Learning to fly

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast, how
Can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to guide my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I



From Pink floyd, a momentary lapse of reason EMI, 1987

Sopranos

Family Values

What's wrong with the Lakers?

This has not been a fun season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Showtime and four-peat have been replaced with complacency, finger-pointing, dreadful execution, poor shooting, a string of opponents who don't give a hoot about them and very few wins.

Oh Holy Fright

The New York Post has this story.

Seems that Right after Cardinal Egan finished the Christmas homily, in which he urged parishioners to pray for peace and "love those who are hurting," Wesner Fequiere, a 39-year-old homeless man who was clearly hurting, entered the Cathedral and shouted that he was a believer and wanted to say a prayer.

Security guards and ushers, in an expression of love and the holiday spirit, tackled the man and dragged him outside. Once outside, he broke free again, ran back into the church and approached the altar before being tackled once more. This time, he was dragged from the Cathedral in handcuffs as he announced, "I'm not crazy; I'm homeless… I am the son of God."

He explained to police officers that he was homeless, hungry and just wanted to go someplace where he could take a shower and relax for a bit, so they took him to Bellevue.

What was Cardinal Egan’s response to all this? He told his gathered flock that "these things happen in New York," and ended the service by urging them once again "to come to the assistance of those who are alone, abandoned and in need."

Life imitates Watt

"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."--Interior Secretary James Watt, 1983 (the comment led to his resignation)

Homeless collect $5,000 Christmas present for NYC cop

A New York City cop who refused to arrest a homeless man for taking refuge in a parking garage has become a hero to the homeless community for his stand even though his superiors were less enthused. Officer Eduardo del La Cruz was charged with insubordination for refusing a direct order and suspended for 30 days without pay, just as the Christmas season was approaching. To demonstrate their gratitude for the officer, homeless across the city collected whatever money they could scrape together from welfare checks and selling cans to help him and his family of five through the holidays.

I commented on the original story a few weeks ago (I'm feeling too lazy to go search for it in the archives) in which I applauded this officer for standing up for what he believed was the right thing to do. I'm glad to see that the NYC homeless polulation has responded in kind.

Kwanzaa

Today marks the beginning of the African-inspired holiday Kwanzaa, a weeklong event that gives black people an opportunity to celebrate where they came from and strengthen their communities. Those unfamiliar with the celebration, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, think it’s a religious holiday meant to replace Christmas, but it was never intended to replace the Christian holiday.

Kwanzaa, whose name is derived from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanzaa,” which means “first fruits,” was founded in 1966 by activist Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University at Long Beach. The celebration encourages African Americans to embrace their roots and focus on seven principles to improve their lives and communities.

Another War

...And still no proof says Ted Rall

Does the U.S. really possess proof, as it claims, that Saddam is up to no good? Or does it merely suspect--in other words, have a gut feeling--that Iraqi scientists are cooking up smallpox bombs hundreds of feet beneath the desert?

A war in Iraq is easy:
the problem will be the peace

Times Online has this story.

The momentum for war is now so great that it cannot be stopped, short of a miracle. Of course, Saddam Hussein or President Bush could decide to climb down completely. .

Saddam could announce: “Here’s the anthrax, and over there is the mustard gas, and, by the way, we keep our nuclear material in the cellar of the palace. For myself, I have bought an economy class ticket to Zimbabwe, where my old friend Mr Mugabe has agreed to put me up for a year or two.” Or President Bush could state that the UN weapons inspectors had failed to find any prohibited material, and that the United States had therefore cooled over any further action in the Middle East.

Neither of these things is going to happen. If President Bush was now to flinch, which he will not do, the consequences would be disastrous, not only to his Administration and to the United States, but to world peace and to the Middle East. If he retreated at this point, he might just as well resign as President, and his authority would be destroyed.

Even worse would be the effect in the Middle East itself. Saddam Hussein would emerge as the leader who had twice survived an American assault. The Arab world, probably the whole Islamic world, would be convinced that his methods were successful. Apart from other consequences, there would be an immediate threat to other Arab regimes as well as to Israel.

On Racial Profiling

That insidious practice by which some police routinely stop African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans and others simply because of their race, ethnicity or national origin should be an issue of concern.

President Bush pledged to end racial profiling nearly two years ago during his first address to a joint session of Congress. Attorney General John Ashcroft has acknowledged the damage caused by racial profiling and called for an end to the practice. It is time for the administration to move this effort forward.

In the last Congress, a bipartisan group of members sponsored the End Racial Profiling Act. The bill bans racial profiling and requires federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate and prevent the practice. This bill should be one of the top agenda items when Congress reconvenes in January, and the administration should follow through on its promise to address this issue.

Merry Christmas

... And Happy Holidays! May your season be filled with good cheers, peace and love.

Citiblog will return in a few days. Be safe.

-The Garrauds

Sign of the times

Still seeking that perfect gift for a special young girl in your life? Well, look no further than page 50 of the FAO Schwarz 2002 holiday catalogue. For a mere $45, you can surprise and delight her with a Lingerie Barbie.

And what a Barbie Babe she is, decked out in her sexy black (or, if you prefer, pink) garters, stockings and obligatory stiletto heels. Even her PR is PG, giving the phrase "sex toy" a whole new level of meaning:

"Barbie exudes a flirtatious attitude in her heavenly merry widow bustier ensemble accented with intricate lace and matching peekaboo peignoir."

Oh darn, reading this too late for holiday gift giving? Not to worry. Mattel plans a February launch for its sixth "limited edition" Lingerie Barbie, promising she'll be "simply sassy in a short pearl-grey satin slip trimmed in black lace" and "thigh-high stockings" that "add a hint of flair." [more]

Schoolbooks are flubbing facts

Ever wonder what your children might be learning when they hit the books? Would you want your kids learning from these books?

"It's a reign of distortion and censorship," said Diane Ravitch, an education historian at New York University and former assistant education secretary in the first Bush administration. "It's an environment in which words and images are routinely banned." And that's just the textbooks.

Homeland Security, back then.

(Walt Handelsman)

More Classic NYC

My favs.

the World’s Fair site at Flushing Meadow . . . the Grill Room at the Four Seasons . . . the Brooklyn Heights Promenade . . .the dozens of fiercely competitive Indian restaurants on East 6th Street . . .jay-walking as a sport ...Turkish baths . . . the fountain at Lincoln Center . . . the pretzel . . . people swearing every year that it’s their last year in the city . . . pigeons . . . staying friends with people only because they have the perfect window view for parades ... deli guys who memorize your order after a while so you never have to ask for your breakfast . . . the lions in front of the New York Public Library . . . unwritten but sacred social rules involving personal space (like, dude, take off your backpack on the subway) . . . graffiti . . . umbrella carnage on every corner after a storm . . . bike messengers . . . cheesecake (yum) . . . brunch . . . pride in showing off the city to friends in from out of town ... New Yorkers of every age, race, and class waiting patiently in four-block-long lines on 9/11/01 just to make an appointment to donate blood (God Bless America). . . famous people everywhere except where the tourists are looking for them ...hearing ten languages spoken in the course of a single block . . . the Apollo ...the opening night of a Broadway show . . . the waterfront . . . haggling with street vendors . . .a whole subway car full of people pretending nothing is happening even when someone just two feet away is screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs . . . the Rockettes . . . the confidence of living in the center of the universe.