NYC Gov to make cuts pensions, etc.? by Suzannah B. Troy

David Seifman of The New York Post has a piece today in The New York Post, "City Scrambles to Cut Pension Bloat".  Here is my comment.

• Suzannah B. Troy
  07/13/2010 5:49 AM
  Want to reign in the run away budget. Cut all the campaign staff king Mike hired all with 6 figure salaries estimated to cost tax payers 2 mill by The NY Post. Make Bloomberg pay back the city. Can we get any money back on CityTime which is up for renewal this Sept. and is the tax payer's Titanic? The estimated billion it will cost so far to deliver a flawed system that doesn't work except for hiring hundreds of consultants paid close to half a million to one mill is not worthy the Orwellian time clock that was suppose to save tax payers money not rob them blind. Make Christine Quinn and staff using top White Collar crime lawyers like Sullivan & Cromwell that Goldman Sachs uses pay for their own TOP lawyers and reimburse the city. Why do they need top lawyers that specialize in white collar crime anyway and can this spending be put on NYC gov website and be an App on the iPhone and IPad? Why doesn't The NY Post give us a page on suggestions as well as ways to expose NYC gov and Albanys waste and theft so we can see it on one big page with a link to running ticker banner of waste on your front page we could add to our blogs?
  
  
  Watch my YouTube on CityTime and go to the link in the text portion.
  
  
  For more on Dave Paterson's latest scandal read the editorial in The New York Post.
  
  
  I posted this comment.
  Please read Brendan Scott's excellent piece "Dave pushing plan to feed lawyers' greed" to learn more about this how the accidental gov his helping the law firm that employees his father Basil. The article is a must read and just another reminder New York's threshold for corruption is higher than our tallest sky scrapers. Impeach the accidental gov since he lacked the honor and decency to resign when he was exposed for alleged intimidation in of course the most gentle of ways to silence the victim of his dear friend and staff member accused of roughing her up.
  
  
  
  
  

St. Vincent's Omnibus Committee July 15 Yetta Kurland

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you will join me on Thursday July 15th for the next St. Vincent's Omnibus Committee Meeting which will take place at 6:30pm at PS 41 located at 116 West 11th Street.

Last month we tried without much success to engage the Committee in a discussion on how we could get a hospital at the St. Vincent's site. While we were unsuccessful in having at that discussion last month, the Chair Brad Hoylman assured us that he would be willing to have that discussion with us in the future.  It is our hopes that this will happen this Thursday.

Please tell your friends and join me.  The St. Vincent's Omnibus Committee is part of Community Board 2 which oversees the St. Vincent's site.  The Community Board could be incredibly influential if it chose to take a stance on this issue as it has great power in the land use process which is central to the fate of the hospital.

Please pass this around, tell your friends, and let's make sure to show up and let people know we are not going away and we deserve a hospital on the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

Also, save the date, the full Community Board 2 meeting is set for Thursday July 22nd and it is even more important to attend this meeting.

I will keep you all posted.

Best,
Yetta

Bob Sheppard dies & Margarita Fuentes survives by Suzannah B. Troy

Bob Sheppard the voice of Yankee Stadium has died at age 99.   I could never write about him the way a professional sports writer could so here is Bill Madden from The New York Daily News.

Also hard to conceive but here in NYC creepos - that is my term for creeps, mug Grannies and I wish there was a special punishment for people that hurt our most vulnerable New Yorkers.

Margarita Fuentes is 87 years old and she was out walking at 161 Street to get some rice and beans according to The New York Daily News when she was attacked my a monster.  He ripped her crucifix off and punched her in the eye.   The article in The New York Daily News is worth reading so check it out.  A very sweet photo of this little Great Grandmother and a true survivor.   Thank goodness she did not break any bones!


The police have apprehended the alleged cowardly thief attacker and believe it or not Margarita Fuentes feels sorry for his family!  Not for him but for the family.   She has many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She feels better knowing he has been arrested.

There have been too many attacks on seniors in NYC.  Very upsetting.

On a very cheerful note:  I hear a lot of joyful screams and they are New Yorkers celebrating Spain's victory over the Netherlands.   Spain wins the World Cup and New Yorkers are screaming with joy.

Happy to share the sounds of people  screaming and they are expressing joy!

Campaign Watch dogs democracy abused by Suzannah B. Troy

I will send this to State Attorney General Cuomo's office like I forward other concerns.  Do you think I contact the FBI as well?  Read my piece on how "two Johns" helped flush democracy down the toilet along with Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn's the candidates they endorsed.  John Sexton is paid 1.8 million dollars to be president of NYU and that doesn't include his real estate digs here in NYC supplied by NYU and John Sutter is the mysterious owner of The Villagers and a bunch of papers he gives away for free.

I video taped NYU and The Villager the hosts of the campaign debates between Christine Quinn and Yetta Kurland and a third opponent Derr -- turn away NY1 and other press as well as seniors and a senior in a wheelchair although after way too long of a fight they finally let the gentleman in the wheel chair in.  Other activists filmed the suspicous and disturbing events as well.  Go to YouTube Search engine and type in NYU The Villager.   NYU and The Villager wanted to make sure Christine Quinn and Mike Bloomberg got their third term.  John Sexton even ran down to testify Bloomberg must have his third term and we all know why -- for real estate grabs that Bill Thompson would not sanction.  They weren't alone but than they should not be hosting debates with someone they endorse and lucky for me I caught them turning away seniors that stood on line.

I interview Norman Siegel who was there with me he said something to the effect these people should be praised for turning up to participate in democracy not turned away.

If there is not enough room to accommodate the people and NYU has more than enough room than let the debates be held in Central Park with jumbo screens but make sure that the people are included and not excluded especially ones that the people hosting are attempting to turn away because they don't want their candidate.  By the way, can John Sexton even vote here in NYC?  A lot of rich people including Matt Damon can't even vote in NY because they don't want to pay NY taxes but endorsed Bloomberg.

Right now there are citizens working to put term limits back and make sure that city council can never vote themselves a third term.  Think about that and the shady dealings including back room deals with Mike Bloomberg Christine Quinn and gang to make sure Mike Bloomberg got his third term.

Water Main Break by Union Square by Suzannah B. Troy

Water main break right by NYU mega dorms!!!!!

I was published before the tear down of St. Ann's, 120 East 12th Street in AM NY "Destroying Old New York" warning about infrastructure concerns and city wide concern for the safety of New Yorkers.

I got great photos but I lost them -- complicated story involving getting new equipment.

I had attended the City Council Task Force meeting on DOB at the basement of  NYU Palladium which Christine Quinn was too busy to attend.  There had been many deaths but way more were to come.  I sent every city council member except one that attended and Betsy Gotbaum, Public Advocate at the time my concern's for the safety of NY re: this way too rapid development and infrastructure concerns.  Betsy Gotbaum opened up a case file re: St. Ann's and now a pipe has broken 2 blocks away.

I found a copy of the letter I sent to Betsy Gotbaum and City Council Task Force on DOB  -- dated Dec. 4, 2006 and I wrote next to a xerox of a letter of mine published in The New York Sun, "City Set To Present Plan for Lower East Side".

I will send a copy of this blog posting to Bill De Blasio, Betsy Gotbaum's replacement, Public Advocate for New  York City.

Than William Yardly came out with a piece in the National section of the NY Times on infrastructure concerns in an article pointing out that an infrastructure break could resemble terror attacks.
My letter came out a month or so before Yardley's piece and both before the steam pipe explosion that looked like a terror attack by Grand Central.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-x9xCEUR3w
Search YouTube Suzannah Troy infrastructure...


I had predicted pipes around all these mega dorms and supersizing all by the Bloomberg-Burden reckless push of way too rapid development and I continued to be proved right.

http://www.ny1.com/?SecID=1000&ArID=69978
I am interviewed by NY1 the very last person to speak in the footage and that break -- the intersection keeps opening like an infected wound and I believe Cooper Union studio construction caused the break.
It was reckless to give so many green lights to zone busters on old NY's infrastructure.


I am down in Soho waiting to see if I can get a video footage of Capt. Winski harassing Vets legally working with vendors licenses but I will get up to Union Square to take photos later today

Just emailed Public Advocate:

Way back when I contacted Betsy Gotbaum about infrastructure concerns for NYC and gave her a specific example, NYU's tear down of St. Ann's 120 East 12th St.  http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2010/07/water-main-break-east-15th-st-union.htmlToday there was a water main break 2 blocks up from NYU's newest mega dorm and on going zone busting, weighing heavy on old NY's infrastructure with a record no. of zone busters approved by Amanda the people's Burden.  I have to search for Betsy Gotbaum's response -- she opened up a case file and todays' water main break needs to go in it if you can find it.
There have been a record number of infrastructure breaks since Mike Bloomberg pushed a reckless tsunami of development and you can get the figures for infrastructure related problems and expansion coming way too late in the game.   I continue to fear for the peoples' safety.

From 1010 WINS:
MANHATTAN WATER MAIN BURST HAS THE FOLLOWING AREAS CLOSED: NORTHBOUND UNION SQ. EAST BETWEEN 14TH & 16TH STS., AND 4TH AVE. TRAFFIC IS DIVERTED ONTO 14TH ST..

NY Daily News Christine Quinn expose by Suzannah B. Troy

The New York Daily News editorial section has a scathing piece exposing Christine Quinn finding any way possible to grab power, abuse power and the piece exposes a list of shameful City Council Members who claim they are against "lulus" -- extra pay but  take the money anyway.  Lulus like slush money  is not kosher and leaves a lot of room for abuse of power.

Christine Quinn belongs in jail for aiding and abetting Mike Bloomberg in denying us a referendum and pushing through a 3rd term.  Read Benjamin Lesser's powerful piece on her and other city council members getting what sounds like kick backs for tax payer money they allotted to shady developers. 

Read the last 2 paragraphs which expose corrupt Christine Quinn.  How much money has she and her staff burned through - tax payer money hiring top defense lawyers that specialize in White Collar Crime including Sullivan & Cromwell, same firms as Goldman Sachs hired. I called John Liu's office and asked him to please put the costs on NYC gov website or his comptroller website and asked if we can have an APP for our Iphones on NYC gov "spending" or I prefer another term re: tax payer money.

The powerful editorial by The New York Daily News also points out the fake hypocrites -- all talk saying the right thing but  their actions prove they are full of -- insincerity.  

From The New York Daily News article:

"Ten members told Citizens Union they support an end to lulus but took the money anyhow. They are Fernando Cabrera, Margaret Chin, Daniel Dromm, Julissa Ferreras, Helen Foster, Sara Gonzalez, Karen Koslowitz, Darlene Mealy, Rosie Mendez and Diana Reyna. They are hypocrites."

 I went to the Jane Jacobs Street Signing where I caught the corrupt Christine Quinn passing herself off as Jane Jacobs and I protested her corrupt dealings.  It was almost one year ago and I was about to turn 47 and I was wearing a recession bikini top.   f you go to the YouTube link of me protesting Quinn in the text portion you can find a series of articles I posted that expose Christine Quinn's corrupt dealings.  There are so many I probably don't have Jim Dwyer's piece and The Village Voice's expose.

Now I am about to turn 48 years old and NY may be heading in to a depression as the clowns of Albany have refused to get the budget gap closed.  The budget was suppose to be balanced April 1st of this year and again we are moving towards a government shut down.

I wish we could throw all these politicos in jail and as New York sinks further in to a an economic crisis that many rich won't feel the same is true for corrupt politicians who find every possible way to give themselves money for all their hard work.

From Albany to City Hall for politicos, denial is the new crack cocaine.

The New York Post sex deficit boys club by Suzannah B. Troy

• Below is the link to the article on a possible Russian spy swap and read on about The New York Post's reporting of the news....  Last time I checked the world's population was over 6,800,000,000 and sex was involved.  I can't believe we are in the 21st Century and Mae West seems like she came from the future. (Note:  I have had 9 letters published in The New York Times pre-Bill Keller and I had to call the publisher's office yesterday to point out half of them had gone missing.  One that is still up is on Mae West.  It is very powerful and I get to make a double entrendre that Mae West would have approved us. )  As I recall, in John Bergers, "Ways of Seeing" he points out men stood in front of naked portraits to feel power over women. I realized Playboy was the poor man's way of doing the same.  Hate is another way of taking feelings of  powerlessness and giving oneself a false sense of power.  Perfect example is Mel Gibson who seems to hate every minority possible.
•  Why are people still so hung up on sex, objectifying women to feel power?  For under achievers my work often talks about that but some viewers can't do the math.

For those who only see this article on line you should know the editors of this paper felt it necessary to put a topless photo of her on the front page. Besides objectifying, trivializing, sexism, etc. it is clear these guys have a huge problem with women and a massive nookie deficit bigger than Albany's budget deficit. I guess they can only wish to have sexual experiences like hers. If only the paper took an interest in the mass displacement of New Yorkers like Columbia University blatantly lying claiming Manhattanville is blighted so they could mass evict the entire area to expand. NYU and Cooper Union don't even need to abuse eminent domain to push through their destructive and shady real estate deals all under the shelter of "higher ed" rather than the truth higher greed. The Nets development mass displacement, eminent domain and the biggest share sold to a Russian billionaire. Why would the Russians need to spy. Ditto with China that owns a huge part of America's debt. The NYPost only investigated less than 1 percent of Mike Bloomberg' campaign spending and I am confident there are more campaign irregularities but I guess to get the NY Post to report any news women have to go topless. The NYPost has treated reporting the news in this case exactly like Howard Stern and some how I don't think his young 2nd wife would have given him the time of day minus his fortune like his 1st. Being misogynist is a lonely business.

What is it about that fine line between love and hate?  Well for one thing there is fear, feelings of powerlessness and also anxiety and when it comes to misogynist club members attempting to control women is a lot easier than confronting one's own demons.


What does one have to do to get newspapers to report the news?  Apparently nudism, a shocking spectacle or perhaps a revolution.  

3 alarm fire East Village Houston Street by Suzannah B. Troy

I don't have a link yet to info re: fire.  Okay, I just found video footage on New York 1.  Actually this footage is from another 3 alarm fire today on 14th Street in the East Village.  Here a photo from the 3 alarm on Houston.

Just heart breaking and I hope everyone is safe especially fighting fire in this heat.

A lot of firemen died Sept. 11 from the houses in the area and pre-Sept. 11 Capt. Drennan and his guys died.  I remember all the flowers outside the firehouse and I joined in putting flowers out -- this was pre-9-11 and I left them for Bobby Beddia & Joseph Graffagino



Just saw footage on Channel 5 news and again I hope everyone is safe --- big NYPD turn out, one ambulance in the area ---

it is right next door to the hideous ugly "Red Square" built by developer Mike Red Square Rosen and they showed the Lenin statue on the roof--- a rich man, Mike Red Square Rosen's toy -- he kids himself that Lenin is waving at Wall Street but many of us think Lenin should be moved to his luxury duplex or triplex ---that the statue symbols what a big phony and hypocrite Rosen is.  Rosen considers himself a zoning expert and he has quite the views from the Christadora is a symbol of gentrification and The Red Square looks like a pro-type for all the mega dorms that have destroyed the East Village.  NY Law dorm on 3rd Street even has balaconies like Red Square.  Mike Red Square Rosen is a mini-Mike Bloomberg wannabe.

My maternal Grandfather was born down the street on Ludlow Street in a tenement house in to poverty.  It was the early 1900s and you could smell the poverty on the street.

Re-open our firehouses the mayor closed after 9-11.

Mel Gibson admits hitting ex-girlfriend by Suzannah B. Troy

Mel Gibson, low life, anti-semite, racist, misogynist admits to hitting ex-girlfriend and when she was holding the baby.  She caught the conversation on tape and he says as all men-hating abusers do that it was her fault and that she deserved it.

Misogyny 101: Cowardly men and their female supporters always blame the people they victimize.


Mel Gibson besides being Hollywoods most famous anti-semite, racist, misogynist is now my official choice for the head of the Hollywood Misogynist Club and that club is a big, big club.

He has been exposed for making racist comments against Hispanics as well.

Folks do you think this is the first time that Mel Gibson has hit a woman?  I agree.  I do not think any of this awful behavior is a first for Mel Gibson and while the victim is holding their child.  TMZ reports that his ex-said it was not the first time he hit her but I believe the behavior started a long time ago.

Mel Gibson made an anti-semitic film blaming the Jews for the murder of Christ which is not true and he refused to acknowledge that an estimated quarter of a million Jews were murdered via crucification  by the Romans.  Mel Gibson is rotten to the core and he needs scapegoats to off-load his own very dark side and who is easier to scapegoat than minorities including Jews, African Americans, Women, anyone he can get away with dumping is own violent and extremely cowardly impulses on.

More on this later.

Amanda the peoples' Burden by Suzannah B. Troy

Amanda Burden is a socialite, mega millionaire with a forty million dollar trust fund for her kids and mayor Mike Bloomberg's partner in the mass displacement of what may be a record by a mayor.  Amanda the peoples' Burden is city planner and the way she helps her rich developer friends it is clear this job is a hobby.

Denial is the new crack cocaine for corrupt politicos here in New York from Albany to City hall.  One example is Amanda the peoples' Burden is going to speak at The American Indian Museum this morning. Let us rewind.  She pushed through mass displacement of entire neighborhoods, shady zone busting deals including one with Cooper Union that even Rudy Giuliani's city planner said no, this is a shell game and she is going to pat herself on the back at The American Indian Museum?

Joining her this morning is Howard Wolfson, originally a critic of Mike Bloomberg's until Mike bought him to run his campaign and deliver the most humiliating and expensive win in NYC's history.

Mike Bloomberg than decided he would hire a group of his campaign staff with 6 figure salaries at the tax payers expensive when these vanity hires should not have happened or if Mike needed their presence so badly he should have paid out of pocket.

Denial is the new crack cocaine for politicos from Albany to NY.

I think Errol Louis wrote  piece about corruption here in NYC politics being like the United Nations in term of the diversity.

Errol Louis  has a piece today on Andrew Cuomo investigating what sounds like racism -- housing bias against blacks.

There is so much corruption being reported in both The NY Daily News  and The New York Post today here are just a few examples and one from me.  A request that the FBI investigate all 110 million dollars Mike Bloomberg spent on his campaign rather than Cy Vance, the Manhattan DA investigate just one million that Haggerty allegedly stole and by the way Mike Bloomberg wired out of his personal account instead of his campaign.  You see I believe that someone has been paid to harass me and others on YouTube by the Bloomberg campaign.  It may have started out with an intern but this guy has harassed me and others non-stop and even stole a city council member's identity as well as stealing YouTubers' identities as well.  Harassing someone on the computer is aggravated harassment and carries jail time.


The NY Daily News reports the FBI is investigating 40,000 loans to Meeks.

Fred Dicker has an exclusive on John Sampson and his $49,000 "Bruno-mobile".

NY1 reports a possible move to prevent city council from extending term limits yet again.

A new website on pension padding and folks I haven't even covered much....there is so much more corruption...so much it makes it even easier to get away with....

Oh and Steve Rattner, Mike Bloomberg's money manager may be banned by the SEC for 3 years 

By the way a special thanks to Queens Crap and NO Third Term for picking up my YouTube....

Here is one of my most favorite YouTube of tenants protesting the embattled Pedro Espada who by the way is being investigated for stealing mega millions.

Carlos Boozer to Chicago Bulls cloud LeBron James to Knicks leaks

Carlos Boozer

The Chicago Bulls, who looked all but out of the running for LeBron James, have just improved their stock in the arms race to land The Chosen One. While Phoenix Suns Forward Jared Dudley's Twitter tweet sends James to the New York Knicks, much of that idea was supported by the fact that the Knicks got Amare Stoudemire for $100 million over five years.

Moreover, Amare was told the Knicks would work to add the one player he wanted to be with, LeBron James, if he joined the Knicks. He did.

But that was before Carlos Boozer joined the Chicago Bulls for $80 million Wednesday. And the fact the Cleveland Cavaliers let the now-ex Utah Jazz star get away means they're not as into the arms race for their own player as one would think.

Now, it's the Bulls, who reportedly still have enough cap space to sign James, who have the star power. Boozer teams with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to provide a forward-point guard-center combination that's formidable. Adding James could produce the championship stew the Chicago Bulls have been trying to mix since the Michael Jordan years.

Stay tuned. This is fun.

Lubin Bisson on Artist Tony Auletta posted by Suzannah B. Troy

In September 2006, I had the opportunity to visit California for the first time in my life.

I grew up in Toronto; live in Montreal; been going to New York City and Boston for at least 30 years; lived for periods of time in Paris and Quebec City; traveled Europe; worked as a wilderness guide for a year in the Yukon Territory.

But besides New York, New England and Alaska, I had never been anywhere else in the States.

Been to Cuba but never been to California...

On Labour Day weekend, I flew to Chicago, and then to San Francisco.

Meetings were planned in San Francisco, Sausalito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica and Los Angeles, over the course of the week, with partners in the online advertising industry.

I was traveling alone and on a relatively tight schedual.

Depending on the results from my first meetings, I was going to be driving down to San Luis Obispo on the Wednesday afternoon or the Thursday morning.

Business went smooth; I thought it was fun that my hotel was on the corner of Dashiell Hammett Street; and, on the Wednesday morning, I packed up my room, left my suitcase and things with the concierge, and then taxied over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.

One of the morning meetings led to my continuing things in the afternoon and postponing my departure until Thursday morning, as planned if necessary.

The address in Sausalito was right on the waterfront, so instead of taking a taxi back to the city, I ended up on the ferryboat.

Just a wonderful way to come across the bay: seeing Alcatraz up close, sailing ships and freighters, and the incredible view of San Francisco.

When we landed in the port authority, I decided to walk back to the hotel and check out the address where I was supposed to pick up my rental car the next morning.

Across the street from the rental office, in an old converted hotel, was a youth hostel.

I hadn’t reserved anywhere for this last night in San Francisco.

I really did book out of my room, when I left my bags with the concierge, playing it by ear, since, if things went a certain way, I would have got on the road that afternoon.

It seemed it would be kind of an adventure to spend the night at the youth hostel.

I asked the people at the front desk if they had individual rooms.

I was told they were all taken, but that the regular rooms included only two sets of bunk beds, and each room had its own toilets and showers.

When I told them that sounded fine by me, I think they thought I was a bit crazy.

Here I was in a full business suit, neck tied, and I obviously didn’t have a youth hostel membership card.

Ha, ha.

Took care of all that, got my card, paid for my room, and told them I would be back in a less than an hour with my things.

A trolley car up, and a taxi cab back, from my original hotel, and the registration desk people gave me my sheets and my key for the night.

The elevator was broke; lugged my bags up the three flights; put my key in the door and, when I walked in the room, stretched out on the bottom of one of the bunks, I saw this long-haired guy, with his arms folded back and behind his head.

He looked at me sweating in my suit-and-tie and asked:

“What are you doing here?”

I smiled and said facetiously:

“I am following the road of Jack Kerouac.”

Well, he shot out of bed, whipping up to me with his arm held out, started shaking my hand, and goes:

“I can’t believe you said that.

“My name’s Tony.”

Right then-and-there our relationship was sealed.

We started speaking back-and-forth to each other, at about 200-words-a-minute, laying out our life stories, in particular as they related to Jack Kerouac.

Tony was a painter.

He told me about how he knew Gregory Corso, back at the Chelsea Hotel, and on Horatio Street, and all the habits they shared.

I told Tony how I had had the chance to meet up with William S Burroughs, at a bar called ‘The Edge,” and how I recently attempted to work with Burroughs’ spin-doctor from Kansas, concerning a novel one of my friends’ wrote (and right then, I gave him a copy of the book - I had taken to always carrying two copies with me, as I traveled).

Well it turned out Tony knew Burroughs’ spin-doctor from Kansas, from back in the days when they both had worked, at one-time-or-another, at the Gotham Book Mart.

Then we learned that we had crossed paths at the St-Marks Bar & Grill, when Tony was starting to succeed in art, tripping with Harry Smith and Allen Ginsberg, and I was doing that one last trip, before going off to Paris, and meeting Foucault at the library, and Maurice Girodias with the neighbours.

I had even stayed at the old YMCA, across the street from the Chelsea Hotel, when Tony, Harry and Corso all lived there.

(I didn’t have enough money for the Chelsea).

We both had kids.

My son was turning ‘one’ the next week.

Tony’s children had children.

In less than 15 minutes, we knew a whole bunch of stuff.

We even both agreed that this actual old-hotel-now-a-youth-hostel might have been the one-and-the-same hotel where Neal Cassady dropped off Jack and Luanne, after that cross-country trip recounted in ‘On the Road’ and ‘Visions of Cody”.

Ha, ha

So then we decided to walk out to North Beach, Tony knew it well from living here before.

I loved North Beach, since adventuring there a couple of days before.

 

For some unknown reason, I had a packed an Adidas track-suit top with me – something I hadn’t worn since I was in university - in any case, I dressed down, and Tony and I headed out.

He wore what looked like a brakeman’s cap.

Passing through Union Square, detailing our lives as we walked along Montgomery Street, swinging past the TransAmerica Pyramid, crossing the border from the Financial District to North Beach, Tony and I kept each other enthralled with the scope and intensity of our respective endeavours.

It wasn’t one-upmanship…

I think we both had just never met someone like each other.

Ever.

(If you don’t mind my saying so…).

Then before we hit where Montgomery segues out to Columbus Avenue, an Econoline van pulled over to the curb, as we were walking on the sidewalk, and a guy in the passenger seat rolled down his window and waved us over.

He was holding some sort of long-thin book, or a pamphlet, half out the window.

As Tony and I walked over, he asked if we could give him some directions.

He handed me the book.

I had just started wearing eyeglasses to read and, holding the book out at arms-length, tried to see what he had passed to me.

Turning the book over to the cover, I laughed.

Its title was something like:  “The Beats’ Guide to San Francisco.”

Ha, ha.

I said:  “Hey Tony, this is too funny.  They are looking for the apartment where Neal Cassady and Carolyn lived on Russian Hill.”

The girl who was driving asked, as Tony and I broke up laughing:  “What’s so funny?”

When I told her that Tony and I had just met, and that we had spent the last hour sharing our Jack Kerouac stories, and his Gregory Corso and my William Burroughs stories, it was all-too-hilarious to top it off with their Neal Cassady pilgrimage – Ha, ha.

She whipped out a business card, lent across to the passenger’s window, and, as she handed me the card, asked: “Can we interview you?”

Taken aback, I looked at Tony.

The guy in the van said:  “You will have to sign a release.”

Then they explained that they worked for Francis Ford Coppola.

He was producing a feature film from Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and the director, Walter Salles, who directed ''The Motorcycle Diaries," has a documentary about Kerouac in the works, to go along with the feature film.

Laughing, we both said “Sure, why not,” and then the back and side doors of the van burst open.

A guy with a boom microphone, and another with a tripod and a camera, came jumping out onto the sidewalk.

Within seconds, the original guy and girl informed us that they didn't know how Salles would use the footage, but they would like to take turns filming and recording us.

The idea was that while one of us recorded a story about “On the Road,” the novel, and our relationship to it, the other would be filmed for about 10 minutes, in a full body direct shot, not moving, or trying not to, and not smiling, or trying not to, so that the images could later be “voice-over-ed” into the movie.

For the next 45 minutes, we filmed on the street, me telling a story about first reading Kerouac after having already read and met Burroughs.

It was when I lived in the Yukon, and worked at a North Face shop, which served as a sort of headquarters for wilderness guides, when we weren’t on canoe trips or helicopter skiing.

I had Mondays off and used to go to an abandoned cabin, looking out on the water, downriver from Whitehorse.

It was an enchanting spot, on the trail to the flats where the first nations lived, and I used to spend the day reading, while waiting for Indians to come and trade me mason jars of porcupine quills for bungee cords, or pieces of fur for strips of Velcro.

That’s where I first read “On the Road.”

Kerouac was telling the same stories that I had read about in Burroughs.

It was an amazing literary feat, from my perspective, and I was more than inspired.

I started to dream of heading south, when my time would finally come to leave the Yukon, and hitchhiking a big ‘U Turn,’ heading down to Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, L.A, and San Diego, then making my way across to New Orleans and Jacksonville, before heading back north to NYC and Boston, and then returning to Montreal.

Later, when I finally did start that trip, heading south from the Yukon, I made a left turn at Vancouver and never did make it to California…

Until this trip, 25 years later, where I meet Tony the Artist and get the chance to be interviewed for an eventual film celebrating Jack Kerouac.

Ha, ha.

Tony told them about a party in the Lower East Side where a group of them were reading aloud sections of “On the Road,” and it ended up becoming an orgy.

Ha, ha.

We were all excited when everything was over, and the girl and guy and their crew packed up, telling us they were going to the airport and flying to Santa Monica.

With the business card contact details, they told us we could always follow up, and we all said good bye, hugging and laughing and feeling so fine, like there was something incredible we had just accomplished.

When only Tony and I were left, we crossed over to Columbus Avenue.

I kept telling Tony there was something familiar about the name of the company on the business card.

We continued laughing and saying this was quite wonderful and totally fit with how we both lived, and, somehow, our “Jack Kerouac connection.”

Farther up Columbus, we could see Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore.

Then we walked up beside the green ”triangle building,” that looked so good juxtapositioned against the TransAmerica Pyramid, when I had been visiting North Beach a couple of days before.

“Look at that Tony,” I said.

On the black awnings for the restaurant on the ground floor of the fantastic green ”triangle building” was written “Zoetrope.”

At the very “point” of the triangle, there was a long red plaque announcing that this was the historic ‘Sentinel Building,’ home of Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope.

An uncle Coppola ran the restaurant.

We asked a black girl passing by to take our picture, with Tony and me standing on either side of the plaque, and holding out the business card.

This day started our relationship.

We had supper, bought pastries in an Italian bakery, eventually made out way back to the youth hostel, spoke into the night, said our farewells when I took off the next morning, my suit back on, with plans to lunch in Big Sur.

There are 45 months more of stories that Tony and I would share.

Some of them as intense as this first day we met.

Tony passed away last Friday or Saturday, we're not sure.

His caretaker found him Monday morning, and he had already passed for some time the police said.

In August, Walter Salles will start directing the film version of “On the Road.”

He has the guy from the Joy Division movie, and the girl from the Twilight films, who also played the Runaway, starring, and shooting starts here in Montreal, if you can believe it, before moving on to New Orleans and Mexico.

I can’t wait to see the documentary.

http://sites.google.com/site/bisson/tonyauletta09_2006

http://sites.google.com/site/bisson/californiahereicome

Jared Dudley on Twitter: LeBron James to NY Knicks

LeBron James 

Phoenix Suns Forward Jared Dudley got on Twitter to announce that LeBron James would elect to go to the NY Knicks! That's right. The Chosen One, called "King James" by some and "Queen James" by others is reportedly set to become a New York Knicks player. Here's Jared Dudley on Twitter:

Breaking News!!! My sources tell me Lebron will announce that he will be goin to the NY KNICKS tomorrow on ESPN.. This is serious.. WOW!!!!
about 4 hours ago via Echofon

Then Jared followed that up with this tweet:

That's what I'm hearing.. I don't care where he goes lol.. I personally thought he would stay in Cleveland..
about 4 hours ago via Echofon

That LeBron would pick the Knicks over his current team the Cleveland Cavaliers comes as no surprise since the NY Knicks added Amare Stoudemire Monday. Stoudemire, who signed a five-year, $100 million deal, is a now-former teammate with Jared Dudley and may have been his source for the LeBron to New York news.

But the Knicks having Amare Stoudemire would seem to cancel the need for LeBron. Indeed, according to ESPN, James' representatives were seeking "clarity" on what the Knicks intended to do just before they signed Amare. Last Thursday, the Knicks told LeBron James he could pick the big man he wanted to team with should he come to New York; one of those players was LeBron James.

Whatever the case, LeBron James will make an announcement Thursday.  Stay tuned.

5 Alarm fire & hot issues NYC by Suzannah B. Troy

First there was another big fire and today it was a 5 alarm fire in Queens and 17 people were injured.

Here is a link to 1010 Wins for more information.   The heat wave has made everything far more difficult from fighting fires to just about everything.  It has not been verified yet but NYC may have it's first heat related death.




I saw Con Ed workers working hard all over the place and I have nothing against Con Ed workers but again I want to make it clear in my opinion the mayor, Mike Bloomberg pushed a reckless tsunami of development and not only could Con Ed not keep up with it but the people of New York are paying hire bills for infrastructure expansion.

I also came across the Commander of the 1st Precinct, Capt. Winski giving tickets to two Viet Nam Vets, one who served front line tickets because the rotten Mercer Hotel called the NYPD to harass Viet Nam Vendors to make them move.  For more on that go to my blog for my coverage on this including photographs.



Note:  The NYPD needs your help to catch the attacker of a woman he brutally beat and stole her ipod.

6am a 19 year old jogger Riverside Park  Please contact Crime Stoppers  1-800-577-TIPS

The New York Post just put up a photo of the victim and not only she is beautiful but she looks so slight it is hard to imagine how she could have been brutalized but I heard on TV it is bad including blood on her brain and her face has fractures.


Also please note LeBron James makes his decision tomorrow, prime time to announce where he is going.  He was photographed today wearing a Yankee baseball cap.

NYC Finance, Homelessness, Heatwave, Sexploitation by Suzannah B. Troy

I am suppose to get a bill telling me how much to pay by the beginning of July.  In June I saw all my neighbors got their bills so I called up the Dept. of Finance and figured out how much I owed and mailed them a check.

How creepy, fishy, weird, corrupt?, inept, or dysfunctional is that?

I gave up on getting any answers after hanging on the phone with NYC Finance for over 20 minutes but when I called 311 I got a wonderful dynamic woman who did find out my bill was mailed.  I never got it so did someone steal my mail or was it ever delivered?  I don't know but it is creepy.

I paid my bill on time because I saw my neighbors got their bills and called up and got the info.  Creepy.

I have communicated with NYC Finance and they insist they mailed it and they can't control the USPS.

Speaking of which the USPS who's customer service makes the Mafia look warm and friendly is going to raise the price of stamps by 2 cents.  Read more on the USPS's corrupt dealings on my central blog.

1010 Wins reports NYC beat a high temp record set of 101 in 1999.  At 102 degrees.  To find a cooling center go to 1010 WINS.

Also brave FDNY battling a fire in Queens and the heat have left 13 injured according to 1010 WINS.

Homelessness, can you imagine being homeless, mentally ill and or an addict unwilling to get help so you won't take shelter and resources offered in this punishing heat.

Sad stuff.  If mentally ill or an addict or both and unwilling to go to rehab or take shelter these people become ghosts on the street although many smell so badly they can't be ignored and they end up the NYPD's problem which should not be the case.  There are no easy answers.


The New York Post will not stop their sexploitation of Anna Chapman.  It is so sick and misogynist.  Who cares that she alleged had an eye on some rich guys that are royalty in England.  So do many gold digger and The NY Post won't touch some people here in NYC that target very rich men -- men old enough to be certain women's grandfather's but the "boys" at The NY Post are obsessed with Anna Chapman alleged spy but the target of the editors trying to use her sexuality to sell their papers and it is not working.  I don't think anyone is as interested in her as the guys in charge at The New York Post.

Stay cool.