New York, "Just like I pictured it. Skyscrapers, and everything!" Stevie Wonder, from his song, 'Living For The City"

Can anyone in suburbia, or rural
America image what it must be like in the board rooms of huge corporations, atop the upper floors in Manhattan skyscrapers?

If it's ANYTHING like the 'streets', it goes something like this:

Pedestrian: (J-walking) (Almost hit by a car) A*****!!!
Motorist: (slams on brakes in horror) (to passenger) Some fool!
Car Behind Him: (Stops short, blows horn, as do several lined up behind him) (Waves across another stunned pedestrian).
First Pedestrianmaintaining a burning anonymity) (scurrries off)
Good Samaritan Motorist At End Of Line: (friendly, like) I'll just 'Toot, toot' my horn!(and he does, and is gone...)

One and one half minutes later, loud loud sirens pierce the cement canyons, in multiples at times, with our without multiple flashing cop cars, and the burning foul air is clear again. For the previous drama, repeats again.

And that's business, to me.

Since everything you want seems to cost something in terms of spending time looking at ads and answering intrusive or unrelated questions from plain 'enterprising' folks, I am setting my 'own price' on a few things (if you know me it's free of charge):

*a visit to the park-suffer billboards, taxi ads and the bottled water man....equals $10

*a walk ten blocks-perceive mindless store fronts...equals $5

*take ten deep breaths-have to read 'Jesus saves you' pamphlets...equals fifty cents

*drink from a fountain for thirty seconds-forced to reveal views on perilous leash laws (utilize dry humour)and discuss-why pick up the garbage, now...$1

(by the way, with every economic 'take', add or subtract a cherished belief!)

quote:

Originally posted by GoodBusiness:
Since everything you want seems to cost something in terms of spending time looking at ads and answering intrusive or unrelated questions from plain 'enterprising' folks, I am setting my 'own price' on a few things (if you know me it's free of charge):

*take ten deep breaths-have to read 'Jesus saves you' pamphlets...equals fifty cents

(by the way, with every economic 'take', add or subtract a cherished belief!)

After reading a few "Jesus Saves You" pamphlets myself, I think you should charge way, way more just to undo the psychological damage! The "title" is o.k., but just how that is explained usually has no bearing on what He actually taught. Bhudda too, taught a way to eliminate "suffering". The "way" is nearly identical...as is the suffering to be eliminated

"The Kingdom of Heaven is within you".

Retired Monk
"Ideology is a disease"

Hey you folks curious about The New York City!!
Well, it seems that even exclusive, board room, anonymous business has some nefarious purpose related to the 'Almighty Dollar'!

I have always failed to connect ANY meaningful, far-reaching city program here to peaceful ends. There ALWAYS seems to be a catch. It is ALWAYS contingent. Like the homeless program, for some non-substantial cooperation with Governor Spitzer. School safety, for some NON-EXISTENT mutual plan between the departments of education and police. Someone will ALWAYS lose!

New York City is a little nucleaus of folks, who output various goods and services in support of WAR! And ALL of our children are suffering-poor diets, education, safety conditions, and few wholesome popular gender role models.

Thom has mentioned the 'Shining Cities' image more than once. Maybe we have to decide if good cities are to be some Nazi dream, or real progressive centers of wealth and innovation!?!

A great New Yorker, the Rev. Al Sharpton, recently returned from testifying on Captiol Hill regarding national civil rights challenges. He had previously made national headlines regarding his successful appearance in Jena, LA in defence of the civil rights of Mychal Bell. After testifying, the Reverend's reaction to his Congressional reception was incredulity! There were no concrete assurances of prevention efforts against identical abrogations of civil rights, which require higher-court reversals, to be had from our Representatives.

Congress' oversight on Administration civil rights spending has been eviscerated.

Recently the U.S. Commision on Civil Rights has ceased to be concerned with how accurately the Census information reflects numbers in the African American Community; as a result proportional representation is generally ensured. The Commission has stopped efforts to ensure that federal funding to higher education is fairly and equally distributed. Since 2004, the Commission no longer assesses the economics of the Administration's requests for funding to enforce civil rights in America.

It was reported by the web-site
[URL= http://www.boston.com ]November 6, 2007 [/URL]
that in December, 2004, two Republican Commission members, separately switched their voter registration to Independent. The Commission then accepted two more Republican nominations, and the Commission is currently joined by two Democrats, two Independents, and four Republicans.

That this happened in steps does not automatically justify the conclusion of representation, for Congress has ruled for fifty years, over the Administration, that the United States Commission on Civil Rights should be in spirit composed of ...no more than equal numbers from the two parties.

Recently the Commission has overseen the appointment of Republican activists in state advisory committees, after the Committee had instituted national retroactive term-limits for state committee members. Immediately, the careers of lifetime state-civil rights leaders ended.

No previous Administration has defined a new Independent United States Civil Rights Commissioner, as the Commission is currently configured. Also, it does not seem fair that anonymous Republican activists are being accepted, and long-time state activists are being rejected, rather anonymously!!

It seems that 'unequal protection' has hit a historic low in New York City...
Two processes have fractured New York, over the last fifty years, into distinct tight-knit neighborhoods. They are economically fragile places and 'depend' upon stereotyical buying. These stilted local conditions, are lived out by real people every day under the evolved 'underworld' network of groups which ostensibly protect themselves and may have legitimacy. These processes have been: 1) the 'selling' to the world of what has become of original culture's desperate adaptation to America and, 2) The gradual withdrawal of the political oversight from these communities may have prompted or resulted in the growth of crime.
Thus, unequal protection in Thom's book, referring to our protected rights under powerful assault from corporate/economic interests, means in this and other cities perhaps, that cops are busy worrying about such things as gangs, and keeping things the way they are, rather than improving regular folks lives, and being an asset.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GoodBusiness,