This is the most important lesson to be learned. That it is possible to say things that are true, and that anybody can say them. Truth has its contexts, and it has its nuances, and neither the world of politics and business-the macro world-nor the even larger and more finely nuanced world of personal life-the micro world-can be helped by anything but a fire to accomplish something good.

The problem with saying something like that is that you, the reader, and myself, the writer, both immediately question ourselves, saying "Is that naïve? Do I have any fire to accomplish something good?"

You create effects of quality in all moments of your life. You experience the world-its breakups, its defeats, its sunrises and snowfalls-as good and bad. This simple acknowledgment, of the universality of complicated experience, signifies in any of us willing to step forward a fire to accomplish good.

Maayan told me about seeking "balance" in the visual design of her magazine. Visual balance pervades her existence; she carries it home with her, injects it into those simple tasks like organizing household objects, writing notes to herself, that many of us accidentally ignore. She brings quality to everyday experience, for no other reason than that it can-and therefore should-be done.

In every person is an experience of quality, and the longing toward that new, greater quality is a source of great inspiration.

Before tonight, I was not much inspired. I had my beliefs, but they were technical beliefs, statements of confidence in certain practices and institutions over others. Tonight it's different. I will have to use an anecdote.

Two Scandinavian adventurers, having recently completed an unsupported expedition to walk across Antarctica-a hugely expensive and difficult venture, risking many forms of suicide, including psychological, financial, and literal-commented, when asked why they'd done it, "Because we believe in the power of truth."

It struck me as insane when I heard it. Truth, I thought, had nothing to do with a physical trek across a wasteland. But it does. Truth, first and above all, consists of the acknowledgment of things as they stand. I think of the two men, pulling heaps of food and fuel across an endless tundra. This experience is real, as is everything else we experience. It is our duty to acknowledge the real, and these two Scandinavians were willing to risk everything to do it. This is a humbling experience, as was their trek, as every other worthwhile thing has been. To seek greatness requires great humility and sacrifice.

Maayan, when she makes a drawing, or organizes text and pictures, does it with a sense of purpose and even of righteousness. It is a simple Good, and she can make it real; therefore she must. There is no going back to anything-only our senses of justice and truth can lift us up. 

My very dear New Yorker friend Forest graciously set up a fantastic dining experience at Ninja (sushi spot in TriBeCa) last weekend! It was a mind blowing experience. When Fitz and I met up with Forest and his date, we hopped into an elevator that descended below to a darkly lit scene right out of a Tokyo village. As the elevator doors opened, I gingerly looked around and then confidently stepped out of the elevator exclaiming, "What a relief, I was about ready to scream."

And right as I pronounced that last syllable, a ninja, garbed in black attire, leaped out at me and I screamed something awfully high pitched and awkward and nearly collapsed on the floor, huddled in the fetal position. Good times.

Let's just say that the remainder of the evening was an EXPERIENCE to remember. Fires, explosions, dry ice, creativity, and atmosphere all played strong roles in the evening entertainment. Lots of shrieks and giggles ensued. I loved the company, the food, the memories...I loved it all. I love New York.

Don't believe my fab story? Check the evidence:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Forest is now a Deadly Viper Assassin"][/caption]

Thanks for setting this up, Forest! It's funny how in life, as time speeds by, there are those who always have a presence and a place, those we never lose touch with no matter the distance or time...those we connect with for no particular reason other than life's magnetic pull. You are such a fantastic friend and I am so honored to know you.

This City Limits article tells all about it and also lists the Billionaires who just came out on behalf of his Lordship's coronation.

http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3628

Here are some more recent links on the subject:

Tish James and Bill Deblasio counter proposal (with Cong. Anthony Weiner, a mayoral hopeful, at the podium between them):

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/nyregion/05limits.html

The New York Time Editorial against term limits:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/opinion/01wed2.html

What do I think? I agree with the New York Times that term limits are problematic. I have been against them since they were instituted and voted against them twice. However, my problem with term limits is only with their effect on selecting legislative representatives. I think that they are a necessary and good thing with respect to any executive and sub-executive positions. There is no question that the executive powers become too strong in the absence of term limits. In this I am joined by the folks who put the term limits on the US Presidency after Roosevelt. And if there are to be term limits for representatives they should be at least 3 terms. (Note- Victor strongly disagrees with me. He, a council hopeful, sees term limits as the only fair chance). But I find that the term limited council does nothing but pander and is very easily bought off. After all, if you are out of a job in one year, why not cater to a big buck special interest- the electorate has no way to punish you for your infidelity.... so to speak.

It's been about a week since my last substantial post.  To be honest, I hadn't felt all that interesting.  I didn't watch the Presidential Debates or the Vice-Presidential Debates.  I didn't see any actors that would make all of you say "Oh My God!  I'm so jealous!"  I just saw a movie, met a screenwriter/director, worked on a student film, worked and went to school.  But you aren't interested in that.  You couldn't be.

I mean, the movie Hounddog has been ranted and raved about since it first premiered at the Sundance Festival a couple months ago.  It was criticized for being the movie that raped Dakota Fanning, literally.  But who cares?  The movie was bad, and I'm sure by now all of you have heard this sad truth.  If not, I'm sad to break the news to you, but Hounddog suffers from a disease known only as poor editing.  Scenes that should have been placed early on, such as the grandmother telling Robin Wright Penn that she is no longer her daughter, while other scenes shouldn't have been in the film at all.  What was the point of Robin Wright Penn running through the woods and getting sick, besides the parallel editing between her and Dakota?  The rape, being a turning point in Fanning's character, was missing something, although I can't place my finger on it.  So really, you shouldn't care that I saw this movie this week.  Really, who wants to hear about a horribly bad movie.

And the screenwriter/director that I saw in my Colloquium class, it was just Chris Columbus.  He only wrote Gremlins I and II, The Goonies I and II, and Christmas with the Kranks.  He only directed Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone I and II, Mrs. Doubtfire, Harry Potter I and II and Rent.  I mean, he only directed my mother's favorite movie of all time (The Goonies).  Why should you care?  You shouldn't.  I mean what's interesting about having the chance to ask questions of such a famous person, a person who refers to Daniel Radcliffe familiarly as Danny.

Oh, and working on a student film, not interesting at all.  Getting my first actual credits for my resume and IMDB (one day) isn't interesting at all.  Meeting even more people as fascinated by film as I am is boring, isn't it?

And work?  Who is interested in work?  I mean, I only work as a secretary for a major audio guy who is very down to earth, and just happens to work on 30 Rock.  That's not interesting.  I get to work with little children in my other job.  I watch them grow and learn.  That's not interesting.  Why should you care?

I attend the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.  My teachers are award winning directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, and all around great people.  But why do you care?

You shouldn't care, but you do.  You read my blog consistently.  And why you ask yourself.  Because you're looking for gossip?  Because you're looking for movie reviews before the movie releases?  Because you are Heroes obsessed or Gossip Girl obsessed?  I was sad last week.  My teacher called my paper bulls**t.  She verbally ripped it to shreds.  She saw through my shroud.  I was sad last week, and then I wrote.  I wrote about myself.  I wrote about what I know.  I found truth.  Before I wondered why anybody would care what I wrote, now I know that it doesn't matter.  You do care and that's all that matters.

I am just getting the hang of blogging so please excuse my rookie errors. This is a Re-posting of my intitial post.

I am Martin Von Buller, I wanted to let people in and around New York City know that I am here to help you with your parking tickets. If you have questions about parking tickets I am here to help. I know how hard a 110$ ticket can be on your wallet. I learned how to do this on my own. I am not a lawyer.

Through my own experiences I have found how empowering it can to defend yourself against a unfair parking ticket. I want all New Yorker’s to feel as confident as I do when I know I have been unfairly ticketed.

I know with New York City facing budget deficits due to the Wall St. mess, the Mayor’s office will unleash the ticket agents on NYC motorist with more of a fury than ever before. So, I want any person that is willing to stand up, to know how to stand up to this coming onslaught.

Strip away the flawless makeup, belly-baring fashions and superstar image of Beyoncé Knowles, and you’ll find a down-to-earth young woman who just wants the chance to be herself.

ESSENCE: I’ve heard that you and your mom are rather close. Is that true?

Beyonce Knowles: You know what’s so beautiful about our relationship? Some mothers are your friends, some mothers are strictly your mother, some mothers are both. Some mothers know when to draw the line, some mothers know when to tell you when you’re wrong and when you’re right. Some mothers don’t tell you when you’re right. (My mother) knows when to be my friend. And growing up, she knew when to be my mother.

"What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real.”

She was strict but still, she explained things and made things make sense to me so I didn’t feel like she was disciplining me or trying to boss me around. I understood why, which made my life a lot easier. Another thing is she tells me the truth. My mom’s never asked me for anything. My mom doesn’t want anything from me but for me to be happy. And for me to succeed and be as good, as strong, as happy as I can be. So, knowing that, I’m just lucky to have that honesty in my life.

I always felt safe and I always felt secure because I knew that it was going to be okay. I knew it was ’cause my mom knew it was. She always let me know that regardless of this group, regardless of me singing, regardless of the movies, whatever, she loved me. And I’m young and I’m smart and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I made it happen. So it goes beyond that, like I still have somewhere to go. I still have something else to do, this isn’t the end of the world. And I think … just knowing that, like right now if I never sell another record, it puts a whole ‘nother perspective on this.

ESSENCE: Do you think as Black women, we are expected to be superwomen? Even in relationships we are expected to hold it together.

Beyonce Knowles: Yeah. Guys are babies sometimes. Like they need you and it’s like, I need you and you are just supposed to drop it. I mean it’s very beautiful when you all are just doing the same thing for each other. But I know you just expect the woman to drop everything and fix it. A woman doesn’t even ask for it because they’re supposed to be strong enough to take care of it.

ESSENCE: What is church for you, in the real way?

Beyonce Knowles: I completely believe that you don’t have to go to church at all if you are disciplined enough to sit down and dedicate time to pray and get to know God and read the Bible. But me, it’s better for me to go to church because it’s hard to, for real, sit down by myself for that long, as long as I would be just totally committing myself in my house with the TV on and the distractions. It’s way harder to do that than to go to church with a bunch of people who believe in God, where you can just feel it so much more.

ESSENCE: Will history still remember you as having the soul of the artist? As opposed to just a girl who sold a lot of records.

Beyonce Knowles: I don’t want to be remembered as a member of this huge group that, you know, did whatever. I want to be acknowledged as a woman in a very talented group with great harmonies and great songs that made history and changed the culture of women, not only in America but all over the world. (A woman) who could sing a cappella and write her own songs and produce her own songs.

Below are some photos of Beyonce with Jay-Z....

[Source: ESSENCE Magazine, beyoncestar.com, beyonceworld.com]

Signs like this are the precise reason why blogs were invented.

Me and Max just parked here.

I was going to write this fun, happy little post about how NYC and Doorman are only 36 hours away from me.  I was going to talk about how I wanted to do cliche things like have a picnic in the park and this and that, but then something happened! SOMETHING BAD.

I screwed with my birth control so that mother nature wouldn't disturb my fantastic Fall break of fucking.  And, it won't.  However, now I need more, so I called CVS last night to get a new pack and the computerized man told me I needed authorization for that and that they would request it from my doctor.  Ok, fine.  I told computer dude to have it ready for me by seven tonight.  He agreed he would do so.

I sped over there around seven after getting off a long shift at work and being quite covered in muffin batter. I was sweaty, tired and trying to schedule out my busy evening, when homeboy behind the window counter told me, "You were denied." What!?  "What do you mean I was denied?" "They don't tell me why. It just says that your doctor denied it." "Cunt! What the fuck? Shit." I was just about to tell him how very important it was that I get that birth control, when I opted against it.  I had already said cunt to the boy, I'm sure he would be able to assume.  I told him thanks and drove off, panicking. Of course the doctor's office is closed by this time, so I can't call and question their motives.
I called anyway, hoping I could leave a lengthy message describing why exactly this birth control is dire, but to leave a message (that will go directly to the provider) costs 10 dollars.  That's how much this freakin birth control costs.  I hung up and calmed myself as I snatched out an old pill bottle out from purse and called the CVS at home to see if the doctors denied it since I called it in from another city.  Yeah, that wasn't why.

I got the big ole friendly probe back in May and the doctor said that my vag checked out a-okay, so what the frank?  Homegirl here needs some baby killing pills, pronto. So I'm just gonna have to call tomorrow at 8 am and give them this little speech...

Hi, look, CVS called you guys yesterday to get me some more birth control and everything should have been peachy.  Yeah, but it wasn't and my vag got denied it's very important drugs.  Mmmhm, yeah and well, you see, I'm leaving in less than 24 hours to go to New York for a week, where I will be having an ungodly amount of sex.  Ungodly.  And...the last thing I need right now is a Shro Baby.  So, I'm going to need you guys to stop discriminating against my vag and help a snooch out.  Look, in a week a half if you want me to come in, you can do whatever you please to me, but right now I need those pills.  RIGHT NOW! So make it work.  THANKS!

If that doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do, I guess wrap it up. GAH! Fuck that.  Vag will keep you posted, but right now she is upset.

On the way into Barnes, I spy a lady who is standing in front of some cages of doggies.   I should mention that Barnes and Noble is right next to Petco.
The dark haired lady wearing a cap looks very sweet. Right as I walk up, she’s actually telling her life story to some strangers.  She’s pulled out her wallet and is showing off some photos.
Who: Emelinda Narvaez
Where: Union Square (in front of Barnes and Nobles and Pet Co), NYC
Occupation: Founder, Earth Angels (Animal rescue)
“I’m seventy years old,” she says.
“You don’t look seventy,” I say.
“I’ve got a son who is forty.”
Seriously she doesn’t look a day over fifty.  She shows me her album of photograhs.
I look down and see a cute little Yorkie in one of the cages.
“This one looks cute,” I say.
My friend has a Yorkie that she adopted from a shelter; she named her “Dior” and she barks all the time.  I sigh.
This little dog is actually quite docile and sweet-looking, but I can’t get “Dior” out of my head.
“Can you believe that someone dumped her off like she was trash?"
“Really?” I say, but I am thinking about Dior's constant barking.
Emelinda Narvaez has been rescuing mistreated dogs for over 41 years.
This woman really is an angel.  If you want a dog, she’s got plenty of cute ones.
When I first moved to NYC, I used to volunteer on Saturdays with another rescue group called “The Mighty Mutts.”
“They still come out on Saturdays,” she says.
“So are you always out here?” I say.
“Most of the time, as much as I can.”
“How’s it going?”
“Wonderful, I’ve gotten 2000 dogs adopted.”
Wow, now that’s amazing.  If you want to check out Earth Angels Canine Rescue and get yourself a new doggie or just donate, here’s the website.
On Monday I had my first “planned” interview, but in retrospect, without knowing it, I think Emelinda set the tone, which seems to be one of reflecting on the life we’ve lived and what we are still doing.
Are you doing what you love?  If you died tomorrow would you die happy?

Who: Dan Biachi
Where: Joe’s Coffee House, NYC
Occupation: Writer, Director, Producer, Sound Designer, Creator and founder of RadioTheatre
Dan and his wife Cindy and their grown daughter (she’s now 26) are my neighbors; we live in the same building on Waverly Place.  I noticed several years ago now that mail would come for something called Radio Theatre.  Huh, I thought.  So someone who owns a theater lives in my building?
Dan and Cindy have two dogs, so I often see them out walking.  One day, about two years ago, I was doing one of my annual stoop sales and they had come outside to check out my stuff.  We chit-chatted about  about all kinds of theater stuff and started to become friendly.  Dan and Cindy went to my play that year, and I sent them my stage manager who ended up acting in his play "The Island of Dr. Moreau."  See, the NYC theater circle is small indeed.
So the other day, I was reading an email I got from the New York Innovative Theater Awards and there he was, my neighbor, Dan Biachi listed as one of the winners.  His theater company won two awards, one for best original score and the other for sound design.  So I decided I’d make a point of interviewing him for the pop cycle. Sure enough, I ran into him a day later and was able to set up some time at Joe’s.
Dan almost doesn’t need to tell me that he “hates restrictions.”  He only had to say "Paris" and "avant-garde" and I believed him.  He’s a do-it-my kind of way theater man.
“I’ve been doing this for years – my own kind of theater – and I’ll just keep going because I love it.”
He’s gotten some good reviews too.
Dan explained to me that he has a background in film and graphic art and has been represented in exhibits as an artist. Five years ago he came back to theater and has been going with his passion, Radiotheatre ever since.
“For marketing you have to be different,” he says with a swagger.
“My theater isn’t a musical or straight theater – it’s like seeing a movie with a score, so it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen."
Dan is a very downtown do-it-yourself kind of guy.  For example, for his award-winning show “The Island of Doctor Moreau” he wrote, directed, created the sound and all the original music himself.
“So when I got sick, I realized – wow, I do everything except act.  I need actors for that.”
Dan struck me as someone who understands how lucky he is.  He’s been living in the West Village for at least 26 years and has been doing what he loved for most of the time.  Strike that.  He’s always been doing some form of art. He’s never been a sell out.
“In the old days – the eighties – actors would come to NYC and live on the floor of an apartment.  Eight people would share a one bedroom. They’d eat some noodles to get by. These days that just doesn’t happen.”
He continues, “maybe one of my actors lives in the city.  They commute in from all over.”
“You mean, they live in Brooklyn, right? “ I say
“Yes, but Brooklyn doesn’t count as the city,” he says.
I laugh.
“Once you live in the West Village, you may never want to leave,” I say.
Radiotheatre has a new show opening on November 11th --  Dracula.  I’m definitely going to check it out.
Later that day, I thought about how lucky I am that I get to live here in the West Village.
If I lived anywhere else in this city I think I might go nuts. I hear Brooklyn is great and the apartments there are way bigger (and cheaper) but unless you also work in Brooklyn, it’s a real pain to get into the city.  That’s been my experience anyway.
Later in the day I went to my Pilates lesson at Equinox and spoke to my instructor Monica.  She’s fun and is also a painter, so I asked her some quick questions.

Who: Monica
Where: Equinox gym in the West Village
Occupation: Pilates Instructor
Monica has only lived in NYC for a year and half, and she’s also my neighbor, so I see her at Joe’s all the time.
"What’s been the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you in NYC?" I ask.
“Seeing my sister get in a car accident.  We got the call and when I showed up she was all bloody lying on the ground.”
“Wow, that would be scary,” I say as I am doing one of my Pilates moves.
“Somehow I knew she’d be okay,” she says.  “I just knew.”
After that we talked about this scary economy and I was wondering if people are not coming in for Pilates so much, but I decided not to ask.

Model Jessica Stam in the living area of her Manhattan apartment, decorated by Rafael de Cárdenas; the Moroccan doors are remnants of a previous owner's decor. The antique chaise was found on eBay , and the pillow is by the Silk Trading Co.

The apartment for cover girl Jessica Stam is a jewel-tone paradise with a dash of silver-screen glamour. There are all sorts of things people will not do for themselves. Few, for example, feel the burning urge to make their own shoes or build a laptop. And abandoned pasta machines across the land prove that, really, store-bought lasagna noodles are just fine.

But people won't be dissuaded from blithely taking on one of the toughest tasks on the planet: renovating and decorating their homes. Jessica Stam, one of fashion's hottest young faces and a favorite of photographer Steven Meisel, did exactly that with her previous apartment, in New York City's East Village. It was only after a year of arguing with contractors and agonizing over every minor furniture choice that the blue-eyed model finally crumbled.

"I had been living there for a year, and my books were still in boxes," recalls the Canada-born catwalker. "I had bought two sofas, and..." There Stam's voice -- like her progress -- trails off. Tentatively, she started meeting with prospective decorators, but no one clicked until Rafael de Cárdenas stepped onto the scene. The taste of the sharp young Manhattan interior designer -- and, even more important, Stam says, his sense of humor -- was perfectly in step with her own. During a collegial chat, Cárdenas sketched out his ideas for her, which included a healthy dose of what he calls "old-Hollywood exuberance." There was, however, one small problem: Stam's apartment was not worth sinking money into -- it had no view, no charm, and insufficient space. Undaunted, she promptly found another, a one-bedroom a few blocks away, flooded with western light.

It marked the first of many successful joint decisions, though Stam is quick to call Cárdenas her design mentor. "Clients often don't know what to ask for," he says. "I was confident that Jessica would like what I was going to do. She's this beautiful Grace Kelly-esque blond, so I felt it was important for her to have a place that made her look and feel fabulous."

For Cárdenas to reach his desired glamour quotient meant starting from scratch in the new apartment, a masculine, distress-finished, ethnic-accented number that looked, as he describes it, "like Indiana Jones had designed a Marriott." According to Stam, "We basically kept nothing." Or almost nothing: Of her previous decor, only a taxidermy rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike, made the cut thanks to its sentimental value (it was a birthday gift). Spared in the new space were a former owner's massive Moroccan doors leading to the bedroom, the only major earth-tone element the decorator okayed.

Instead he opted for a jewel-like palette of purples and pinks, along with splashes of metallic gold and silver, to lend an elegant backdrop to furnishings that evoke several modes of stylishness -- specifically, those of 1940s Hollywood, '60s Italy, and '70s America. Though Cárdenas is an unabashed fan of modernism and filled Stam's space with an array of striking 20th-century furniture -- a Vistosi-style chandelier, white-lacquer Milo Baughman sideboard, and Dorothy Draper floor lamp -- he is also a firm believer in more old-fashioned notions of originality and connoisseurship. So he proceeded to troll eBay and scour Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Miami -- some of his favorite stomping grounds -- for unique treasures (no ubiquitous Eames or Saarinen pieces here) like the living area's anonymous long, low '50s sofa he discovered online.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the apartment walls, sheathed in vintage papers from Manhattan's Secondhand Rose. A '30s motif of falling maple leaves in muted blue-greens and coppers bedecks the bedroom while an opulent lilac-and-silver floral pattern envelopes the dining area. Another wall sparkles with neat panes of mirror, amplifying the eye-catching effect of the wallpaper reflected there. More intriguing details were created by the designer himself, including a silver Op Art sunburst mural along a dramatic curved entry wall and a Jean Harlow-worthy headboard in cushioned rays of pink satin in the bedroom.

The rich mix is signature Cárdenas and much like Stam herself -- refreshingly glamorous and relaxed at the same time. "I don't like pure styles," he declares. "They bore me." And one thing is clear: Stam is not bored. "When the apartment was finished I came home every day for weeks and just lay on the sofa," she recalls. "I couldn't believe I lived here; I was so happy."

And as for those two sofas Stam bought, they also got a happy ending -- in the basement of Stam's East Hampton, New York, house, which to her delight Cárdenas is redoing as well. The lesson? If at first you don't succeed, don't try again -- just hire a decorator.

More photos below.

In the living area, 1950s armchairs upholstered in a Donghia cotton, a vintage Lucite -and-glass table from Glo, a '50s floor lamp, and a vintage sofa found on eBay ; the custom-made rug is by Stark Carpet.

The foyer features a '40s slipper chair from Todd Merrill Antiques, Dorothy Draper floor lamp, midcentury side table, and Cárdenas-designed mural.

The light fixture is '60s Italian, and the vintage wallpaper is from Secondhand Rose.

A Milo Baughman sideboard from Visiona and '60s lamps in the dining area.

In the bedroom, a custom-made headboard by Cárdenas, quilts from Calypso Home, a vintage Florence Knoll bench, and 1930s wallpaper from Secondhand Rose.

A vintage chaise longue, a '40s lamp, and a stool by Marcel Wanders for Kartell in the living area.

"I'm so jealous!" :P

[Source: Elle Decor]
Written by David Colman
Photographed by Roger Davies
Produced By Carlos Mota

Our bitterness showing much?

Douglas would head straight for Mantle's. Main would beeline for the headquarters of DC and Marvel.

Jealous? Well, yeah.

“HAVE YOU SEEN THE STARS TONITE” has landed and

the 2 CD Special set Have You Seen The Circus Tent Tonite

with over 900 rock and roll photos and the Cathy Richardson 70 minute interview, has landed too!

http://www.takemetoacircustent.net

http://www.amazon.com (The books are proudly featured here)

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE- JEFFERSON STARSHIP-

Great Society- Take Me To A Circus Tent

Have You Seen The Stars Tonite

Have You Seen The Circus Tent Tonite

Quality Rock & Roll Airplane

style.

Welcome to the Jefferson Reunion Flight:

Nice to hear you once again.  How are you today?  It took 17 years but in 1989 the old plane was refurbished and ready to rock out.  Opening night is our destination.  Climb aboard and enjoy the memories.

8/18/89 August 18th of the year 1989

The Jefferson Airplane takes-off once again

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Opening night of the reunion tour:

Summer Of Love

One of the funniest things I ever heard was told to me the other day and since it isn't a joke it is that much more hysterical.  A lady goes into a store that had a sign "We rent chairs and tables."  She tells the owner what she needs.  He says "We don't rent chairs and tables."  She asked why the sign was on the door.  He replied "I haven't had time to remove it."  She said "When did you stop renting tables and chairs?"  The owner tells her "Two years ago."

Got to go rock and roll. Enjoy the flight!

Please spread the

word:

The 2 new Jefferson projects have arrived!

Thanks as always!

Relax and have fun!

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE-

JEFFERSON STARSHIP- Great Society-

Take Me To A Circus Tent

I look forward to hearing you later!

The book is Take Me To A Circus Tent (The Jefferson Airplane Flight Manual) W/93 photos, 32 interviews, 543 pages, and a myriad of 5 star reviews!

Please remember at any moment on an Aircast it can be a rare memory from the Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, KBC, Wooden Ships, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner to name several.  Maybe another picture previously unseen from the Rock Tent Vault sees daylight from Herb Greene or Don Aters.

Please fly this way for a Jefferson Family Reunion:

http://www.takemetoacircustent.net/media/JeffersonAirplaneTakeMeToACircusTentAircast64gettingtoknowyouagain.mp3

All the best,

CF

Returning to the Vintage Fest stage in high demand by the people, John Holt has delivered timeless reggae classics like Police in Helicopter, Stick by Me, and Ali Baba. In height the U.S. political season Cocoa Tea lent his voice in support of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign with his song Barack Obama, now the sweet sounds of Cocoa Tea will hit the Hammerstein with the same zeal for his fans with songs like Rocker's Island and Lost My Sonia. Legendary bassist and vocalist Leroy Sibbles is bound to sing signature Heptones tunes like Baby and Fattie, Fattie. Singer, songwriter, Sugar Minott has had countless hits and a timeless catalogue sure to please fans. Dancehall's originator U-Roy, affectionately known as Daddy U-Roy, will play on his classic lyrical toasting for true dancehall fans with hits like Runaway Girl, Natty Rebel and Wake the Town For the first time on stage at Vintage Fest, dub singer Carlton Livingston and classic dancehall DJ Brigadier Jerry are bound to give the audience a performance not to be missed!

Set to transport New York City on December 6, 2008 into a time where some of the best musical memories lie, the 4th Annual Vintage Fest features the best in reggae and dancehall capturing the essence of the music's innovators.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com and reggaefest.com. To purchase tickets by phone please call 212-307-7171 or 718-325-5555 respectively. Doors open at 7pm, show starts promptly at 8pm.

One of my favorite photographers, Yann Arthus Bertrand, is bringing his work to the US in 2009. Bertrand's aim is to inspire people to think globally about sustainable living and he does so by taking his art to the sky. Shooting from airplanes, Bertrand manages to capture impressive shots that visually teach us about environments around the globe.

His new exhibit, Earth From Above, will feature 150 4-ft. by 6-ft. prints, on display in New York City from May 1 2009 to June 28, 2009. The exhibit will then take off for the other coast and be displayed in California. Another excellent example of artwork meant to change our perspectives on how we live and interact with the world around us.

See more pictures here.

Sticks and stones

Even if you break my bones . . .

On a recent trip, I headed to a few locations that have been mercifully preserved, several of which were located in the Bronx, taking me out of my tourist comfort zone of Manhattan and Western Brooklyn.  The volunteer staff could not have been more knowledgeable or committed to sharing the history and cultural significance of these amazing sites.

I found all of these sites independent from each other through online searching, believing I'd discovered all the extant key historic sites.  I later learned that they're all part of the Historic House Trust of New York City, a network of over a dozen sites in all five boroughs.

Naturally, then, plans for a return trip are imminent, pending the demise and resurgence of the world economy.

Other entries in the New York stories series:

• Vol. 4: Eating in the city
• Vol. 3: The Brooklyn Bridge
• Vol. 2: Green spaces in the city
• Vol. 1: Central Park

Last night I came home to a sign that said: “No hot water from 4pm until further notice”.  Living in NYCHA that could mean weeks or months. I went to the management office this morning to speak to my housing assistant but she had to go to court.  I asked the receptionist to find out what was going on…and what did “until further notice” meant.  She called maintenance and she told me that they told her that the hot water was turned on last night at 11pm.  I told her it wasn’t, otherwise I would not have been there, duh! I went home to double check and called her to tell her that the hot water was NOT turned on. She transferred me to Mr. Richter. Nasty, nasty man. He told me that he was a “housing assistant” not maintenance – yeah, that means you are a liaison – anyway he was not helpful and hung up on me. I called several local politicians to find out what is going on and when is the hot water going to be turned on.

What really upsets me is that Douglass Houses is a large development. Seventeen (17) buildings, 2,054 apartments, over 4,500 tenants. And I am the only one complaining. How humiliating. How insulting. The majority of the tenants are African Americans or Hispanic. Low income families. And they allow the New York City Housing Authority to treat them like animals. Douglass Houses is falling apart.  NYCHA doesn’t care. The tenants don’t care. Why aren’t the tenants of Frederick Douglass Houses fed up and mad as hell with the inhumane, cruel, insulting treatment they receive from NYCHA? Would this happen in a building with a different tenant composition?

Dear Congresswoman Maloney,

On approximately October 1st your statement concerning the Bailout, titled Financial Rescue 2008, appeared on your website.  In that statement you said:

"I am angry that the American people are being asked to shoulder this burden.”

And you said,

"It is unfortunate that the debate about this rescue package has been solely characterized as a bailout for Wall Street without a full discussion of what this means for Main Street.”

We agree and we applaud your effort to point out that we know far too little, and we ask how are we to know whether this massive use of taxpayer money will actually benefit the average New Yorker.

Therefore we ask that you join us in an effort to achieve the "full discussion of what this means to Main Street" that you point out is missing. We ask that you use the full resources of your office to ensure that your constituents hear this full discussion in an open public forum and that these efforts begin in a substantial way before Election Day November 4.

We propose a minimum of two town hall style events prior to Election Day including speakers supporting the bailout and speakers opposing the bailout.  

We believe that “full discussion of what this means to Main Street” was not achieved at least in part because Main Street had little or no participation in the decision.  For this reason we believe it is imperative to include the widest possible range of opinions consistent with an orderly discussion.  Therefore speakers should include representatives of businesses from Main Street and Wall Street, homeowners and taxpayers, incumbent elected officials and candidates including representatives of any party that has achieved 2008 ballot access in New York City.

The citizens of New York deserve a "full discussion of what this means to Main Street".  Will you help us achieve it?

Respectfully,

Isaiah Matos, Candidate for U.S. Congress NY 14^th District (Lbt)

Bill Buran, Candidate for NY State Assembly 72^nd District (R,C,I)

Ron Moore, Chair, Manhattan Libertarian Party

Of course, maybe he was just playing the odds; I'd bet that fully half the people emerging from the Times Square subway station on a Saturday are tourists.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="170" caption="How could you say no to this face?"][/caption]Exploring randomly, I came across a poster for A Man For All Seasons. Intrigued, I found the ticket office for the Roundabout Theatre and waited a few minutes until it opened. The box manager told me he had one rush ticket left for $21; I snatched it on impulse. Sell me a Robert Bolt play and you'll find an eager buyer; sell me a Robert Bolt play at a discount and I'm already yours.

Then I took the subway to the Village (F train, off at West 4th) and met Alexandra for brunch at Little Owl Cafe. Late as I was, we still got there before the doors opened, so we had our choice of seats. Alex proceeded to pepper me with personal questions over a hearty stack of wheat pancakes. The cafe slowly filled up around us with all the stereotypes of Greenwich - preppie moms with oversized strollers, charming gay couples, etc.

"So you think Nathan Fillion's not attractive?" she pressed.
"I think he's dead average," I clarified. "Exact center of the bell curve."
"Do you think you're above average in looks?"
"I think so, yeah."
"So you think you're better looking than Nathan Fillion?" She seemed shocked.
I had to think for a moment. "I think I'll be better looking than he is when I reach that age."

In Washington Square we saw a slew of dogwalkers and a bunch of nattily dressed hep types. "Probably a protest," Alex said. I picked up a page of sheet music that a young woman handed me, imagining it to be the words to L'Internationale. It was actually the words to "The Dach Song," a song about the glories of dachshunds. Which made perfect sense, given that it was Dachshund Day in the village.

In Union Square, in the space of nine seconds and sixty feet, I saw:

• A woman doing tarot card readings;
  
• A guy being photographed for the Internet (really, no better way to describe it. young man in a business suit, posing on a bench and staring with a comically dramatic pose. amateur light reflection off a foil-covered screen);
  
• Two street preachers screaming prayers at the top of their lungs, one in English and one in Spanish. "Come to Jesus if you want to be saved!" the younger one would yell, before his friend translated.
  
• A variety of T-shirts being hawked by Native Americans, including "Of Course You Can Trust The Government" and "The Original Homeland Security." I was tempted.
  
• Lots and lots of produce.
  

A Man For All Seasons: an excellent show. Call me a heretic, but I like Frank Langella's Sir Thomas More over Paul Scofield's. Scofield's a phenomenal actor, and I never felt that his performance lacked anything, but it wasn't until seeing Langella that I realized how dry Scofield is. So very dry and British. Langella's More bursts with passion: sly wit with his friends, a soliciting tenderness with his family, and a growing anger at the irrationality of his enemies. Also phenomenal: Zach Grenier (you'll recognize him from 24, Fight Club, Deadwood or maybe Zodiac) as Thomas Cromwell, the King's secretary.

If I had one criticism it'd be that everyone had trouble with their British accents for the first 10 minutes they had onstage. If I had two: the theater was very cold.

And Saturday wasn't over yet! More still to come.

So Death Cab For Cutie played NYC last night...Arizona was nice kinda nice last night too--sort of...crap.  Wish I was there...