Sarah Godfrey Update- Nov 30

Thanks to Juliana, who advised me that the proper spelling is "Sarah".

Sarah has spent some quiet days in the hospital, which is good. She is gagging and coughing at times--which is also actually good in this context.

Additional tests are forthcoming, which will reveal more.

Under the Bridge

Under the Bridge, originally uploaded by lornagrl.

This isn't the only good photo of the Verrazanno that lornagrl has posted on flickr.

Sarah Godfrey- update

Sarah Godfrey was severely injured in an auto accident on Friday, November 17.

I heard today that tests indicate that it appears that she may maintain control of both arms and legs. At this stage, considering the scope of the injuries, that's good news.

This comes after some earlier good news.

-----
(Reprint of November 22 post)
**Please share this with friends**

Sarah Godfrey is a thirteen year old girl from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She's an eighth-grade student at St. Boniface School.

This past Friday, she was hit by a car. She had just exited a vehicle after being dropped off. She sustained severe head injuries and was placed in a drug-induced coma.

"She is in a struggle for her life", says her uncle, Herb Godfrey. " She is a strong girl. Her vital signs are good, but we don't know the extent of the head injury".

Her mother Bridget is asking those concerned to pray for Sarah. She has made a "prayer map" with stars in all the places in the world where people are praying for Sarah. If you care to join the prayer map, please add a comment here, with your location, or send me an e-mail at bayridgephantom@gmail.com.

---
A fund has been established for the benefit of the family. Any money raised will go toward lodging and travel expenses, and will help with the girl’s rehabilitation, said Herb Godfrey, director of purchasing at King’s College.

Donations can be made to the Sarah Godfrey Fund, Choice One Credit Union, 101 Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.
---
Newspaper articles shown here and here. I will provide updates in future posts.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, originally uploaded by hokulea.

Brudda Iz's albums are available on Rhapsody's music service. In his short life, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole attained great popularity in Hawaii and beyond.

No Sirius, I'm Serious, It's Rhapsody for Me

Gave Sirius a test-drive over the weekend. Their music channels were not bad at all. But the talk stations were surprisingly lame--the political channels were predictable "liberal" vs "conservative". With commercials.

I tried to test-drive XM Radio, but I couldn't do load in the "plug in" for the 30 day free trial.

So, I did a last round of testing with Rhapsody On Line, an internet only music service. I found the sound quality as good as that of Sirius, and a lot better than that of Yahoo Music Player. And Rhapsody's many "radio stations" are way better than those of YMP and they have a larger number of focused stations than does Sirius. They even have a Hawaiian Music channel, which this Hawaii-phile really likes. I am listening to legendary Hawaiian performer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole while I type here.

I signed up for the plan that allows me unlimited listening via the computer and on a supported MP3 player. Rhapsody it is!

Plus, by not going with Sirius, I don't have to be part of the station that is known primarily for being the home of the lame Howard Stern.

Testing Sirius

New York City has the worst radio in the United States. There's no rock station worthy of the name. The rock that does exist has a narrow playlist ( WCBS is now something called "Jack FM" ). WPLJ is still around, with their own playlist and their "Scott and Todd" in the morning. WNEW still exists, and this is what they do, whatever that is.

I don't want to listen to endless Doors reruns and I don't want to listen to shock jocks of any kind. I'd like to hear some good music from today, and its just not available in NYC.

There's no country station, period. Since I like rock and love country, this is a major problem.

We do have some college stations, who at certain times of the day will provide what I want, but they're hit or miss. What's a listener to do?

Well, opting out is one solution.

I'm experimenting with Yahoo Music Player which provides you to select "on demand" play from a vast library. I'm also looking at Rhapsody, which offers a cleaner, and slightly more expensive version of what YMP offers. Both services come via the Internet. Both offer you the option of downloading onto a portable device, and both offer commercial free "radio stations" some which you can tailor to your own taste.

But there's also the two satellite "pay radio" stations. There's XM Radio and Sirius.

They were designed for in-the-car use, with special satellite radio receivers, at a cost of $13 a month. You can get either over the Internet, and I'm testing Sirius right now. They give a free three day trial. Their "Coffee House" station is very good. It has no commericials and features "singer-songwriters and acoustic rock". Am now listening to an acoustic "The One I Love" from REM, which followed about ten great songs which came before it. More tomorrow.

Sarah Godfrey - UPDATED

Heard on Saturday:

• she is now breathing on her own.
• they're unable to do some brain-function tests at present because to do so, they'd have to move her.

Hang in there, Sarah.

---

I heard the following as of Friday:

• bladder control returning
• there had been concern about her heart, but that has abated-heart seems fine
• some eye response observed

Will pass along additional information when I can.

Sarah Godfrey is a 13 year old girl who was badly injured in an auto accident in Wilkes-Barre, PA exactly one week ago.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by Fotomom.

We all have a lot to give thanks for. So lets give thanks.

( Image from Fotomom, posted on flickr. Thanks ).

New York Marathon in Bay Ridge

DSC01785, originally uploaded by mattsix.

I wasn't in town on Marathon Sunday. But mattsix was there, and he posted this on flickr.

I ran two NY Marathons, and boy the adreniline was running good for me at this point-- Fourth Avenue and 69th Street.-- maybe five miles into the race.

Ten miles later, the legs felt like lead, and a mere 11 1/2 miles to go.

John F Kennedy

Forty three years ago, John F Kennedy was assassinated. I was a student at Our Lady of Angels (OLA) elementary school then. They suspended class and led all the kids into Church for a suddenly called memorial Mass.

Walking home on Fourth Avenue, I saw people crying. My Mom and Dad cried at home. It was one of the worst days ever in Bay Ridge, in America, in many places.

When JFK was campaigning in 1960, he made a campaign visit to Bay Ridge. I believe he went past OLPH in a car. The crowds were enormous.

Thirteen Year Old Girl Needs Your Prayers

**Please share this with friends**

Sarah Godfrey is a thirteen year old girl from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She's an eighth-grade student at St. Boniface School.

This past Friday, she was hit by a car. She had just exited a vehicle after being dropped off. She sustained severe head injuries and was placed in a drug-induced coma.

"She is in a struggle for her life", says her uncle, Herb Godfrey. " She is a strong girl. Her vital signs are good, but we don't know the extent of the head injury".

Her mother Bridget is asking those concerned to pray for Sarah. She has made a "prayer map" with stars in all the places in the world where people are praying for Sarah. If you care to join the prayer map, please add a comment here, with your location, or send me an e-mail at bayridgephantom@gmail.com.

---
A fund has been established for the benefit of the family. Any money raised will go toward lodging and travel expenses, and will help with the girl’s rehabilitation, said Herb Godfrey, director of purchasing at King’s College.

Donations can be made to the Sarah Godfrey Fund, Choice One Credit Union, 101 Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.
---
Newspaper articles shown here and here. I will provide updates in future posts.

Visit Hawaii Tonight!

I first visited Hawaii, if you call it a visit, when I was in the Navy. I caught a flight one January from Travis Air Force Base, near San Fran, to Guam. We had a two hour stopover in Honolulu. Though it was just a brief stop in an airport, the glimpse of the palm trees, and feeling the tropical breezes from the outdoor central area was enough to make me decide that I had to return.

I returned a year later, and I've returned many times since. I have a number of favorite places in the world, and Hawaii, even the very overbuilt Honolulu is definitely on that list.

Hawaii has an interesting music scene. The Spanish and Mexican cowboys brought in to work the ranches in the 1800s brought the guitar, which remains the foundation of Hawaiian music.
Hawaiian slack key guitar music is as accomplished as you'll hear anywhere.

Floating in from Jamaica decades ago came reggae, which metamporphized into "Jahwaiian" music, which has its following, esp among the politically minded.

Though few speak Hawaiian, you'll hear many songs in the Hawaiian language.

Much of Hawaiian music is as awful as anywhere, but some of it is wonderful. There's a distinct sound, even when someone's doing a cover of something that was on the top 40 five years ago.

I've linked to IRH Live Hawaiian Music. Click on this link, and you can soon be hearing the sweet sounds from the far away islands. Good to hear anytime, esp when it gets cold.

Don't blame me if you fall in love. Make a donation to this excellent, commercial free site if you care to.

Aloha.

Ed Kranepool Back In the Majors!

Actually, we speak of the Eddie Kranepool Society, a New York Mets fan blog that has been of major league quality for some time. I've just blogrolled it.

It will share space with Brooklyn Met Fan. Together, they're the Mantle and Maris of NY Mets blogs.

Ed Kranepool was a native New Yorker who joined the Mets in their first season. He was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets team.

Always, always baseball has produced more literature that any other American sport. Its not even close. Baseball has a far longer history, more calls on our national memory. And there is something about this sport that causes you to reflect, to discuss, to remember. Sitting in the stands, you have the illusion that you could manage a major league team, or even hit a major league pitch. They're only illusions, but they're illusions you always treasure.

Welcome, Eddie Kranepool Society. Blogmaster Stephen Keane is a former Bay Ridge resident ( 72nd and Fifth ) taken away to Staten Island "against [his] will"! Steve, welcome back to virtual Bay Ridge!

BTW, where are the good Yankee blogs?

Bush is in Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

President Bush is in Hanoi, but the Phantom beat him to it.

When I went to Vietnam last year, I saw a very interesting country filled with bright , curious children and adults. Most were and are extremely poor by US or European standards, but they wear clean clothes, and are working very hard to catch up with their richer Asian neighbors. Give Vietnam a couple of decades of peace, and they'll be in fine shape.

Visitors are welcome. I wandered all over Saigon and Hanoi, back streets and big avenues, and was greeted warmly everywhere.

The reconciliation between Vietnamese and Americans over the past 20 years has been nothing short of astonishing. There is so much bad news in the world--this is one of the world's good stories.

Lets Build Atlantic Yards

Which act will perform the first concert at Atlantic Yards?





Except for some in the immediate neighborhood, most Brooklynites I know are very strongly in favor of the
Atlantic Yards project.

This project would be built over the Long Island Rail Road tracks. It would replace a barren spot with residential, office and retail development. It would also bring a new indoor arena to the area, and an NBA team, the Nets, to play in it.

Brooklyn's a great place, but it has never had a center. The minute this place opens it will be the center of a completely revitalized Brooklyn.

I love the idea of seeing a sports event or concert at Atlantic Yards, then hopping on the train at Pacific Street for a 20-25 minute train ride home.

Having a great arena by the Flatbush Avenue transportation hub will mean more competition for the Garden, and probably more concerts and special events in the city.

Opponents are bringing suit to try to block the project. Rumors are that they may be aided and abetted by the Dolans, who would not want a brand new arena to compete with the ragged Madison Square Garden. Lets hope that they fail. Build it now!


Frank Gehry-designed building. A little bit of funk for funky, rising Bklyn.

Gil Hodges Bridge

IMAGE_00078, originally uploaded by j0shuak.

Alan McDonald asked if I had any photos of the Gil Hodges Bridge.

The answer was no, but I have easily obtained one at the sensational photo-sharing site www.flickr.com

Just went on there, and did a search for "Gil Hodges Bridge". You'll see some other photos of the bridge there.

If you want to find photos of any public place, this is a good place to look. Really handy for bloggers also.

The Gil Hodges Bridge connects Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn with the Rockaway Pensinsula of Queens NY. it is named after the famous Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Gil Hodges, who played in the 1950s.

I've rode my bike over this bridge a few times, into Rockaway and beyond. Great fun on a cool day.

Rudy Giuliani For President

rudi giuliani, originally uploaded by theboost.

• 
  Today, it's reported that Rudy Giuliani has taken first steps towards running for President in 2008. I want him to run and I want him to win.
  
  Rudy has a record of accomplishment that no other candidate can match.
  
  As mayor of New York City, it was under his watch that Compstat was implemented, Bill Bratton was hired, and the NYPD given the resources they needed. He said he'd reduce crime and by God did he--his mayoralty saw historic reductions in all categories of crime. And the improvements continued during the mayoralty of Mike Bloomberg, who continued Rudy's policies.
  
  Let's get very local. Let's go to the NYPD website. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and hit 68th Precinct, which serves Bay Ridge. Then hit "Precinct Crime Statistics".
  
  If you compare "Crime Complaints" Year to Date 2006 and compare them to Year to Date in 1993 (early in Giuliani's term) you'll see

Murder is down 75%
Rape is down 71.4%
Robbery is down 78%
Felonious Assault is down 54.8%
Burglary is down 68.3%
Grand Larceny is down 5.6% and
Grand Larceny Auto (Auto Theft) is down 86.7%

And that's just Bay Ridge, which did not have a bad crime problem to begin with. Similar improvements have happened all over the city. Hundreds of people are alive today because of the changes that he implemented.

The other thing most of us remember Rudy for is his leadership of a deeply wounded New York City after the September 11 attacks. Unlike the crime drop, this can't be quantified. Crimefighting showed Rudy's tough side, but on September 11 and afterward we saw a toughness coupled with a real gentleness. He said that he didn't expect attacks against the city's large Arab minority because "he knew New Yorkers would never do anything like that".

He became the face of a defiant and very proud city. Most of the credit for New York's survival and recovery rightfully go to its citizens, but the fact is that we had a strong, tireless leader during terrible days.

Rudy's not perfect. But he's by far the best potential candidate out there. And unlike the current President, Rudy can actually speak.

Giuliani's leadership places him in a position that is most unusual- he is beloved by many Democrats and liberals, as well as Republicans and conservatives. The normal labels don't apply. If nominated, he carries 45 states. You heard it here.

Run, Rudy, run!

Borat: The New Global "Polack Joke"

Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant. I've been a fan of The Ali G Show for a couple of years, admiring the insanely funny Ali G, Borat, and Bruno characters.

Now of course Borat the movie has arrived, and is a global phenomenon.

The Borat character is beyond stupid, which is cool for most of us, because he comes from Kazakhstan, a country that many have never even heard of. To a lot of people, you could say it's a fictional country and they'd believe it. The "Kazakh journalist" stumbles all across America, and that's cool.

In today's NY Times, John Tierney describes Borat as "the new global Polack joke".
We all know Poles or Polish-Americans, but its unlikely that many of us know any Kazakhs, so its cool to show Kazakhs as having cows in the living room and being proud to have sisters that are prostitutes.

Since "Borat" obviously couldn't be filmed in Kazakstan, they found a substitute "Kazakh village" in Glod, Rumania, one of the poorest towns in Romania, itself one of the poorest countries in Europe.

The English Daily Mail, says that the Glod villagers weren't told what type of movie this really was. Since Cohen thrives on pranks, that's not a surprise.

But unless this report is false, some of these villagers were paid three pounds a day--less than ten bucks-- to be portrayed as imbeciles. Nicu Tudorache, a villager with one arm was shown with a sex toy on his stump--he didn't even know what the fucking thing was-- and now the world is laughing at him.

The Daily Mail showed the film's trailer and "many were on the brink of tears as they saw how they were portrayed."

Its one thing to dupe rich celebrities like Donald Trump--but mocking poor villagers, then throwing them 3 pounds a day from your Mercedes--that's not cool at all.

Verrazano Bridge, NYC

Verrazano Bridge, NYC, originally uploaded by Bongo Cachanga.

I've changed from blogger to "blogger beta " which is supposed to be better. I had to change my flickr settings once this was done. Lets see if this photo posts successfully.

Once in awhile, flying back to JFK or LaGuardia, I get a view of the bridge like this. Of course, Bay Ridge is on the top of the photo, left of the Verrazano Bridge. The spot of green past the Brooklyn tower of the bridge consists of Dyker Golf Course, Poly Prep Academy ( high school ) and, near the Belt Parkway, Fort Hamilton Army Base.

When I joined the Navy, I reported for duty at Fort Hamilton. We hung out in a waiting room most of the day, then they gave us tickets for an Amtrak train to Chicago. After a long overnight ride, we arrived at Chicago's Union Station. Chicago in January was the coldest place I have ever been.

Remembrance Day

(Photo by torontofotobug on flickr, from a poster she made for the Toronto Police Mounted Unit for Remembrance Day.

On November 11, 1918, at 11:11, an armistice was declared in the Great War.

On this anniversary, Britain, Canada, Australia and much of Ireland remember the great fallen as they commemorate Remembrance Day. I was just in London, where many wore paper poppies , evoking the flowers that grow on Flanders' fields, where so many fell.

The US commemorates this day as Veterans Day. But we don't think of the meaning of the day the way our friends overseas do.

Let's remember all of those who have served, and all those who fell. In the war to end all wars, and all the wars we've had since.

Below, the words of The Green Fields of France. The version by the Furey Brothers is unforgettable.

Well how do you do, Private William McBride
Do you mind if I sit here down by your grave side?
A rest for awhile in the warm summer sun,
I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done.
And I see by your gravestone that you were only 19
when you joined the glorious fallen in 1916.
Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean
Or, William McBride, was it slow and obscene?

CHORUS:
Did they beat the drum slowly?
did they sound the pipes lowly?
Did the rifles fire o'er ye as they lowered you down?
Did the bugle sing 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers o' the Forest'?

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?
In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined
And though you died back in 1916
To that loyal heart are you always 19.
Or are you just a stranger without even a name
Forever enclosed behind some glass-pane
In an old photograph torn and tattered and stained
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame?

Well, the sun it shines down on these green fields of France,
The warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance.
The trenches are vanished now under the plough
No gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard it is still No Man's Land
And the countless white crosses in mute witness stand.
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man
And a whole generation that was butchered and downed.

And I can't help but wonder now Willie McBride
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you the cause?
Did you really believe them that this war would end war?
The suffering, the sorrow, some the glory, the shame -
The killing and dying - it was all done in vain.
For Willie McBride, it's all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again.

Did they beat the drum slowly?
did they sound the pipe lowly?
Did the rifles fire o'er ye as they lowered you down?
Did the bugle sing 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers o' the Forest'?


On an August day in 1915 Percy Macnevin, left, Walter Lantz, right, and Waldron VanIderstine, centre, enlisted in the 2nd Siege Battery the first Prince Edward Island unit to fight in the First World War. With a range of ages and occupations, they made an odd trio. Macnevin, at 28, the oldest of the three, worked as a machinist with the railroad. VanIderstine was an assistant accountant with the Bank of Nova Scotia. Lantz, the youngest, was fresh out of Prince Of Wales College and trying his hand at fox farming when the war broke out. Whether they knew each other before that day, they were certainly good friends by the time this photo was taken, shortly before the unit shipped overseas in November 1915. The 2nd Siege fought almost continuously on the Western Front from the summer of 1916 until the last day of the war. By then, only one of the three was still alive. Lantz was killed in action on 12 July, 1916 -- just a few weeks after the Battery went into action. VanIderstine died a year later from a case of pneumonia he contracted in the trenches. Promoted twice and decorated for bravery, Macnevin came home with the Battery in May 1919. He went on after the war to become a Colonel in the militia artillery.

[The photo and text above appeared in Prince Edward Island's "The Guardian" under the title Archive of the Month. I can' t remember exactly when, but it was probably 2001 or 2002]
( From flickr, posted by freelantz

Hello from London

But I won't be here for long. I write this from Gatwick Airport, where in an hour, I will be on my way back to New York.

This has been too short a visit, but that's how business trips are. Other than a pleasant, itself too short visit to Galen,Kerry and the wee fel down in Sevenoaks, its been business the entire time.

People tend to say think that courtesy is a thing of the past here. But I disagree. Twice, saw people get up for pensioners on the Tube. And heard a few more pleases and thank yous than I tend to hear in New York, itself not as impolite as it is often given credit for.

Security line at Gatwick much longer than I've encountered in the States--a good 45 minutes. As is he case in America, lots of people do not clearly understand what liquids can be carried aboard.

"The Black Donnellys" in Bay Ridge

I can't park my car where I normally do tomorrow, because a new NBC TV show ,
The Black Donnellys will be shooting on 68th Street (between Third and Fourth), 69th/Bay Ridge Avenue (between Third and Fifth Avenues) and on the nearby avenues.

The site says "The Black Donnellys follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory".

Apparently, any cars parked in the filming zone will be towed away--but will not be sent to the pound. They'll be re-parked in a free parking spot outside the zone. You can call the City and find out where it is. But where the hell are they going to find available spots in parking-deprived Bay Ridge?

This show will ultimately be in the same time slot held by ER

John Kerry: Botched Joke

john kerry, boston, originally uploaded by foto amazonas.

Always, there was something that seemed inauthentic about John Kerry.

He loved his "band of brothers" but left them in the field, then libeled them in the halls of Congress.

He's the friend of the working man, who became a man of wealth and patrician airs the old-fashioned way- he married a dead millionaire's widow.

Now, after leading the Democratic Party to defeat in the 2004 Presidential Election, he may have just derailed the Democrats' victory train in the 2006 House/Senate elections. Until days ago, it seemed as though they might take control of both houses.

A couple of days ago, at a California rally, Kerry said "Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

He claims that he botched a joke about President Bush, but I question this. As Britain's Telegraph says, "Kerry has long had a reputation as a haughty Boston Brahmin, a privileged, elitist, condescending careerist who cannot relate to ordinary Americans."

Could you see him looking down on our troops in Iraq? I could, easily. I think that he looks down on everybody. This was a slip of the lip, that revealed a bit of the man's soul. And he isn't the only Democrat to look down on the military and on the men and women who serve in it.

But I look up to John Kerry, at least for now. Because he may have thrown a case full of monkey wrenches into the engine of the Democratic Victory Train. And Howard Dean and the rest are hardly the ones to fix it.

This could be a very interesting Election Day. See you at the polls.