New York Minute 65 - Thursday Morning

It's Thursday morning. Even the sirens sound tired.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

Respect For Your Country

Respect your country. To some that means adhering to tradition. To some it means speaking out against injustice. Both are valid. Remember that. Peace.

They Are Not Protesting The Flag

They are not protesting the flag, the troops, or their country. They are protesting police brutality against people of color. Deal with it.

America Spoke Today

America spoke today. The message is clear. We are sick of this fake president.

NFL Anthem Protests

It serves your right, Mr. Trump, for heckling athletes instead of focusing on your job. Now they're all protesting.

Can Things Get Any Worse?

Can things get any worse? Wealthy senators are taking healthcare benefits from the masses and the poor, historic natural disasters, unprecedented government corruption, elections tainted by hostile foreign actors, and now, bitter, unbalanced men are posturing toward nuclear war. 

The Celebrity Marriage That You Didn't Hear About In The Tabloids

I didn't realize that Gina Torres (Suits) was married to Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Boyz In The Hood, Apocalypse Now). I didn't realize that she stepped away from Suits, which films in Toronto, to work on the marriage, which is now sadly ending. Two wonderful actors and probably very nice people. I feel sad that things didn't work out for them.

New York Minute 64 - Diplomatic Escorts

Tell tale signs of General Assembly week at the United Nations: traffic jams, motorcades, an ominous security presence around prominent hotels ... and escorts. Lots of escorts.

It's not uncommon to see "working girls" downtown. The Wall Street crowd seems to enjoy paying for their services. It's more striking when you see them in Midtown.

They have a distinctive look, overtly provocative but in a high end way. They have slender bodies and pretty faces with makeup for nighttime worn too early in the day. 

The ladies have a unique wardrobe, too, expensive-looking suits and dresses with a generous helping of slut factor, outfits that even the horniest, most desperate-for-a-date female office worker wouldn't dare to wear to happy hour. Escorts are professionals, and they want you to know it.

I'm guessing that the ladies are making a good living this week. What they make during the General Assembly probably pays their rent for months. 

Be careful out there, ladies! Diplomatic immunity means that some jerks will never have to say that they're sorry for beating up a prostitute.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

Marshall Plan For Puerto Rico

We need a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico. Forgive all debts and commit enough money to rebuild completely. Hesitation is not an option.

New York Minute 63 - Beautiful Family

Friends of ours had their baby baptized this past weekend. The couple also has a toddler who's reaching the age where she insists on walking everywhere instead of riding in a stroller.

After the service, the father carried the baby and led friends and family to a nearby restaurant where they were hosting a small reception. The mother walked with the toddler. Since toddlers don't walk very fast, she fell back behind the rest of the group. 

I decided to walk with them and keep an extra pair of eyes on the toddler. If the child suddenly darted toward the heavily trafficked streets, I wanted to be there to catch her. It was fun to watch the little girl as she explored the world with curiosity. She stopped frequently to pick flowers or gaze at passing dogs.

Walking with us was the mother's friend, a very blonde woman from Norway with two young, blond children of her own. The Norwegian woman was also noticeably pregnant.

At one point, a passing male pedestrian yelled out, "You have a beautiful family!" 

I thought to myself, "Yes, sure! Me, my two blonde wives, my three children and a baby on the way - I'm all ready to move to Utah."

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

What If Democracy Failed?

What if democracy failed, and a person who was totally wrong for the job got elected? What would that look like?

Fear Of Clowns

My generation wasn't afraid of clowns. We laughed at them.

New York Minute 62 - Tip Line

During my morning commute last week, I came to a section of a busy avenue that had been closed to traffic. One block was even closed to pedestrians.

Television news crews and at least a dozen police vehicles lined the streets at this spot. I remembered that it was Wednesday, the day after the primary election for city government positions. I thought that perhaps the mayor or some city official was planning to hold a press conference here, perhaps announcing some new project or initiative.

Yesterday, as I walked through the block where all of the police activity had been, I noticed a portable yellow traffic sign flashing a chilling message.

"Fatal hit and run 9/13/17"

The sign also displayed the number for the NYPD's anonymous tip line. Someone was killed early that morning, and no one knows who did it.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

Moving Ahead

When the train leaves the station without you, you can look for another ride or stand there like an idiot wondering why it left. Don't wait too long to move on.

New York Minute 61 - Turnstiles - Part Two

After escaping confrontation on the subway platform this past weekend (New York Minute 60), I made my way into the office. The entrance to the building is fitted with turnstiles to prevent unauthorized entry. You scan your identification card which unlocks the rotor and lets you pass through the turnstile by pushing a steel bar with your thighs. 

These aren't the fancy, self-opening electronic gates that more modern office buildings use these days. They are metal, mechanical devices like the ones that you might see at the entrance to an amusement park ride. I have experienced the pain of hitting that steel rod when the scanner fails to read the card properly. It's unpleasant, to say the least.

During normal business hours, you present ID to get into the building, but the turnstiles are unlocked for exiting. You just walk right through. At night and one weekends, however, they change the rules. You have to scan your card to get in OR out. - I don't know why they've set it up this way. It makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I finished my Saturday work at about 3 in the afternoon. As I rode down in the elevator, I pulled my ID card out of my wallet so I'd be ready to pass through the turnstiles. 

Another gentleman rode down in the elevator with me. I guess this guy didn't come in on weekends very often, because he seemed to be unaware that the turnstiles would be locked. Unfortunately for him, he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. As he dashed toward the entrance, he hit the metal bar of the turnstile so hard that his sunglasses flew off of his head and onto the floor. I can't imagine how painful that must have been. It must have felt like getting hit in the thighs with a baseball bat.

"You have to use your ID card," the security guard explained blankly. Too bad she didn't think to share this advice when it might have prevented a painful crash.

I passed gently through the next turnstile, picked the guy's glasses up from the floor and handed them to him as he stepped gingerly through the gate. "I'm having a bad day," he said as his grimacing face betrayed his physical discomfort.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

New York Minute 60 - Turnstiles - Part One

I had to go into the office early on Saturday morning to work on some scheduled computer maintenance. I woke up early, showered, dressed, and headed to the nearest subway station as though it were a weekday.

As I was walking down the stairs from street level, I saw the train pulling into the station. I ran as fast as I could to the first in a row of turnstiles and swiped my card through the reader. It failed to read the card which, while frustrating, is a fairly common occurrence. "Please Swipe Again" read the message.

Around this time, I heard another guy run down the same stairs desperately trying to catch the same train. Unfortunately instead of using one of the other open turnstiles, he queued up behind me just as my second swipe was rejected.

"Please swipe your card again at this turnstile" the machine urged me.

The third and final try got me through the gate. I dashed down the stairs pushing past people who had just deborded the train. The other guy was running down the stairs behind me. I couldn't see him, but I heard him chanting, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" - I don't know why he used that word, of all things. It seemed stupid even in that frantic moment.

Unfortunately, I reached the train a fraction of a second too late. I lunged forward with my foot in an attempt to stick it in the closing door, but I couldn't reach it. The door closed and the train started moving forward. The other fellow who had been about three steps behind me as we raced down the stairs, expressed his frustration verbally as the train pulled away. 

Then he did something that surprised me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn squarely toward me as though he were preparing for a confrontation. I suppose that he felt that I and my malfunctioning Metrocard had caused him to miss his train. Clearly, he was weighing the option of making a nasty comment.

I didn't look back at the guy; my instinct was to avoid eye contact. I stood my ground without reacting. 

The confrontation didn't happen. A couple of seconds later, the guy turned and walked away. I felt a sense of relief.

The electronic sign indicated that the next train would arrive in twelve minutes. That was twelve minutes too long to stand alone on a subway platform alone with an angry New Yorker. I checked the time on my mobile phone, walked back up the stairs, and transferred to the bus.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

New York Minute 59 - First Day Of School!

Today is the first day of school. I passed a number of students in uniform this morning, all of them looking fresh and rested, the boys in their ties and the girls in the skirts. The parents looked a bit stressed - school puts demands on everyone's schedule - but I'm sure that things will fall into place eventually.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved

The Lasting Anguish of 9/11

Just typing the date hurts. That number cuts into my heart and dredges up the shock and the sorrow of a tragic day and the chaotic months that followed.

Believe What You Want To Believe

Either the climate scientists were right about a future with more powerful storms, or God is angry about the election. Believe in the version that appeals to you.

Don't Underestimate Me

You shouldn't underestimate me. I've already overestimated myself. :-)

Learning And Understanding

As we learn, we realize how much more there is to understand. The person who claims to know everything understands nothing.

The Economics of DACA

75 percent of the people covered under DACA have jobs. They generate $60 billion per year in tax revenues. And now they've been thrown back into the shadows. Not my president.

Still Feeling The Bern

Still feeling the Bern? I am. Every time I see Trump's name in the flipping news it burns me.

When The World Goes Mad

When it seems as though the world's gone mad, maybe the universe is just doing what needs to be done. A change is necessary. It's probably overdue. Perhaps some weakness has been uncovered and needs to be addressed immediately. Our old ways of doing things have not just gone out of fashion; they've lost all reasonable justification. 

Change can be maddening, but perhaps what we perceive as madness is a symptom of the chaos and the urgency that drives that change to occur. Change is uncomfortable, because things always get worse before they get bette.

Change is chaotic, because the best way forward is subject to debate. Those who reap the rewards of the current world order will fight to preserve that order. They'll push back against the rising tide - and encourage others to do so - until the tide overwhelms and flattens everything in its path.

Change is jarring, because new ways always seem odd and unacceptable to those who are used to the way that things have been. It's even more stressful for those who long for a selectively nostalgic past.

Change is fateful, because it picks winners and losers. Those who have prospered richly in the past may struggle to find their way in an emerging future.

Yes, there are times when the world seems to be going mad. These are major turning points, and they are often accompanied by suffering and catastrophic loss. But failing to change will lead to even greater losses. When the world does go mad, our primary responsibility is not to stop it and to pull it back to where it started, but rather to guide it rationally and thoughtfully out of the chaos, and to fight tirelessly and courageously for a brighter and more effective tomorrow.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved