Happy Festivus (no airing of grievances here) and a Merry New Year!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Ah, this is a great time for celebrating. The colder weather--at least here in the northeast--requires a cozy atmosphere. The winter solstice just took place, so the "new sun" will rise higher and higher for the next 6 months, but every season is nice to experience... all because our earth wobbles like a drunkard! ha!

Enjoy life and don't waste your time with pettiness and unnecessary grief.

A Test of Citizenship

I've been debating with myself whether to post something so serious here at the Casual Cafe, but I'm really disturbed by the continuous violence in Greece. I wrote about this elsewhere, but then my fellow blogger, Doctor [who also has a couple posts on this subject], sent me a link with these pictures...

It's easy to have an emotional reaction to all this, but some deeper thinking is required. What are the causes of this mayhem? Why is it necessary for young (?) Greeks to demand their rights by trampling on the rights of others? Of course, I understand the frustration and anger, but employing such methods of violence?...

I don't live in Greece, so I writing this from abroad and trying to understand what's going on there. I've been asked by my friends, What do those Greeks want? I'm not sure I know the answer. What makes thousands yell, "pigs, murderers" (at the police), and "the state is the biggest terrorist"? Isn't the state of, by, and for the people? Is Greece under foreign occupation? The police represents the state. The police may be a manifestation of the state's incompetence, so it's in everyone's interest to reform it. But, when people demand change by destroying private and public property and putting lives at risk isn't a civilized way in my opinion to ask for improvements.

The killing of the 15-year old was not the reason for the revolt & destruction but it the trigger. I didn't see what most Greeks don't really know what happened when a number of youngster threw stuff at the police. I'm withholding my judgment until we know what happened between the police and the victim. The Greek police is ill-trained and serves as the convenient target of both the public & the government! As for the incident, a bunch of teenagers can be dangerous, so although I'm deeply sadened by the death of the 15 year old, I also accept the principle of self-defense. Many horrible wars & mass killings in Africa showed that children-soldiers can be deadly. Ballistic tests indicate the bullet ricocheted [Kathimerini] No well-trained police fires bullets into the air to scare of demonstrators, but if the Greek police did that in self defense, then the motive is different than murder.

Likewise, Prime Minister Karamanlis declaring, shortly after the incident, "there will be no leniency" for the policeman who shot the kid is a ridiculous statement. The PM and his government aren't in charge of the courts, are they? The police represents the state and if they're incompetent it reflects on his own government. At best, the government through the prosecutor can ask for certain penalties but it should be up to the court to decide what happened and evaluate the circumstances. The PM should wait for an official inquiry before he makes his judgment. Leniency should depend on the circumstances I reckon.

On the other hand, he should also make sure that the police are trained very well, because "firing in the air" to scare the protesters isn’t a technique used by well-trained police! Likewise, it’s appalling that the Greek police beat up the arrested persons. This is another example of an ill-trained force. The Greek government(s)are ultimately responsible for this.

Shifting the blame may be convenient but every citizen should look him/herself in the mirror first. Good parenting is necessary. For example, what were those youngsters doing skirmishing with the police? Good citizenship means being polite to your fellow human beings, that you do not litter, that you protect the forests, the sea and the environment--your own place where you live, your country. Oh, and that you show up on time and perform your duties to the best of your ability.

Little children, immature as they are, sometimes hate their parents but at the same time want them to solve all their problems. Some adults, too, behave like children: they hate the state but demand it solves all their problems!

Certain societies operate by solving their political differences with bullets. Violence against the current government? Sure, but such behavior sets the tone for the next one too. The hard question is this: assuming Greece is not under foreign occupation, what are those qualities that make some countries perform so much better, are more efficient, there’s less corruption, and their people record higher levels of happiness?

PS> I'm including the following because some of the responses to my editorial spoke about "enemies"(foreign and domestic), conspiracies, illegal aliens, etc.

I’m afraid that Greece isn’t being threatened by external enemies as much as from internal problems.The latest events are not the result of foreign enemies, illegal aliens, and a few anarchists. The violence spread all over Greece. If, indeed, those agents are present everywhere and are able to inflict this, then those enemies have won already.

Post-turkey Stuff(ings)

These pictures are from The Ramble, which is located at the mid-section of the park, near the American Museum of Natural History. By the way, the museum has a new exhibit on global warming. It's been a couple years since I last visited, so it's time to go back. I did the Met recently (if anyone can say that in one visit), and the MOMA is on my list too.

Did you get up at 3 am to find those sales bargains? It's amazing how people get caught up in this... I mean, to form a line outside a store at 4 in the morning--in the middle of the night for me--it's unbelievable. In NY a Walmart employee got killed and several others got injured by the invading hordes! They broke down the doors! Incredible.

Human psychology is intriguing. On EBay, for example, I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 750 GPS for $40 less than the current bidding. The same company sells the same product for less, on Ebay the same day too, but when it puts the same item up for bidding, it sells for lots more!

Instead of hitting the stores for bargains, I made some money buying Dell and Apple (again) stock on line.Well, I haven't made any money yet, because I'm holding on to these stocks, but they're up in value. The market had its best week in decades after a huge decline. Go figure. I think the market will up again early in next week and then will go down as the shopping craziness subsides. People are hurting because of the economy, and those on the cusp are worried about their future. The result is spending less on stuff we don't need but want.

On Thanksgiving day, New York city is delightful as long as you avoid the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. I mean the parade is nice for kids, but unless you're into this kind of stuff--huge balloons of childhood characters--it's best you enjoy the relatively quiet city. Not much traffic either. Try it on Xmas day and New Year's. Go to Central Park which is a treasure and free to enjoy.

Pass the Gravy, please... Happy Thanksgiving!

I figured that if I have something to be thankful for, then this life is worth it. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because for me it has a more universal value, not much commercialism, and not overly religious. Even those who don't pray to a supreme being can express thanks to those who make our lives better. That's more practical and beneficial. As a matter of fact, I'd rather see more of helping each other than devote untold energy, resources, and time to imaginary deities--as if they actually care about what happens in this remote corner of the universe. Let me take this opportunity to say a big thank you to those who have enriched my life. You are appreciated.



So, even if the turkey tastes like cardboard, and the family picks this day to showcase disfunctionality, and that you have to work on Friday, and that you must get in the middle of the night to catch those 4 am super sales, and that you can't retire before 2054, I hope you have a wonderful day. Make it an attitude to be happy and enjoy the moment. If you don't get enough this day, you can do it all over again for xmas soon!



Enjoy!

Halloween Parade, New York City, 2008 (part 2)

This year, the Halloween parade attracted lots of people on a Friday night with rather warm temperatures for the season. I took lots of pictures, from the staging area, starting at around 6 pm, to the end of the parade at 23rd Street around 10 pm. Yes, of course, it was lots of fun, so if you haven't experience this, you should.




Apparently Richard Simons is cloned..

It's only paint, folks, move on now...

I thought this costume (psst, the one below) and the character was great, expressing this year's theme: GHOST.

Fun for all ages..

Getting Political

Most New Yorkers, especially those who came to the parade, support BO, but Mac and Sarah did make an appearance too...

Lots of Floats, Rockin..




Another seance, and floating objects..

Nice Scary Movies at the IFC

playing for ghosts and the living alike...

Isn't this quite artistic?

All good things come an end, so enjoy the journey as long as it lasts....

The police decided mid-parade to ask these girls to cover up their breasts. So, the moral story is, if you want to watch the parade try to line up as near as Spring Street as you can, because apparently the people (and the police) get more sensive north of 14th Street!
Halloween-NYC

Halloween 2008 in New York (part 1)

I guess one of the better holidays for kids is Halloween. It's the candy and the costumes for most kids, and some mischief for the older ones. In the US, Halloween is a multi-billion dollar holiday, second only to xmas! For those outside the US, think carnival--which has a different connotation here--a world holiday almost non-existent in the US. OK, the parades here are tame compared to those in Rio or in some European cities, but it's the costumes and the decorations since the beginning of the month that add to the atmosphere of ghoul.

Halloween falls on the 31st of October every year, but this year is of Friday, and every time it falls on a weekend it's so much bigger. I'll try to go see the Halloween parade in the Village in Manhattan. I haven't been there in a very long time, but it's a riot. If I go, I'll take pictures to share with you here.

Actually this is one of the most beautiful seasons in the Northeast because of the gorgeous colors and crisp air in the outdoors. As we get closer to the end of the month, more and more people & businesses decorate for this weird holiday. Most people don't know what the hell this is all about, but how many people who observe Xmas actually know much about that holiday?!... (very few know... but this is another topic a couple months in the future).

[to be continued.....]

THIS IS SCARY to me:


Some conservative Christians are praying to a false idol in Wall Street, NY, so that the market will turn up! OK, they're asking their God to fix the markets so their financial portfolios improve. When I spoke to Zeus, he told me to have a word with Dionysus first and take his advice! Hmm, I wonder what it'll be....



And, how can we forget politics?!! This is another low blow from the pious Republicans...

Weekend Outings in NY

A pace for spiritual experiences

We've had a glorious weekend in the northeast and I took advantage of the great weather. These are some of the views I enjoyed.


I'm afraid to disclose this location even if it's way to the north of NYC, because I think the secret about this jewel is getting out and already there are too many people visiting...

I took these two pictures at dusk while driving around Mohonk Lake, NY.

And these are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue.

Whenever the roof is open I go up there even for a few minutes. Usually they have something going on besides the martinis... These pieces are by Jeff Koons. He likes kitch.

An interior balcony from Medieval times. I'm not a big fan of that period's art. Usually it's too much religion, too drab, too uninspiring. There are exceptions obviously...