While Crazy Carl & his merry men complain that their wacky statements have prevented voters from focusing on Carl’s platform, Crains Insider has done that on two of Carl’s plans.
Category: News and Opinion
The Gateway (A Blogger of Legendary Prowess Edition)
|From the archives of The Best of Gatemouth, an oldie about being betrayed by one you love.
This piece's anger is tempered by a bit of sentiment.
I will never again be so naive. Blowing the Chauffeur: The Mournful Sound You Hear Is Not Tekiyah Gedolah; It's Kaddish (Taps For Al www.r8ny.com
How to shut down the slick Albany money scam. Dan Donovan has a damn good idea.
|For years, one of the biggest scams in the State of New York has been a shell game where some elected officials “direct” taxpayer money to an organization. The practice falls under the categories of so-called “pork,” “member items,” and “bringing home the bacon.” The money is supposed to be for a worthy cause but then ultimately in some of these cases we find out the money is lining the pockets of an elected official. Privately, some of them even brag of their elaborate plans.
The Gateway (A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bushwick Edition) [Revised-item added]
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The Post endorses the State's complete freeze of funding for Ridgewood-Bushwick and chastises the Mayor for his freeze only on new contracts. Forgetting for a moment the mayor's complicity in much of this mess, Bloomie's position still makes sense. As he's pointed out recently, he's accountable for day to day service delivery and here people's lives are really impacted.
It would be one thing to close some Senior Centers (though some would surely be left without lunch) quite another to shut down a home attendant program without first ensuring continuity of service. Good, Bad or Ugly (and probably a bit of all three), the services provided by Ridgewood-Bushwick include some in the life or death range, and we should not be cavalier in calling for immediate action without first gauging its possible impact. Neutering Vito – NYPOST.com www.nypost.com
Multi Faith Learning Centers to Advance Civilization
|Multi Faith Learning Centers to Advance Civilization
By Michael Boyajian
A recent PBS special documented that Muslims, Christians and Jews working together in peace and scholarship were able to lay the seeds of the European Renaissance through the advancement and rediscovery of knowledge in Spain.
The Gateway (Favor for Fidler Edition)
|I long been a basher of the Board of Elections, but I’m not sure how much to blame them for what was bound to be a bad day under the best of circumstances; and frankly, the best of circumstances were unlikely to be present under a system dependent on, among others, 80 year old inspectors who work twice and year and cops and school janitors who couldn’t give a rat’s ass. So forums like this one are welcome; especially since it gives the Board of Elections a chance the novel experience of answering questions from folks armed with neither an agenda, nor a subpoena:
District Leader Lew Fidler
You Don’t Need To Be A Weatherman To Know There Was No Monsoon In Crazy Land
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At first glance, it can be hard for a sensible person to decide who is telling the truth in the dispute between the Paladino campaign & the New York Post about whether or not the Post took pictures of Crazy Carl’s 10 year old daughter. But if we look at just one easy to check previous statement by the campaign, we might be able to judge their credibility on more difficult cases.
Facing Change Documenting America
|Facing Change Documenting America
By Michael Boyajian
It is an old biblical saying that says blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Well a modern play on this might be that blessed are the photographers for they may save the planet. Ten superstar photographers, representing the likes of the New York Times, national magazines and Pulitzer Prize ranks, have joined together to form an organization that picks up where FDR’s Farm Security Administration or FSA left off documenting America with their cameras as a nonprofit group called Facing Change as a means to improving the lives of the country’s forgotten populations.
Paladino and Justification of Party
|Paladino and Justification of Party
By Michael Boyajian
One of the original rationales for political parties was that they would serve to screen out undesirable candidates putting forward the best and brightest of their ranks for the coming election. This axiom no longer seems to apply to the Republican Party and nowhere is it more apparent than in New York where Republican Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino has seemingly threatened the life of Albany super reporter, Fred Dicker of the New York Post. Though some would argue that Paladino’s threat, “I am going to take you out,” was not a death threat it must be recalled that John Gotti went to prison for saying nothing less than that.
I Sing The Body Electric
|I Sing The Body Electric
By Michael Boyajian
I sing a song for humanity and take great solace in places where a multitude of languages can be heard as you walk far away streets. I embrace the Turk so that Jew and Arab can embrace themselves as well. I reach for new highs of belief when I see a majority in favor of same sex marriage yet feel low when the same majority projects anger at Muslims. I have been to the Alhambra a Moorish palace of vast beauty, a world heritage site and know that no work of art like this could be built out of hate.