New Luxury Kills Old Beauty

I know just how these two buildings feel: The new guy moves in and tries to squeeze you out with his parvenu insensitivity. (Try Trader Joe's any day of the week and see how long your ankles last after being pounded from behind by your swanky new neighbor's shopping cart.)

If the Landmark Commission really protected old New York instead of bowing down to developers we wouldn't now have two old brownstones on Lexington Avenue crumbling from the new construction between them. (Check out the serious cracks on the front of both brownstones.) But what can one do? Well, short of joining Earth First and getting one's name on the FBI's most-wanted list, one can take photographs to serve as a record for the sad piecemeal destruction of our City. And like mice laughing at elephants, we can also continue to make fun of powerful ignoramuses; we will always have petty ridicule to comfort us. Can anyone say, combover? Doughy offspring?  Wilted cuckold?

R.I.P. Leftist Elfin Tree Art

For those who can't read the sign, it says, "Total Republican Failure." What will the rural leftist tree elves do with their time once Obama has been sworn in? And how did they get this sign all the way up there in the first place? I can barely be bothered to climb a ladder to change a light bulb. Still, I like the incongruity of it. Traveling down a country road and -whoa!-what's that?! Why, it's art! I predict that since most fine artists are left-leaning, dem-like creatures and since most modern art is born out of discontent, there just won't be a whole lot for them to do for the next four years. So, check out the forest art while you can, folks.

Return of The Cuteness

The Dow is down and people are freaked out but here is proof that in some places things are getting better. Recently, physical anthropologist Sharon Gursky-Doyen rediscovered a tiny primate in central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Four inches long and weighing just two ounces, the nocturnal pygmy tarsier was long thought to be extinct. No one had seen them in over 80 years. Its reappearance reminds me of the old story of Ground Hog Day and how if the ground hog fails to see its own shadow that means that winter will soon end. Could the reemergence of our tiny cousin with the elfin hands mean something good is on the horizon? One thing that is especially cool about this creature is that it can turn its head 180º. I think that it has come out of retirement as a message to our new President: Good things can still live in this world but as Bush reportedly told Obama when he first became a Senator: You've got to watch your back.

Doors Of Brooklyn Heights

Though it's tempting to prattle on these post-election days about the symbolism of doorways and opening ourselves to new opportunities, I will spare you. There's just something nice about photos of doorways and Brooklyn Heights has some good ones:

Balcony For One, Part II: The Outer Boroughs

I actually spied a lone smoker on the 3rd floor balcony two weeks ago. He was on the phone and looked most exiled from his nouveau Brooklyn digs. The balcony became almost like a floating phone booth. It had been my contention that such a balcony was for the social outcast, the lone wolf, the hater. But, while passing below I listened hard for sounds of angst but nothing about the fellow's presence seemed misanthropic. He was mellow. Just a mellow dude smoking his cigarette and talking on the phone. Yet, something about his behavior in the confines of his small aerie made me see this architectural oddity in a new light. Perhaps it should be looked on in the same way we swaddle babies and autistics: a comforting tightness that encapsulates the individual while keeping the total amount of sensory input to a minimum. Perhaps genius strikes in such places. Or, perhaps it is just a place to get away from your pumpkins and everyone else.

R.I.P. Miriam Makeba

Pata Pata is one of the best songs to dance to. Here's a video of Miriam Makeba, a tireless entertainer, musical heroine and speaker of the truth. In this age of complacency, Makeba stands out as a true believer and supporter in the cause of justice for all people. Nothing could be more appropriate than to honor her memory today by getting out of your chair and shaking what you got and speaking up even when it might be easier to lie low.

Scottie:1, Reporter:0

As the handler says just a too late and everyone should remember with any dog, "You can't put your hand in his face." It could be that it was the annoying cooings of videographer April D. Ryan that really pushed Mr. Barney over the edge. 

And though dogs are non-partisan, it is clear that being on the losing side of things has taken its toll on the patience of the little Aberdeen.

Yes We Did

A funny thing happened on the return to democracy yesterday - we got a President and a First Family who in the course of just one day restored much dignity to our tattered nation. Even the defeated John McCain seemed like his old self and not the man we saw on the campaign trail pulling all those dead rabbits out of his hat. It was as if McCain not only yielded to Obama's victory but also as if he (if not his booing supporters) understood that the truly best man had won the race.

Beyond the noisy revelry that was Grant Park last night, for the first time in eight years decency, intelligence and true grace permeated millions of hearts and minds all at once. It was an astounding moment. Not once during his acceptance speech did Barack Obama really smile. He was serious and grounded and exemplified the ideal man for the job. He wasn't one to preen for even a moment. He knows that he has won the toughest job in the world and restoring our good American name will take many long hours and many years. My heart is filled with gratitude towards this man and also his family who have had to live without him for much of the past two years. Thank you Michelle. Thank you Malia. Thank you Sasha.