially measured from this point.)
The museum occupies a building erected in the mid-twentieth century by a wealthy heir named Huntington Hartford. The structure, designed in the "modernist" style by famous architect Edward Durell Stone, came to be regarded by many as ugly and dysfunctional. It lay vacant for years until major alterations were made. More recently, MAD moved in.
Last week was the first time I stepped inside this building, despite living in NYC most of my life and visiting many city museums over the years. What prompted my visit was an extensive article in the NYTimes that morning about the opening of an exhibit at MAD showing some of Doris Duke's famous collection of Islamic Art, which decorated her home in Hawaii. Also included were video, photos, and architectural plans for the estate. As you may know, she was the heiress to a huge tobacco fortune and considered the richest woman in the world.
The exhibit was beautiful. Everyone--not just one-thousandth of 1%-- should live as she did on something like her five landscaped acres in a custom-built mansion facing the Pacific Ocean outside Honolulu; the world would be a better place for it. Her Islamic treasures were museum quality, and the entire compound exuded refined taste and elegance. The show, entitled "Doris Duke's Shangri La", will continue until February 2013.
The remainder of this blog expresses my surprises. First, one might think that a large and highly complimentary review in Friday's Arts Section would create a big turnout to see the show. On the contrary, I was nearly alone at the exhibition! Another surprise is how small this museum is. I am sure there are plenty of private residences in Manhattan that exceed the square footage of each floor by a lot. Another surprise was going up to the top floor, where a restaurant named Robert (!!) is located. After being practically alone downstairs, I encountered a fancy restaurant with prices to match and a breath-taking view of Central Park, filled with diners out for an elegant and romantic dinner. The final surprise was two lower floors devoted to art made by the undoubtedly very poor Northwest Native Americans.
Great juxtapositions in this building at every turn. It's MAD.
The museum occupies a building erected in the mid-twentieth century by a wealthy heir named Huntington Hartford. The structure, designed in the "modernist" style by famous architect Edward Durell Stone, came to be regarded by many as ugly and dysfunctional. It lay vacant for years until major alterations were made. More recently, MAD moved in.
Last week was the first time I stepped inside this building, despite living in NYC most of my life and visiting many city museums over the years. What prompted my visit was an extensive article in the NYTimes that morning about the opening of an exhibit at MAD showing some of Doris Duke's famous collection of Islamic Art, which decorated her home in Hawaii. Also included were video, photos, and architectural plans for the estate. As you may know, she was the heiress to a huge tobacco fortune and considered the richest woman in the world.
The exhibit was beautiful. Everyone--not just one-thousandth of 1%-- should live as she did on something like her five landscaped acres in a custom-built mansion facing the Pacific Ocean outside Honolulu; the world would be a better place for it. Her Islamic treasures were museum quality, and the entire compound exuded refined taste and elegance. The show, entitled "Doris Duke's Shangri La", will continue until February 2013.
The remainder of this blog expresses my surprises. First, one might think that a large and highly complimentary review in Friday's Arts Section would create a big turnout to see the show. On the contrary, I was nearly alone at the exhibition! Another surprise is how small this museum is. I am sure there are plenty of private residences in Manhattan that exceed the square footage of each floor by a lot. Another surprise was going up to the top floor, where a restaurant named Robert (!!) is located. After being practically alone downstairs, I encountered a fancy restaurant with prices to match and a breath-taking view of Central Park, filled with diners out for an elegant and romantic dinner. The final surprise was two lower floors devoted to art made by the undoubtedly very poor Northwest Native Americans.
Great juxtapositions in this building at every turn. It's MAD.
Medea In Our Lives
I thought we finished with Medea after discovering she belonged to our next door neighbor. However, Medea-- the little black cat with yellow eyes-- apparently didn't get the news, or couldn't care less. She has continued to hang out in our backyard, seemingly all day and night, waiting for our back door to open so she can dash across the patio and into our house for a visit.
Yesterday was a particularly busy day. By the time we got home and finished dinner, it was about 11 pm and we were exhausted. Before going into the den off the kitchen, however, I opened the back door out of curiosity and immediately found Medea racing full speed inside. I never realized that a cat could react like a family dog. We promptly invited Medea to join us on the couch for the late news, which we enjoyed watching together. Unlike our dogs, we discerned an apparent interest in TV by the cat, who never stopped staring at the screen or purring.
After the news, I slumped in an armchair next to the couch and started to doze off. At that moment, Medea sized up the situation and with a single bound jumped from the floor to land precisely on top of me, between my chin and my chest. This was a leap worthy of a gymnastics medal winner at the recent Olympics. She then curled up, as if this silent and precision jump was nothing, and joined me for my brief nap.
Eventually, I woke up and regretfully put her back outside for the night. I suspect we were both disappointed that she couldn't stay the night. I must admit that a growing number of experiences such as these are changing our attitude toward cats. We can finally understand their attraction to lots of people. By the way, I just learned that Medea is not a young little cat, but rather is actually 14 years old. She is incredibly quick and mentally alert for such an advanced age.
My wife also seems to be succumbing to Medea's lovable ways. The previous night, for example, she permitted the cat to sleep inside overnight because the weather seemed to be a little nippy. I even walked into the kitchen on a previous occasion to find the cat strolling around on the kitchen table while my wife read the newspaper, something my cleaniness-conscious wife would normally never tolerate.
It all goes to show you how love conquers all and how misperceptions can be changed by real life experience.
Yesterday was a particularly busy day. By the time we got home and finished dinner, it was about 11 pm and we were exhausted. Before going into the den off the kitchen, however, I opened the back door out of curiosity and immediately found Medea racing full speed inside. I never realized that a cat could react like a family dog. We promptly invited Medea to join us on the couch for the late news, which we enjoyed watching together. Unlike our dogs, we discerned an apparent interest in TV by the cat, who never stopped staring at the screen or purring.
After the news, I slumped in an armchair next to the couch and started to doze off. At that moment, Medea sized up the situation and with a single bound jumped from the floor to land precisely on top of me, between my chin and my chest. This was a leap worthy of a gymnastics medal winner at the recent Olympics. She then curled up, as if this silent and precision jump was nothing, and joined me for my brief nap.
Eventually, I woke up and regretfully put her back outside for the night. I suspect we were both disappointed that she couldn't stay the night. I must admit that a growing number of experiences such as these are changing our attitude toward cats. We can finally understand their attraction to lots of people. By the way, I just learned that Medea is not a young little cat, but rather is actually 14 years old. She is incredibly quick and mentally alert for such an advanced age.
My wife also seems to be succumbing to Medea's lovable ways. The previous night, for example, she permitted the cat to sleep inside overnight because the weather seemed to be a little nippy. I even walked into the kitchen on a previous occasion to find the cat strolling around on the kitchen table while my wife read the newspaper, something my cleaniness-conscious wife would normally never tolerate.
It all goes to show you how love conquers all and how misperceptions can be changed by real life experience.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Bill Clinton's DNC Speech
Bill Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention was wonderful. It reminded me of the best lectures I heard at college or anywhere else. In a little under an hour, Clinton reviewed and analyzed all of the major provisions of the Romney-Ryan platform. He showed in detail how destructive, misguided, and misleading it really is. Best of all, he presented the facts in an entertaining manner, so what could have been boring policy details got transformed into an engaging discussion. Watch a rerun on You Tube if you missed it.
As a result of Clinton's talk, there is no doubt remaining regarding the destructive results to the country, and especially the middle class, in the event the Republican program were ever implemented. The details also graphically exposed Romney and Ryan, by chapter and verse, for the snake oil salesmen they really are. If I were Mitt Romney, I wouldn't want to show my face in public after Clinton's performance.
There are related matters worth discussing arising from Clinton's talk, which even David Brooks, the Republican-leaning columnist at the NYTimes, called an "effective speech". First, why did the electorate have to wait until now for an intelligent examination of the Republicans' platform? The two sides are spending $2 billion between them, and the media discusses the election non-stop. I think it reveals our shortcomings as a democracy, that we have to hope for the appearance of a single engaging orator to explain what is going on in a simple, coherent speech. No one can do it in a 30 second sound bite, which is what we've come to expect. Also, we dwell on a dog in a crate on top of a car or a candidate's hair rather than their proposals. Our impatience, lack of interest, and constant need for entertainment are costing us dearly. Hopefully, these Republican charlatans have been exposed in time.
Another aspect of this election which Clinton exposed concerned the number of misleading statements and outright lies coming from the Republicans. If perchance Romney-Ryan do win, we can expect the floodgates to open if the outcome demonstrates that Americans ignore untruths and that lying produces victory. Combined with unlimited campaign financing and undisclosed sources from super-PACs, we can say goodbye to democratic elections as a relic of the past. What makes me sad is remembering that Mitt Romney was once an effective, moderate Governor of Massachusetts, who instituted universal health care for its residents. I think he used to be a decent and pragmatic man who has become misguided by money, ambition, and power.
As a result of Clinton's talk, there is no doubt remaining regarding the destructive results to the country, and especially the middle class, in the event the Republican program were ever implemented. The details also graphically exposed Romney and Ryan, by chapter and verse, for the snake oil salesmen they really are. If I were Mitt Romney, I wouldn't want to show my face in public after Clinton's performance.
There are related matters worth discussing arising from Clinton's talk, which even David Brooks, the Republican-leaning columnist at the NYTimes, called an "effective speech". First, why did the electorate have to wait until now for an intelligent examination of the Republicans' platform? The two sides are spending $2 billion between them, and the media discusses the election non-stop. I think it reveals our shortcomings as a democracy, that we have to hope for the appearance of a single engaging orator to explain what is going on in a simple, coherent speech. No one can do it in a 30 second sound bite, which is what we've come to expect. Also, we dwell on a dog in a crate on top of a car or a candidate's hair rather than their proposals. Our impatience, lack of interest, and constant need for entertainment are costing us dearly. Hopefully, these Republican charlatans have been exposed in time.
Another aspect of this election which Clinton exposed concerned the number of misleading statements and outright lies coming from the Republicans. If perchance Romney-Ryan do win, we can expect the floodgates to open if the outcome demonstrates that Americans ignore untruths and that lying produces victory. Combined with unlimited campaign financing and undisclosed sources from super-PACs, we can say goodbye to democratic elections as a relic of the past. What makes me sad is remembering that Mitt Romney was once an effective, moderate Governor of Massachusetts, who instituted universal health care for its residents. I think he used to be a decent and pragmatic man who has become misguided by money, ambition, and power.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Crystallization
The Republicans sure make it easy for me. I'm a Democrat, and it would be hard, but I am somewhat open-minded and willing to listen. However, the Republicans don't even try to nominate someone appealing to me. It must be true that they see me as someone living on an island off the mainland (NYC) who isn't really part of America.
The current Romney-Ryan ticket is so off the wall that I can't imagine how it is possibly a close race, yet it apparently is. Their natural constituency is comparatively small-- millionaires, billionaires, the religious right, gun fanatics, libertarians, anti-blacks, strict Republican Party stalwarts, right-to-lifers --so I can't fathom how half the population is taken in by them. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that many voters expected the economy to improve under Obama and are desperate for an improvement. The latter group's anguish is real and understandable.
Things are definitely bad, but the Republicans caused a lot of our problems, stymied solutions, and would certainly not help the middle class recover. In fact, their stated policies would make things worse for everyone, including the rich in the long run. President Harry Truman had it right when he said, many years ago, that if you want to live like a Republican, vote for the Democrats!
I watched the Republican Convention and now the first day of the Democrats'. The difference to me is startling, and this is even before the Democrats finish. The Democratic delegates look and sound like the mix of races and colors that I see every day in New York. By contrast, the Republicans look homogenized, like white bread, regardless of whether they come from cities or small towns. The scripts seem similar-- everyone espouses wholesome American values and had forebears who were poor-- but it sounds phony and hollow to me when the Republicans try to pull it off. As former Texas Governor Ann Richards put it, Poppy (George Bush Sr.) was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Republican candidates are a disgrace. The Romney-Ryan ticket lies, openly champions the rich, and proposes idiotic, unworkable policies. The previous candidate, John McCain, chose a running mate totally unqualified to be president. George W. Bush doubled the national debt, got us into two senseless wars, and presided over a vast financial collapse. Their Republican colleagues in Congress opposed everything Obama wanted to improve conditions. WHAT A CREW!!
The current Romney-Ryan ticket is so off the wall that I can't imagine how it is possibly a close race, yet it apparently is. Their natural constituency is comparatively small-- millionaires, billionaires, the religious right, gun fanatics, libertarians, anti-blacks, strict Republican Party stalwarts, right-to-lifers --so I can't fathom how half the population is taken in by them. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that many voters expected the economy to improve under Obama and are desperate for an improvement. The latter group's anguish is real and understandable.
Things are definitely bad, but the Republicans caused a lot of our problems, stymied solutions, and would certainly not help the middle class recover. In fact, their stated policies would make things worse for everyone, including the rich in the long run. President Harry Truman had it right when he said, many years ago, that if you want to live like a Republican, vote for the Democrats!
I watched the Republican Convention and now the first day of the Democrats'. The difference to me is startling, and this is even before the Democrats finish. The Democratic delegates look and sound like the mix of races and colors that I see every day in New York. By contrast, the Republicans look homogenized, like white bread, regardless of whether they come from cities or small towns. The scripts seem similar-- everyone espouses wholesome American values and had forebears who were poor-- but it sounds phony and hollow to me when the Republicans try to pull it off. As former Texas Governor Ann Richards put it, Poppy (George Bush Sr.) was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Republican candidates are a disgrace. The Romney-Ryan ticket lies, openly champions the rich, and proposes idiotic, unworkable policies. The previous candidate, John McCain, chose a running mate totally unqualified to be president. George W. Bush doubled the national debt, got us into two senseless wars, and presided over a vast financial collapse. Their Republican colleagues in Congress opposed everything Obama wanted to improve conditions. WHAT A CREW!!
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