John Roleke, Queens blogger, needs your help. For all you Queens-ites, vote on the best and worst in several categories — including politics, development, neighborhoods, restaurants, sports, potholes
and other ones he wants you to come up with!
This is your chance to express your opinion!

Is LaGuardia one of the worst of Queens? photo by JeremyGoldstein/Wikimedia Commons

And I dont mean on a cost basis

If you go to NYTimes.com you get this full page banner ad for about 10 seconds before you go on to the actual home page. I use firefox with Adblock Plus (god bless the inventors behind this) and started noticing that I would get a blank page and would come to the main page only if I refreshed the page.

On checking in Chrome I get the above screenshot.

Now I would expect this overtly intrusive advertising from the likes of the TOI, but not he NYTimes.

So dear editors and publishers of NYTimes, in case you are reading this, please take this mess away. Give us our real NYTimes back.

2008-09-14 16:25:45 -0400

Originally uploaded by Atom Moore

Sunday afternoon stroll. Someone lost a heel in the middle of the sidewalk. I love New York City!

I must apologize for being absent these past couple of days — I came in here to write, and then I neglected to. It’s been a busy week: on Monday my roommate’s girlfriend, who is suffering from advanced terminal cancer (I don’t know all the details on what kind,) and who is current living with us, disappeared in Brooklyn on her way home. Six hours later she turned up, after we’d mustered the support of everyone in our circle of friends look for her. She had fainted on a doorstoop and five hours later a well-meaning soul woke her and called a cab for her to get home.

All sorts of thoughts can rush through your head during this type of situation. At one point we all were certain she was dead, and it really came down to that. She was either dead or alive, and the only thing keeping her from being dead was the kindness of the people, and we just hoped the right person was there for her.

We’d called all the hospitals, we were considering filing a missing persons’ report — but we figured the cops would have as good a chance as we did at finding her, or they wouldn’t give a damn where she was; just file that paper and go to the next call. One of my roommates and I got on our bicycles and scoured all of Williamsburg looking for her near her last known location. Thankfully she made it home soon after that — we got the call on our bikes near the Graham stop on the L, and we raced home. Thank god she made it back.

We’re all so small, and alone, and insignificant, when you really think about it. How can anyone be expected find a person in Brooklyn, really? It’s an impossible task. But it was really nice knowing that so many people came together to help try and find her.

I also want to bring your attention to the blog of another friend of mine, a current cancer fighter himself: Ezra of Fastboy Bicycles. A former dance instructor, resident of Harlem, maker of bicycles, and a really awesome guy. His writing is really inspiring, and well, it’s worth the read.

Teaching Cancer to Cry

Ezra

Courtesy of Acuweather

Tropical storm Hanna is estimated to hit New York tonight, meaning that it’s time to break out your heavy duty umbrella (i.e. not the $3 chinatown one) for this rare occasion that you’ll need it. Personally, I don’t intend to bike across the Williamsburg bridge, go swimming in the east river, or anything equally daring this evening, for fear of being washed away. Tonight might be a nice one to stay in, crack open a bottle of vodka, and cheers to the fact that you’ve got somewhere nice and cozy to dry off in — after we spend an estimated three hours searching Bushwick for tonic this afternoon, we certainly will enjoy the warmth and dryness.

ESTIMATED STORM PATH

SATELLITE OF STORM

I saw these flowers growing on the side of the road near Queensboro Plaza. We’d decided to walk along the 7 train’s route from Sunnyside to the Queensboro stop, a largely industrial area. Right next to a parking lot, we saw these plants, sprouting up like weeds.

Photo from thesupermelon.com

Reading Lucky magazine (one of my guilty pleasures), I came across a blurb about a new boutique opening up in Soho: Eryn Brinie. A popular chain store in Korea, this US newcomer has cashmere knits and ethereal looking tops for $50 – $150 (not bad compared to most boutiques in the area). Intrigued by the clothes and the price, I looked at their website and fell in love with the artsy and ultra-femme style. I had to check it out.

I walked down to Soho after work, eager to see these garments in person . But when I got to the store, I sadly found that it is not yet open! Just a sign for it, saying August 2008 with a picture of more beautiful clothes.

Later I did some research online and found that the store apparently opens on August 21st. I may have to go there on opening day.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the famous (and last) blackout of 2003. We were at work and trudged back on foot from Cooper Square to Clinton Hill in Brooklyn.

Things have not changed too much since the last blackout. Bush is still in power and energy policies are next to non-existant. Hopefully 2009 will bring about the much needed change.

You can get a ticket to see Pearl Jam on June 24 or 25 at Madison Square Garden, while supporting a progressive candidate for US Senate. Steve Novick is a liberal progressive candidate for Congress from Oregon. He is being endorsed by a group of musicians, including Stone Gossard, guitarist for Pearl Jam. Other musicians in support of Novick are Rufus Wainwright, Michael Stipe of REM, and Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie.

Some of the issues that Steve Novick has taken strong stands on are the environment, marriage equality, and net neutrality. A donation of $250, $400. or $700, will get you a ticket to the Pearl Jam concert. Donations must be paid through the Novick for US Senate site.

Today marked a rather grim anniversary: 5 years of the Iraq war. I attended a candle-lit vigil hosted by MoveOn in Madison Square Park. At first, only a humble number gathered to show their support for the anti-war cause. But then the group grew to a sizeable crowd, despite the stormy weather.

I spoke to one representative from MoveOn, who passionately told me her reasons for being against the war. She pointed out that America had now been engaged in the Iraq war for longer than World War II, certainly a disturbing thought. Another MoveOn representative carried a rather emotional sign, stating “I want my brother out of Iraq.” She gave a heartfelt speech which described the horrific conditions that soldiers are forced to endure in Iraq, including inadequate equipment, poor medical supplies, and low quality food and water. She said that she’d even had to buy her brother a gas mask. She called out to the crowd that if you support our troops, you are against the war – a statement met with cheers and applause.

The protest continued with volunteers from the crowd reading stories submitted to MoveOn about personal experiences with the Iraq war from soldiers and their loved ones. The message through these tales was clear – bring troops home to their loved ones and give them the care that they need. Many of these emotional excerpts stressed how money spent on the Iraq war should be spent on domestic education, health care, and care for veterans. The protest ended with people singing “Stop the war” to the tune of Taps.