Shoeless saga

 
 "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
 
Proving that mental illness is a huge cause of homelessness, the New York City man given boots on a cold night is once again shoeless. Very sad, but anyone whose ever worked with the mentally ill is not surprised...

Now however, Hillman is back to being barefoot claiming the boots are too expensive.
 
Speaking with the NY Times, Hillman, 54 told them “Those shoes are hidden. They are worth a lot of money. I could lose my life.” Hillman says that because of the street violence between homeless people, wearing the expensive boots puts him in danger.

What this man, and countless others across the country needs, is psychiatric help. Many are calling him ungrateful, but I don't agree with that assessment. He's repeatedly expressed his gratitude towards the police officer through the media. Unfortunately, his current mindset does not allow for him to make rational decisions. 

What would be nice is if leaders and the media looked at the real causes of homelessness and tried to find solutions to these problems, instead of taking isolated cases and making them into internet sensations (*see Ted Williams: the homeless man with the golden voice)...


Homeless man with new boots goes back to barefoot

NYC Police Officer

 
You've probably seen it by now. The picture of the New York City police officer giving a shoeless, homeless man boots on a cold night. It's one of those iconic pictures that struck a chord with America.

It's a nice photograph depicting an even nicer gesture. I'm happy to report that it has spawned some copycat acts throughout New York. I think we're all (myself included) too quick to judge the homeless as drug addicted people, not looking for help. This is not always the case, as many are veterans, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or some other form of mental illness. There are also many homeless families out there. In this economy, it's not too hard to fall between the cracks. And some people are too proud to ask for help.

It turns out that this man's family had no idea he was homeless until they saw the picture. He reportedly calls them once a year to tell them he is safe. He last called around New Year's 2012. I also read where his two brothers were both successful professionals. Something went wrong in his life and hopefully he'll get back on track.

Performance art?

Bizarre video...A man in New York City hangs out in Central Park, wears an Elmo costume, and makes foul mouthed, racist remarks in front of large crowds. Could you imagine being a six year old kid and hearing one of your favorite cartoon characters telling people to F-off? It's hilarious and unsettling at the same time.

Dude, put your costume in the closet and go get a job...

Bloomberg signs donut proclamation and bans sugary drinks in the same day

 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks just because he's rich, he can tell the rest of us how to live. Bloomberg made news this week when he proposed banning large soda drinks from stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. While Bloomberg could concern himself with battling poverty or improving our economy, he has chosen the role of Big Brother. 


In the ultimate act of hypocrisy, Bloomberg signed a declaration making yesterday National Doughnut Day in New York. Not surprisingly, Governor Cuomo, who is a huge benefactor of Bloomies money pulled a Pontius Pilate and said he would not override this blatant violation of New Yorkers' rights. One consumer group was so upset by Bloomberg's ban, they took out a full page ad in the New York Times with him wearing a dress.

Why doesn't Bloomberg ban buffets and all you can eat restaurants next? What about chicken wings? They're bad for you, too. Bloomberg should worry about simple things like removing snow from New York's streets after  three inch snowfalls. Could you imagine how scary it would be if this little tyrant became President?

NYC mayor signs donut proclamation - YNN, Your News Now

Arrest made in 1979 cold case

Amazingly, after 33 years, an arrest has been made in the abduction and murder of 6 year old Etan Patz. I've casually followed this case for years, and from time to time, would hear about a potential lead or a new suspect in the case. Patz was the New York City boy, who never made it to his bus stop in 1979. His body has never been found and his disappearance shocked the entire city. He became the first missing person to have his picture placed on a milk carton.


Unfortunately, there are still more questions than answers in this case. 51 year old Pedro Hernandez, whose attorney says has a history of mental illness, confessed to the crime this week. Please say he gave details that only the killer would know. In a coincidental move, he also moved to New Jersey right after the disappearance.


Today's news must come as a relief to convicted pedophile Jose Ramos. In 2004, a civil jury deemed him responsible for the child's murder. In fact, the Patz family was awarded the symbolic sum of $2 million (which they have not collected, since Ramos is in jail for another molestation). Ramos has steadfastly denied any involvement in the disappearance of the child.


It will be interesting to see what evidence, if any, is eventually made public in this case. Is there really new evidence or is an ambitious DA trying to make a name for himself? 
WSVN-TV - NJ man charged with murdering NY boy Patz in 1979

What happens when one buys leadership...

Very good article by Andrew "Woodward" Blake on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempts to intimate the press for covering the Occupy Wall Street protests. Here is a quote from one of Bloomberg's sycophants...

“Not being familiar with many of the media outlets for which The Awl says these reporters work, I had the list of ‘26 arrested reporters’ checked against the roster of reporters who hold valid NYPD press passes,” Loeser adds. “You can imagine my surprise when we found that only five of the 26 arrested reporters actually have valid NYPD-issued press credentials.”

With that sentence alone, Loeser manages to shoot himself in the foot. Twice.

Given his statement, Bloomberg’s office has indeed confirmed that at least five members of the media that were accredited by the City’s own police force were arrested while doing their job, a job that the Police Department has acknowledged and authorized. Secondly, Loeser attempts to discredit the media while at the same time exposing that he didn’t do his homework himself.

As usual, Bloomberg comes off as a deer caught in headlights when it comes to governing. It's no wonder his mayoral run is being compared to that of the perennially underachieving David Dinkins. Our sources tell us that Bloomberg also drinks "1%" milk. Coincidence?...

For the full article, go to http://on.rt.com/ytvf9y

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Bloomberg makes fool of himself-again

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg should keep his mouth shut and stick to the one thing he's good at-writing checks. Bloomberg traveled to Washington last week and lectured the federal leaders on living within their means. The only problem? New York City's capital debt has almost doubled under Bloomberg since 2000. From the Associated Press...

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has urged the federal government to live within its means. But at the same time, the city's capital debt has nearly doubled since 2000.

The debt has risen from $39.2 billion in 2000 to $73.5 billion in 2011, the New York Post reported Sunday (http://nyp.st/vMmH34 ). That's $8,763 per New Yorker.

Last week, Bloomberg gave a speech in Washington urging the federal government to move quickly to reduce its deficit.

Born with a silver foot in his mouth, Bloomberg should worry about his city's ability to fight three inch snow "storms". This man is so out of touch with the common citizen, it's ridiculous. The only borough Bloomberg can relate to is Manhattan. Leadership positions in America can now officially be bought. As Bloomberg proves on a daily basis, competence is not a requirement.

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Occupy Tonawanda

New York City Correspondent Andrew Blake filmed the mayhem that is the Wall Street Protests for RT Amerika. As a 1%er, I am deeply disappointed at the actions of these pinko commie protesters. Actually, I think the 99%ers stole that moniker from the Hell's Angels biker gang.

In the 1970's, the American Motorcyclist Association came out with a statement that "99% of all motorcycle riders were law abiding citizens." Shortly thereafter, the Hell's Angels began referring to themselves as the 1%ers. Great footage, Andrew. Enjoy the anarchy...

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I thought this was funny story. A truck driver from Virginia was arrested in New York City while crossing the George Washington Bridge. New York City burglar Michael Bloomberg charges trucks a $65 toll to cross the bridge. The truck driver came up with a James Bond-like contraption. As he went through the unmanned toll, he pressed a switch connected to a cable that flipped his license plate over. Unfortunately, a police officer noticed the plate flipping back and arrested him...

Nelson Vaquiz of Beaverdam, Va., was arrested on charges of using a cable in his truck cab to flip up his front license plate while going through a gateless toll lane on Interstate 95 without a toll transponder, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Thursday. Vaquiz had also bent up his rear plate so it couldn't be read by cameras, police said.

Bloomberg is the one who should be arrested for charging motorists that kind of money to cross a bridge. He's terrible.
Driver Flipped License Plate to Save Toll



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New York City protests

Photo by Andrew Blake, Washington Correspondent


700 people were arrested in New York City today in what was called the Occupy Wall Street protest. I don't think the media expected such a huge turnout. It's about time the young people woke up and began taking the country back from the greedy corporations...

"We don't have one central argument," said Jed Brandt of Brooklyn. "We have a lot, but the basic issue is our democratic structures are broken in this country."

And when a Congressman showed up - Rep. Charles Rangel, who told protesters, "We have to take our country back" - demonstrators made it clear government isn't working.

"You, sir, have no business being here - you're part of the problem," they retorted.

This could turn into something big, as many young people are frustrated with the current state of the economy. How do you pay off student loans when the only jobs available are minimum wage? I have nothing against independent businesses. But it seems like big corporations are doing their best to antagonize the working class in this country. People are willing to work for a decent wage. However, when the executives treat the workers like crap, the workers tend to resent their $20 million salaries. The young malcontents vow to stay in New York City throughout the winter. Stay tuned.

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Seconds from death

This was an interesting article about the last person to survive the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11/01. Ron DiFrancisco, who was 37 at the time, ran down over 80 flights of stairs to get to the ground floor. As he ran out the door, the 2nd tower collapsed right next to him. The last thing he remembers seeing was a giant fireball. He woke up days later in a New York City hospital...

He reached a landing in the impact zone and joined others lying on the floor, gasping for air. But a voice told him to get up and keep going. He ran down the stairs, covering his face with his forearms as he fought through the flames.

Finally he reached the ground floor, where a security guard directed him to a different exit. As he reached it, he heard a giant roar as the building began to collapse. He turned and saw a fireball heading right at him. Days later, he woke up in the hospital with lacerations on his head, burns all over his body, and a broken bone in his back.

http://news.yahoo.com/final-survivor-of-south-tower-collapse-struggles-with-scars-of-9-11.html

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Giant rat

Experts in New York City have always said the sightings of 3 foot long rats in the housing projects were just the stuff of urban legend. That was until someone killed one and took a photo of it last week. Chinese Buffet anyone?...

Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian pouched rat

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It's about time

A couple of lawmakers are reintroducing a bill to divide New York into two states (Upstate and Downstate)...

Some state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow counties to hold a referendum on whether the state should be separated into upstate and downstate.

The measure has gone nowhere in the Legislature and most likely never will, but Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, Monroe County, and Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, R-Batavia, Genesee County, have submitted it again this year, saying the idea is something that voters should be allowed to weigh in on.

I, for one, am all for this if it rids us of Sheldon Silver once and for all. If it does happen, Lackawanna should immediately be named the new state's capital city and the official state fish should be the Cazenovia Creek "suckerfish" ...

Divide New York Into Two States? Some Lawmakers Seek It Again | wgrz.com

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New York's Mayor Burns

Looks like these are tough times for New York City's elitist mayor. From the Associated Press...

NEW YORK (AP) - A new poll says New York City voters are unhappy with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday says that 51 percent of voters interviewed disapprove of the job Bloomberg is doing. Those who approve are at 39 percent.

I can't imagine why? He's incompetent, arrogant, and talks down to regular New Yorkers. His latest comment on Buffalo was not a slip up. The Manhattan resident clearly thinks he is better than everyone around him, simply because he was born into wealth. Could you picture this imbecile as President?

Poll: most voters disapprove of NY Mayor Bloomberg - State Wire - The Buffalo News

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Bloomberg fails in snow removal efforts

Remember this summer when New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was all over the media saying Carl Paladino didn't have what it took to lead? New York City got hit with a snowstorm last week and four days later, it's streets still weren't plowed. Bloomberg told the residents to "relax and take in a Broadway show." Not exactly Jimmy Griffin. This might have went over well in Manhattan, but not in the other four Burroughs, where the people found his comment out of touch. I'm surprised he didn't tell them to eat cake. New York City bloggers are posting photos of uncleared streets, while Bloomberg's elitist Manhattan street is plowed down to the pavement.

When faced with a two term limit a few years ago, Bloomberg was able to bribe some councilmembers to change the law, so he could remain mayor. We're giving him our 2010 Deer Trapped in Headlights Award for this press conference on the city's abysmal snow removal efforts. Let's see if the rich guy can buy his way out of this one. Why doesn't he just call Fred Dicker? I thought those two clowns had the answers to everything...

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Paging Dr. Stone

This was a great scam taking place in New York City during the 1980s documented on the show Unsolved Mysteries. A drunk accomplice (played horribly by the actor in this clip) tells someone on a pay phone that he found these rare coins in a bank envelope with a doctor's name and phone number on it. The victim calls the "doctor". He tells him to give the drunk $100. He explains that there is a $1,000 reward for the coins and gives him his address. When the victim shows up at the doctor's address, the doorman explains to him that there is no doctor and 2,000 other fools have fallen victim to the same scam. The key is the victim's greed and the man on the other end of the phone sounding like a convincing doctor. There are several variations of this scam which is known as "the pigeon drop."

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NYC rat problem

You thought Buffalo was dirty? I came across this footage of a small park in downtown Manhattan...

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NY Rabbi Drops Support For Paladino After Apology - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY

The New York City rabbi who encouraged Carl Paladino to give his anti-gay speech the other day has now withdrawn his endorsement of Paladino.

NEW YORK (AP) -- An Orthodox rabbi says he's withdrawing his endorsement of New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino because the Republican apologized for comments he made about gays.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who represents an umbrella organization of ultra-Orthodox clerics, accused Paladino on Wednesday of bowing to political pressure when he apologized for saying children shouldn't be "brainwashed" into thinking homosexuality is acceptable.

The man of God thinks Paladino should have stuck to his guns. I think Paladino made the right choice in apologizing. I think he made the wrong choice when he read somebody else's speech. However, he has to own that one himself. He knew the content in it and chose to read it anyway. Special interest groups will do that. They will wave a carrot in your face and try to get you to be a little more like them.

NY Rabbi Drops Support For Paladino After Apology - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY

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Naked Cowboy Announces Presidential Bid

"My name is Robert Burck, but I am better known as the Naked Cowboy."

Just when you thought the Tea Party was just a collection of oddballs, the Naked Cowboy announced his intention to run for President under their banner in 2012. I'm reserving comment until I learn more about him, but he already has my vote against any ticket involving Hillary Clinton. Check out the news conference here. He's hard to recognize with his clothes on and without the guitar. The bumper sticker potential here is very good...

Naked Cowboy Robert Burck To Run For 2012 Presidency As Tea Party Member | Strange News | Sky News

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Don't forget the cannolis

These two bakers from north of New York City are attempting to get in the Guinness Book of World Records for this 7 foot, 123 lb. cannoli. Obviously,I couldn't do this story without including this clip:

These bakers take the ... cannoli; two bakers north of city try to make record-setting pastry

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