If you've ever been to the city, then you know there are those strange days when it rains and rains, and the clouds are pale, and there is a blue tint to the whole city. And even though everything is wet and leaking and streets are nothing more then big puddles, there is an awesome anxiousness in the air. The city seems to be seaped in a nervous twitter, as if something is about to happen, and there is a sharpness to the stranger's eye, and a wonderful scent in the air.
My story takes place on one of those nights. It was Friday night, and at the time I was working as a reporter for the City Herald. I was young, and they had put me on the worst possible assignments -- putting together the police blotters, and if I had a moments of peace, then maybe they would allow me to edit the horoscopes. It was a horrible job, and I looked forward to each Friday night with so much happiness that today it is hard to explain.
As always, my girlfriend Misty would meet me outside the Herald's office. She worked only a few blocks away, and it made sense that we would go home together.
On the subway home, she asked me how my day was. I had an espcially bad day at work that day.
Anyway, it was Friday night in October, and I was heading home from work. Usually I would just go home to my girlfriend, but that night I had an especially bad day at work. On my way home I decided to get off two stops earlier
Monday, September 1, 2008
The God and the Devil
I had always wanted to be a Buddhist Monk. Ever since I was a young boy growing up in Queens, I knew that the city life was not for me. I needed peace and calm. I needed to be on a higher plain. Much further above the rest. Plus, Buddhism was coming into fashion around this time, and I found that telling women that you were into Buddhism often allowed you to enter their higher plain.
Since I was a little kid I wanted to be a Buddhist monk. I remember once, going home from school, sucking on an icy, when I saw an old bald man walking down the street with a silken red robe. He seemed so peaceful, so calm, so happy. All around him there was a crazy life -- taxis speeding by, age and death, dirt, gangs, whatever -- and he had this simple almost dumb look on his face. I was enchanted, I wanted to be like him.
Later I found out that he wasn't a Buddhist monk, but the mentally ill neighbor Jose Pardosa.. But still, I think you get my point.
I wanted to be at peace, and all around me nobody else wanted it. Everyone on my block was either Catholic, or Jewish, or Methodist, or something like that. I was the only nineteen year old who was telling everyone that I was a Buddhist. I thought that I was the only one who wanted to sit for hours and mediditate, to sit delve hard into the rose of eternity's bliss.
At around this time Buddhism was coming into fashion around this time, and I found that telling young women that you were a Buddhist often allowed you to delve hard into their rose as well.
But after all the fun and games, I finally decided to abandon my rent controlled apartment in Queens, and do something sane -- move to Tibet where I can medidate with the Dalai Lama.
Little did I know that the Dalai Lama had been exiled from Tibet since he was a little kid. Apparently it was common knowledge.
Since I was a little kid I wanted to be a Buddhist monk. I remember once, going home from school, sucking on an icy, when I saw an old bald man walking down the street with a silken red robe. He seemed so peaceful, so calm, so happy. All around him there was a crazy life -- taxis speeding by, age and death, dirt, gangs, whatever -- and he had this simple almost dumb look on his face. I was enchanted, I wanted to be like him.
Later I found out that he wasn't a Buddhist monk, but the mentally ill neighbor Jose Pardosa.. But still, I think you get my point.
I wanted to be at peace, and all around me nobody else wanted it. Everyone on my block was either Catholic, or Jewish, or Methodist, or something like that. I was the only nineteen year old who was telling everyone that I was a Buddhist. I thought that I was the only one who wanted to sit for hours and mediditate, to sit delve hard into the rose of eternity's bliss.
At around this time Buddhism was coming into fashion around this time, and I found that telling young women that you were a Buddhist often allowed you to delve hard into their rose as well.
But after all the fun and games, I finally decided to abandon my rent controlled apartment in Queens, and do something sane -- move to Tibet where I can medidate with the Dalai Lama.
Little did I know that the Dalai Lama had been exiled from Tibet since he was a little kid. Apparently it was common knowledge.
Hurricanes of West and East -- Russia, Gustav, and the West.
by ALEXANDER MALINA, New York City
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 - Labor Day in the United States today is a sour one. The American South is being hit hard by raging Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall early today. Slamming into the coast at 110 mph, Gustav shyly missed New Orleans, relieving worries of many who feared the repeate of Hurricane Katrina.
The Hurricane has put a cloud over the Republican convention in St. Paul. On August 31, President Bush had stated that he would not attend the convention, and some had even questioned if the convention should be held, in light of an upcoming national tradgedy like a hurricane, which would disrupt so many peoples lives.
It is interesting to look at the possible outcomes of the convention this year, being that it's being held during the rage of one of the most powerful hurricanes in recent years. Three years ago, Hurricane Katrina re-inforced many peoples beliefs, and fanned some new ones, of the Republican party's lack of action and compassion for the people of New Orleans.
The disasters of Hurricane Gustav could rekindle the awful memories of the Republicans and the Bush administartion.
At the same time, however, at a time of a national tradgedy, the Republicans typically have been able to step up their nationalistic rehetoric and garner favorability. The hurricane could in fact help the convention in St. Paul, if the Republicans play the game right.
We'll have to wait and see what happens. But I have a strange feeling that the Republicans will use the disaster to their advantage as much as possible.
While the Hurrican rages in the South, another storm is gathering in the East. Russia is once again on many of the worlds leading papers headlines with the words "punish" and "cold war" somewhere within the article.
Apparently the European Union is under great pressure to punish Russia for its actions in George which began on August 8th.
Many Western countries feel that the problem arose when Russia decided to "invade" the independant nation for its own interests. The truth somewhat different, however, and it was perhaps only once aired on national television.
For some time two regions of Georgia have been trying to break away -- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The regions are associated with Russia, and about 90% of the population of South Ossetia holds Russian passports.
For over 16 years the region of South Ossetia lived in a quasi state of independance. It wasn't until August that Georgian forces went in, with a full-scale military attack, killing Russian peackeepers and Russian citizens. It was then in reaction to such an invasino of semi-independant territory with a large Russian contingency, that the Russian military went into the region on August 8, 2008.
In response the West became incredibly alarmed at the situation. And this is because they need Georgia -- Georgia is an incredibly important player in only one sense, that it's neighbors with Russia and it has an important pipeline.
If the West can get a pro-Western state at the foot of Russia where they can land their military bases, then the goal of outwinning Russia is complete.
We must look at who is really at war here. Russia vs. Georgia? Russia vs. the West? No. The true answer is Russia vs. The United States. Because the whole "Rose Revolution" of Georgia was nothing more than a CIA theater show, very well recieved, but very poorly produced.
The current President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, was basically trained by the State Department. After graduated from Kiev State University in Ukraine, he was drafted by the State Departemnt and "educated" at the most elite universities in the country -- Harvard and Columbia.
When going back to Georgia, he somehow had friends in very high places, and soon enough he was heading the "Rose Revolution."
After coming into power, his government became a small United States operating in Georgia. The ideas of the free market and neo-conservatism were the high wisdom of the state of affairs, and the president of Georgia became very friendly with the President of the United States.
Now we see what's happening quite clearly. The interests of the Americans are coming into full view, and the world, like a an obedient lapdog, bows.
There is not one single comentator on any webiste, not even the super-left, that has come out to shed light on the true situation, and the Americans have the same interests in Georgia as they do in the Middle East.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 - Labor Day in the United States today is a sour one. The American South is being hit hard by raging Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall early today. Slamming into the coast at 110 mph, Gustav shyly missed New Orleans, relieving worries of many who feared the repeate of Hurricane Katrina.
The Hurricane has put a cloud over the Republican convention in St. Paul. On August 31, President Bush had stated that he would not attend the convention, and some had even questioned if the convention should be held, in light of an upcoming national tradgedy like a hurricane, which would disrupt so many peoples lives.
It is interesting to look at the possible outcomes of the convention this year, being that it's being held during the rage of one of the most powerful hurricanes in recent years. Three years ago, Hurricane Katrina re-inforced many peoples beliefs, and fanned some new ones, of the Republican party's lack of action and compassion for the people of New Orleans.
The disasters of Hurricane Gustav could rekindle the awful memories of the Republicans and the Bush administartion.
At the same time, however, at a time of a national tradgedy, the Republicans typically have been able to step up their nationalistic rehetoric and garner favorability. The hurricane could in fact help the convention in St. Paul, if the Republicans play the game right.
We'll have to wait and see what happens. But I have a strange feeling that the Republicans will use the disaster to their advantage as much as possible.
While the Hurrican rages in the South, another storm is gathering in the East. Russia is once again on many of the worlds leading papers headlines with the words "punish" and "cold war" somewhere within the article.
Apparently the European Union is under great pressure to punish Russia for its actions in George which began on August 8th.
Many Western countries feel that the problem arose when Russia decided to "invade" the independant nation for its own interests. The truth somewhat different, however, and it was perhaps only once aired on national television.
For some time two regions of Georgia have been trying to break away -- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The regions are associated with Russia, and about 90% of the population of South Ossetia holds Russian passports.
For over 16 years the region of South Ossetia lived in a quasi state of independance. It wasn't until August that Georgian forces went in, with a full-scale military attack, killing Russian peackeepers and Russian citizens. It was then in reaction to such an invasino of semi-independant territory with a large Russian contingency, that the Russian military went into the region on August 8, 2008.
In response the West became incredibly alarmed at the situation. And this is because they need Georgia -- Georgia is an incredibly important player in only one sense, that it's neighbors with Russia and it has an important pipeline.
If the West can get a pro-Western state at the foot of Russia where they can land their military bases, then the goal of outwinning Russia is complete.
We must look at who is really at war here. Russia vs. Georgia? Russia vs. the West? No. The true answer is Russia vs. The United States. Because the whole "Rose Revolution" of Georgia was nothing more than a CIA theater show, very well recieved, but very poorly produced.
The current President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, was basically trained by the State Department. After graduated from Kiev State University in Ukraine, he was drafted by the State Departemnt and "educated" at the most elite universities in the country -- Harvard and Columbia.
When going back to Georgia, he somehow had friends in very high places, and soon enough he was heading the "Rose Revolution."
After coming into power, his government became a small United States operating in Georgia. The ideas of the free market and neo-conservatism were the high wisdom of the state of affairs, and the president of Georgia became very friendly with the President of the United States.
Now we see what's happening quite clearly. The interests of the Americans are coming into full view, and the world, like a an obedient lapdog, bows.
There is not one single comentator on any webiste, not even the super-left, that has come out to shed light on the true situation, and the Americans have the same interests in Georgia as they do in the Middle East.
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