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The Cruelty of the Bonsai
By Michael Boyajian
My wife Jeri and I were at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden many years ago with friends who introduced us to a woman who appeared to be a matriarch of sorts to the gardens. She inquired of all those present if whether we agreed that the practice of Bonsai upon trees was a form of cruelty.
I Lazio
By Michael Boyajian
Azi Paybrah said recently that he was going to be interviewed about the Republican nominee for governor, Rick Lazio, but that he had no idea what to say about Lazio. That is just the problem when you think about it, what can you say about Lazio.
Big Trouble in Little Fishkill: The Ramifications of a Financial Meltdown
By Michael Boyajian
Most residents of the scenic Hudson Valley Town of Fishkill vote Republican without a second thought taking great pride in the fact that their Republican Town Supervisor Joan Pagones organized some local Teaparty events last year.
Waxing Nostalgic
By Michael Boyajian
Sometimes I am old fashioned. I yearn for instance for retro stereo equipment that when you press the power button lights flicker on and power surges through the receiver and thumps the speakers to life. Now I know things are always better now than before. I mean how could we live without the internet and email that works to bring the whole world together.
New York Photographer Back To Haiti
By Michael Boyajian
Upon his arrival this week in Haiti New York photographer Kevin C. Downs was greeted by the surreal spectacle of Spike Lee and his film crew in the Port Of Prince airport. Things had certainly changed from when Downs had first been to Haiti soon after the quake had hit that beleaguered country when the people were in total despair and everything was in ruins.
Time to Clean House, the White House that Is
By Michael Boyajian
Frank Rich in Sunday’s New York Times questions President Obama’s late delivery of his public face on major issues not his actual intent to do good. Hence the tardiness to appear engaged with the BP spill whereas a series of press conferences early on would have given the president the appearance of being on top of the crisis.
A World with a Heart of Gold
By Michael Boyajian
When I was a teenager in the 1970s on Long Island my friends and I would spend our days on the south shore beaches body surfing. Then at night we would head up to the rocky north shore beaches to hang out with Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town playing in our ears.
Germany as European Union Catalyst
By Michael Boyajian
Talk in the New York Times has it that Germany is shaking its cage within the European Union. To offset the German economic behemoth a balance must be reached by bringing Russia into the E.U. Yes, it’s time to start talking about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
Letter Writing the Road to Peace
By Michael Boyajian
When I was a little boy I signed up with an organization that brought together people as pen pals. This was before email and people as pen pals would exchange letters via snail mail.
I was all excited as I checked my mailbox every day awaiting a letter from my new pen pal who at that point was unknown to me. Then one day a letter arrived from a distant land. It was from a Turkish girl and she enclosed a photo of herself in a swim suit.
Climate Change Trauma
By Michael Boyajian
The New York Times recently reported that Britons are now more likely not to believe in climate change. This is a complete reversal from just a few years ago.
Why the turnaround even in the face of evidence of climate change like the melting poles and drowning polar bears? Perhaps the task of turning around this global catastrophe has become so daunting that like a patient with terminal cancer Britons have become resigned to the fact that stopping climate change is impossible and therefore all you can do is hope for the best.