Is anyone here

 I will be happy to post more, but I need some feedback If I do write something

No one to vote for

 Yesterday, at Fort Hamilton high school, I voted early for the first time. 

I am in a Democratic, one party state, so I really have no say in this presidential election. I don’t like this fact. But it does allow me to be a free agent. I don’t have respect for either Trump, or Kamala Harris, He is wildly, undisciplined and divisive; she is stealthy and divisive, a wolf in  sheep’s clothing.

 I voted for neither one of them. 

Both camps sound  pretty confident. 

I think that Trump will take the state of Georgia, which he lost last time around. If he is also able to take Pennsylvania, he’ll win the election. 

Box of Rain

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead has passed away.

I have long admired “ Box of Rain “, From the Dead’s  “American beauty “album. 

It was created by Lesh and Robert Hunter. Phil wanted to create a song for his dying father. He composed the music,  Robert Hunter supplied the lyrics. Lesh rehearsed the song as he drove to see his father in the nursing home.

I just discovered this cover by Steve Forbert, I’m happy to see tis still around.

October 7 2024

It has been one year since Hamas crossed from  Gaza into Israel, killing about 1,200, most of them Israeli civilians. 

October 7 was not the beginning of the Arab/ Israeli conflict, But it certainly was the first page of a horrific chapter.

The Hamas supporters in America and in Europe chose October 7, 2024 to have their celebratory commemorations. Not on the one year anniversary of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, but On the one year anniversary of the murders, the rapes, the abductions. I think that tells you everything you need to know about these demonstrators.

This evening, I watched a documentary on Al Jazeera TV about  what has gone down over the past year. 

Al Jazeera’s report began with the Hamas attack, but at no time did it  mention the large scale murders, or the  sexual assaults. 

There was plenty  of footage of Israeli soldiers mistreating captives in Gaza, Of large groups of Gazan Civilians being marched out of their neighborhoods, of the demolition of apartment houses in Gaza, while Israeli soldiers cheered on and sang songs about it.

If you are an American, who gets all his news  from The likes of MSNBC or Fox News, you won’t be well informed about this war at all. These stations devote The majority of their programming to Democrat versus Republican, cops and robbers. 

CNN or BBC will do a better job of reporting the overall picture.

But you will understand things better if at some point you watch  Al Jazeera, Israeli TV, or Israeli, talk radio. These sources from within the region will absolutely be slanted, will absolutely exaggerate some things, and leave other things out, But they also give you glimpses of the terrible situation on the ground.

Could Trump carry Bay Ridge? Nah

The other day, I saw a Harley rider.zooming  down Bay Ridge Avenue, with a large blue  Trump 2024 flag at the back of the bike. That’s not something you see every day in New York City.

Bay Ridge has historically been more conservative than the rest of Brooklyn and New York City, but it’s not as conservative as it used to be. Biden carried Bay Ridge in 2020; but Trump did carry a few blocks, which you see in the specs of red in the block near Shore Road.

Trump had a major campaign rally at the Nassau Coliseum, the other day, where he said that he was going to win New York State. That’s insane talk, Considering that he lost the state last time by about 2 million votes. But the Republicans are competitive in a number of counties in New York State, which is probably the reason for the big  rally. To motivate the congressional voters.

I have not seen any Trump or Harris political  lawn or window signs near me. . I’ve not discussed politics with any of my neighbors. I think that most people around here don’t like either candidate, and are keeping their opinions to themselves. No one to vote for, only someone to vote against.

Harris will win my neighborhood, but we might see a few more blotches of red on the 2024 map.

2020 NYC presidential election map shown below

 

World Trade Center 23 years later

 I went into Manhattan this afternoon to pay my respects.

My company has a commemoration every year. The names of the employees  who were lost are displayed along the perimeter of the two pools that are in the footprint of the two buildings. The names of our lost people are read aloud, a yellow rose placed by each name.

Belfast Grand Central Station is open

 

New York City has its Grand Central Terminal, and now Belfast has its Grand Central Station, which  has just opened.

Grand Central Station replaces the Europa bus station as the departure point for long distance buses. Inter city buses I think are a bigger thing in Ireland that they are in America. 

 Before the end of the year, we are told that Grand Central Station will have train service, including hourly trains to Dublin.

Good show for Belfast.. This is exactly the kind of first class facility that a large and confident city should have..

The name Grand Central Station is of course an homage to New York City. 

Good show, Belfast.