Spend a Couple Minutes »Vote!

Primary Elections

If you’re registered with a party, make sure you get out Tuesday to vote in the primary! I love voting and find the less flashy elections give your vote more credence and power since, sadly, so few people turn out for them.

It’s disappointing how few people are up on politics and lack a desire to be part of the process. I have to say though, the lack of concise, unbiased, easy to find information about the candidates is a shame and makes the voting process less appealing to many. I spent the better part of a morning doing research once I could find the information about what I would even be voting on (our city’s website is messy at best).

This election we will also be using an entirely new voting system. I was initially excited until I heard about the major flaws. The font is supposed to be fairly minuscule (so bring your glasses) and if you accidentally over vote the scanning machine will greet you with the confusing option of casting or not casting. You do not want to cast – instead get a new ballot if you want all of your votes counted.

As a registered democrat, there are a few exciting competitions. I am most passionate about the one for State Committee. Lincoln Restler and Kate Zidar, who have reached out to our community are a breath of young, fresh air up against a tired machine. They are enthusiastic, environmental, and I fully endorse them. In other races, I am voting against Gillibrand, might stay with incumbent Lentol, and am not decided yet on perhaps the biggest and most up in the air race for Attorney General though I am leaning towards Schneiderman or Rice. If you have the power, I’d appreciate a vote against Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate.

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Posted on September 12, 2010

Hunks »The Men (and Women) of Backyard Bill

simon backyard billStreet Style Blog of the Hip and Attractive

Backyard Bill is a street style blog featuring the kind of fashionable, hip young men and women that make the world a more aesthetically pleasing place… or at least the world of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Prepare to sigh over all the effortless beauty.

Click here for the rest of The Men (and Women) of Backyard Bill

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Posted on November 15, 2009

TV Shows »Road to City Hall

Kudos, Dominic Carter for hosting one of the most informative local politics shows on TV – and certainly the most professional production on the beloved round the clock amateur hour that is NY1. With some significant elections coming up, there's no better place to see the candidates and listen to experts' debates.

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Posted on September 7, 2009

Laughs »NY1 Song Contestants

I told you guys this was going to be golden. My favorite is the lady pictured, her name is Judy Berman her star quality is undeniable.

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Posted on August 10, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »The Quilts of Paula Nadelstern and the Treasures of Ulysses Davis

quilts folk art museumThe quilts of Paula Nadelstern make for a dazzling exhibit of exceptional craftsmanship at the American Folk Art Museum. You are greeted with a huge creation on the lobby level that boggles the mind. Upstairs, more vibrant quilts using different techniques are on display. The labor intensive art is even more impressive when you learn that Nadelstern, a Bronx native makes all her quilts in a small apartment as she says on her own site:

“Historians have suggested that the block-style method of quilt-making evolved in response to the cramped quarters of early American life. My family's living arrangement in an urban environment created similar considerations which, unwittingly, I resolved in much the same way. For over twenty years, my work space in our two bedroom apartment was the forty-inch round kitchen table”.

The most interesting look into the artist's craft is the segment along the hallway that shows the reverse side of the quilting, the literal toil to make such geometrically perfect images on the front. Be sure to peek into the kaleidoscopes by various artists too.

Upstairs is a much smaller, but equally fascinating, collection of hand carved wood sculptures by Southern barber Ulysses Davis. He not only captured historical and religious figures but created mythical creatures some of which would make Father Lankester Merrin tremble if he dug them up in Iraq.

Davis, who (like many folk and outsider artists) rarely sold his work,?never looked to his craft for financial gain. As he once said “They're my treasure. If I sold these, I'd be really poor.”

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Posted on June 29, 2009

Hunks »Angel Corella

Why do I mention it now?

Because I love the new shaggy do and the season is nearly over. Your last chance to see Angel are the June 23 and 27 performances of Swan Lake.

Here's what I said back on 1/9/06:

Last year, I specifically chose the “Raymonda” performance that Angel would be performing. You can see him in the upcoming season of the American Ballet Theater, including Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet.

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Posted on June 15, 2009