Son passati 29 anni… ma come ogni anno da quel maledetto 8 dicembre 1980, persone di varie lingue e culture si sono ritrovate in quella zona di Central Park, strawberry fields appunto, per rendere omaggio a Lennon. Ancora nel pomeriggio c’erano fan, passanti occasionali, turisti, tutti intorno a quello splendido mosaico (dono, stranissimo ma vero, italiano) a cantare canzoni del Beatles. Per chi non l’ha mai visto non aspettatevi un monumento o altro, è un semplice mosaico in linea retta con il Dakota, spesso vi si trovano deposti dei fiori, dei petali a formare il simbolo della pace o altro.
E’ affascinante e triste al tempo stesso, non mi soffermo a dire Lennon era bravo, era un santo ecc. non mi interessa, a me interessa la sua musica, mi affascina come dopo quasi 30anni ci siano persone che si ritrovano a cantare le sue canzoni, le canzoni dei Beatles tutti insieme, tutte l’età.

In questo periodo dell’anno ci sono due sue canzoni che sentiamo spesso, Imagine e Happy Xmas (War is over), le trovo entrambe molto belle ma al tempo stesso tristissime, non nascondo che quest’ultima mi fa venire un groppo in gola ogni volta che l’ascolto, anche ora che sto scrivendo questo articolo è in play sul mio iPod…

Consiglio vivissimo, quando venite a NY per la prima volta, non ammazzatevi come turisti ciechi in visite cortissime a cose da cartolina per dire “OK ho visto New York”, tenetevi una giornata per andare al Central Park. Compratevi una piantina del parco e giratelo a piedi, assaporate la sua atmosfera, ascoltate i suoi suoni, i suoi rumori, meglio se lo fate nel weekend con le strade interne chiuse al traffico. Andate da Sud a Nord, da Est ad Ovest, è un’esperienza unica ne vale la pena credetemi, se poi ci scappa un’acquazzone non correte, aspettate che spiova e sentite il profumo fresco della pioggia appena caduta, delle foglie bagnate. Se ci venite a giugno del prossimo anno eccovi una piccola chicca, il grande Al Pacino reciterà il Mercante di Venezia (sempre nel personaggio di Shylock, come nell’omonimo film) nella manifestazione estiva Shakespeare in the Park.

Gustatevi i musei che questa città offre, andate ad Ellis Island passateci tutto il tempo necessario per capire cosa succedeva a quelli che venivano qui negli anni dell’immigrazione, poi se volete fate i turisti ammazzatevi sulla 5ta Strada, uscite pazzi da Macy’s, ma tenetevelo per ultimo, credetemi NY va vista a piedi, passo dopo passo. Ci sono zone che non potete manco immaginare, quartieri magici che non vedrete mai se il vostro venire a NY rimane confinato nello shopping compulsivo.

Ora permettetemi alcuni piccoli consigli, presi pari pari dalla voce narrante di Danny DeVito:

“…non perdete tempo con l’invidia, a volte sarete in testa, a volte indietro la corsa è lunga ed alla fine sarà solo con voi stessi…

…ricordatevi i complimenti che ricevete, scordatevi gli insulti, se ci riuscirete veramente ditemi come si fa…

…rilassatevi, non sentitevi in colpa se non sapete cosa volete fare della vostra vita, le persone più interessanti che conosco a 22 anni non sapevano che fare della loro vita i 40enni più interessanti che conosco ancora non lo sanno…”

The Big Kauna, di John Swanbeck, USA 1999

Fidatevi di queste parole, io sono uno di quei 40enni (quasi…) che ancora non sanno cosa fare della loro vita, e questo credetemi è l’essenza del vivere, il non sentirsi arrivati, l’avere sempre un sogno da conquistare.

What is this famous landmark?

This could be an interesting geography or history bell ringer.  What are these famous sites pictured above?

Answer below the fold.

Here’s the explanation from the European Space Agency (ESA):

18 August 2006
This Proba image highlights Liberty Island and Ellis Island in the New York Harbour. Liberty State Park is located to the left of Liberty and Ellis, and New Jersey is located at the top left. Manhattan is seen at the top right, and Governor’s Island is seen at the bottom right.

The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island (the oval-shaped island seen in the bottom centre). Many immigrants from around the world were greeted by the statue in the 1800s on their way to nearby Ellis Island (the island directly above Liberty Island) to become citizens.

More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954, when the facility closed. Immigration reached its peak in 1907 when nearly 12,000 individuals were processed each day. Over 100 million Americans, approximately 40 percent, can trace their heritage to an ancestor who came through Ellis Island.

Di Verrazzano, an Italian, was the first European to explore the New York Harbour in 1524. But Dutch explorer Henry Hudson, who explored it around 1609, is credited with bringing Europeans to the area. The Dutch settled in New Amsterdam, which is now known as New York City.

In 1664, the Dutch lost New Amsterdam to the British despite the Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant having had a 731-metre wall built across the northern end of the populated portion of the island to defend off attackers. The British avoided the wall by attacking from sea. Today, this part of the island is known as Wall Street. New Amsterdam was renamed New York by the English after James, Duke of York.

Proba’s High Resolution Camera (HRC) acquired this image from 600 kilometres above the Earth’s surface on 1 August 2006. The HRC is a black and white camera that incorporates a miniature Cassegrain telescope, giving it far superior spatial resolution than the human eye.

Proba (Project for On Board Autonomy) is an ESA micro-satellite launched in October 2001 as a technology demonstrator, but it is now operated as an ESA Earth Observation Third Party Mission.

It might make a good comparison for an early map of Manhattan’s southern tip, also.  You might use it as an introduction to Gibbons v. Ogden.

How else can you use it?

Looking at the Statue of Liberty from the water, south of Liberty Island looking north up the Hudson River. Photo from Aviewoncities.com

OK, let’s see what I’ve got in the queue today. Hmmm… debt consolidation. A $4,000 line of credit. An invitation to meet Cherice tonight and flirt over the phone. Things are looking up for ‘ol Ed Honcho, baby!

Q: So that we may prey on your biases, who are your favorite teams? And don’t wimp out and give us some politically correct hooey. We want answers!

- Mick McMike, Point Roberts, Washington

A: You’ve stumbled upon one of my weaknesses, Mick. Actually, more than one. First, your use of the word “hooey”. I’ll never be able to refuse a question that incorporates it so expertly. For instance, take this sentence: Senator Jones regaled the gathering with standard political terminology causing most of the crowd to fall asleep. Now, listen to it like this: Senator Jones regaled the gathering with standard political hooey causing most of the crowd to fall asleep. The former? Typically boring, technically proficient styling. The latter? I don’t know… there’s something to it, right? It has a little kick, like it’s been sprinkled with crushed red pepper. Chalk it up to hooey… not as it’s defined, but as it’s used… as a word. I encourage all of you to go out and spread the word, literally, of hooey.

As for my favorite teams, I am going to spout some politically correct hooey… I’m a journalist now, damnet… admittedly, more pseudo than actual… nonetheless, I need to start exhibiting some professionalism and impartiality. So I won’t reveal my biases, though I will give some clues. Most of my favorite teams demonstrate comedic levels of ineptitude. And I’m not talking about that G-Rated Bill Cosby stuff, or the harmless shenanigans of Gallagher… no, I’m talking Raw-era Eddie Murphy stuff, or Chapelle’s Show level rollicking. Dare I say it, they’ve gone Richard Pryor on my ass. If I weren’t such a fan, it would be uproarious. That should at least give you a start.

Q: What kind of a name is Ed Honcho?

- Wendell Bundlebotham, Vickerstown, Cumbria, England

A: My family originally comes from the Latorca region of what is today Bereg county in eastern Hungary. My great great great grandfather, Fessler Hunszas, entered Ellis Island on January 3rd, 1892, where he was given the name Wesley Honcho. And so it was that the Honchos came to America. As for Ed, my mother was hooked on Mr. Ed reruns when I was born. Other than my good buddy Secretariat Jones, I’m the only one I know named after a horse. I do take sort of a twisted pride in it, yes.

Q: You’re like a film/music critic trashing somebody’s art without ever having tried it yourself. I bet you’ve never played a sport in your life.

- Wally Wednesday, Little Elm, Texas

A: Can we get the questions in the form of questions, please? I don’t ask for much… just everything you’ve got plus 53%… and still you torture me with your incompetence. Am I asking  too much? Should I scale it back? I mean, I thought you could give that much. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was wrong.

And I was about to defend myself against these heinously false allegations, when I thought to myself… why? I’m Ed Honcho. EMFH. Why should I stoop to mentioning my state championships and MVP awards? Why should I belittle my accomplishments… accomplishments such as my All-American award, and national championships… by using them to defend myself against someone that goes by Wally Wednesday? Why should I use my Espy, and my Heisman Trophy, and my Nobel Athletics Award, to prove myself to you? And you know what? I didn’t have a good answer for myself, so I’m not gonna do it. Next question.

Q: Try this on for size; Ben Johnson is to integrity as Ed Honcho is to ________.

- Archer Daubee, Discovery Bay, California

A: Annoying posters who don’t phrase their questions in the form of questions. That is to say, I treat it like a bitch. Now that’s some top-notch language twisting there!

Q: English Premier League, ten years hence… is there still a Big Four?

- Buford Buckley, Semmes, Alabama

A: Yes, but it might not be the same four teams. The issue here, is that the EPL has four Champions League spots. As long as that’s the case, it’s going to create a system that allows four teams to dominate. Does Manchester City enter that foursome? I don’t know. Aston Villa? Maybe. Everton? Could be, though it seems less likely by the day. Tottenham Hotspur? God I hope not. Nothing against Spurs, everything against ‘Arry. But once one of those teams breaks through (and it will happen, that I guarantee), the snowball effect kicks in. Signing new, better players becomes easier. Selling tickets, shirts, various scarves and other knick-knacks becomes easier. Making money becomes easier. Conversely (but related), the team that misses out on the Champions League begins to lose players, and those players have to be replaced with inferior players, as quality players want to play in the Champions League, etc… etc… It’s a slippery slope, and it helps to maintain England’s big four.

Q: Is your fantasy football team really 3-7 this year?

- Joseph J. Levine, Austin, Texas

A: Pffffft. What? Please. Where did you hear that? That’s ridiculous. An expert like myself, 3-7. The very idea is laughable… but… let’s just say I was 3-7… and I’m not, cause that would be ridiculous… but let’s just say, hypothetically, that I was. It would only be because I was getting completely screwed by injuries and matchups. Like, and again, this is hypothetical… like having the 4th highest points in the league but playing the wrong teams. Or losing by 2, 4, 3, 7, 2 and 8 points. Or stupid Greg Jennings playing more like Jonathan Jennings. Or Jason Witten doing his best Kyle-Brady-but-worse impersonation. Or Beanie Wells fumbling. Or Eddie Royal sucking. Or Ryan Grant becoming decidedly average for a 3rd round pick!…. All hypothetically, of course. But wow, you’ve got me steamed just thinking about what that would be like. The idea is so preposterous that… you know what, this mailbag’s over, yo.

Today is not just Constitution Day in Azerbaijan.  It will not merely be remembered as the day that Voyager I flew by Saturn.  Hopefully it will not only be remembered as the day Charles Manson was born!  It’s a monumental day for so many reasons.  Follow me down this brief November 12th timeline:

0607: Boniface III ends his reign as Catholic Pope (Thank God!)

1859: Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris) He also designed garment that bears his name

1897: Karl Marx was born

1927: Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

1936: Oakland Bay Bridge opens

1954: Ellis Island closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892

1955: Date Martin Seamus McFly returned to in “Back to the Future” and “Back to the Future II”

1983: A beautiful, wide-eyed baby boy (destined for greatness) was born to Tina L. Gonzales and Kyle B. Owens

1997: Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

2004: Resignation of Colin Powell as Secretary of State

2006: Gerald R. Ford surpassed Ronald Reagan as the longest-lived U.S. president at 93 years and 121 days (And then promptly died the following month.)

2008: Same-sex marriages began in Connecticut, a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that gays had the right to wed.

Happy Birthday: Maximilian von Weichs (1881), Karl Marx (1897), Charles Manson (1934), Al Michaels (1944), Sammy Sosa (1968), Tonya Harding (1970), Anne Hathaway (1982), Omarion (1984)

I do:

My grandfather was Karnig Kalpakian (Dr. John Karnig) and his father was Dr. Janik Kalpakian. In 1920, they escaped the killings in Marash, Turkey, that claimed the lives of my great grandmother Mary Mesrobian, as well as the lives of my great aunts Anais and Armenouhi. During the Ottoman Turks’ mass deportation of the Armenians, Mary Mesrobian’s entire family, with the exception of her brother Kevork, were deported “to the deserts of Arabia” (as my grandfather wrote in his letter to our family).

Janik, a dentist, was the son of Dr. Aboujhon Kuzujian, a prominent medical doctor from Aintab who migrated to Marash. The family name was officially changed from Kuzujian to Kalpakleoglou or Karnoug (in Armenian) when my great-great grandfather received a Kalpak (Persian lamb hat) as an honor from the Sultan of Turkey. Dr. Kuzujian was recognized as a hero for saving the lives of children during an epidemic in Marash that took the lives of many children.

My grandfather and great grandfather were among the ‘lucky’ victims of the Ottoman Turks. Leaving everything behind, they survived. Starting off in a horse-drawn carriage to Aintab, Janik and Karnig set out on their journey to safer shores in America. From Aintab they traveled to Aleppo (Syria); then to Beirut (Lebanon), then on to Jerusalem, and finally to Alexandria, Egypt—where they waited to immigrate to America. In 1923, Karnig, together with his father, new stepmother and a new baby brother, finally arrived at Ellis Island in New York.

I promise to share much more of the details of Karnig’s story, but first I need your help:

Please forward this blog link to all Armenians you know:

http://armeniangenocideblog.wordpress.com

Help us respond to the Armenia-Turkey Protocols call for an investigation into our history. We need your family names, stories, pictures, oral personal histories and video testimonials. We are also seeking translators and research assistants to help us with this worldwide Armenian Genocide documentation effort.

Please enter your comments (through the comment link below) or send an email to: armeniangenocide@ymail.com.

Thank you!

I’ve been M.I.A. from the blog world for about a week because I’ve been busy making money (hallelujah for temp jobs) and playing tour guide Barbie (my mom and I saw pretty much all of Manhattan in a 7 day period). But I’m back and excited to be doing a fashion-specific post. 

I followed this woman about a block out of my way while attempting to discreetly take pictures with my phone. This fanny pack was so fancy and chic that I almost didn’t recognize it for what it was. It’s a fanny pack! Why haven’t I busted through the door of this genius idea? Think of all the tourists that would latch on to this – a way to keep your money close and look stylish. 

This was the best picture I could get. I'll work on the whole 'stalker thing' at a later date.

The second item I’d like to share was found, randomly enough, at Ellis Island. There were clothing and accessory items on display that had been worn by immigrants onto the Island. These boots were worn there in 1906. Believe it or not, they were over-the-knee boots worn pleated to the knee. Where’s Chanel on this one? These things would fly off the shelves!

Boots!

Christian: In Your Minds and In Your Face

Joe Stern-McGovern, global agent and President of Universal Artists, Interntional,  and Shaka of Shaka Productions, have made of their smarter moves to date by bringing into the fold a young, quick tongued genius named Christian Levi, or simply put, Christian. Hailing from Bessemer, Alabama by way of Brooklyn, New York, Christian’s venture into the world of hip hop and Dirty South has certainly spanned polar opposites. He’s played both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, while sitting on the fence of neither, proving victorious on all accounts, in spite of his youth of only 24 years.

A short locked, tall young man, Christian cuts a handsome, light skinned figure fresh and ready for the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly in a suit by Hugo Boss. While his looks are striking, it’s his deadly placement of vocabulary which stands out so poignantly, as he takes to the microphone like a young hellion fresh out of the nest, wings spread wide and ready to soar. Who will fall the next victim to this classic bird of prey?

While the idle and foolish of Birmingham, Alabama, rest on their laurels, Christian is fastidious in his consumption of language, a proverbial, “Walking thesaurus”, arming himself with the arsenal he will require for future hurdles, future battles, and the unwary opponent he will so easily bring to bow his head in shame with adept delivery and a curious, beguiling smile, as if to say, “Yes, you’ve just been handed your ass.”

You Talkin' to Me?

Featured on several of the Black Flock Gang’s soon to be released CD, BFG, as well as Universal Artists, International’s personal brainchild, World Mixtape: Artists Against AIDS, which can be found shortly at www.endhivaids.com, young Christian is proud to devastate the competition and rise like cream on such singles as, “Put Me in Coach,” and, “This is How Money Sounds”, where his language coupled with delivery crack the skin and skulls of his opponents like a bull whip.

Like Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral, Christian is more than prepared to mess up your day should you call him out or look at him sideways. Like the old serpent flag said, “Don’t Tread on Me”. To the adventurous MC, Don’t be unwittingly fooled by his casual manner or disarming smile, this double agent lives to shame the boisterous, scramble the brains of the thoughtless, and level the stage with his clarity and epic bounce.

For all the bounty of his labor and toils, or his stature as hip hop royalty, Christian is surprisingly down to earth, so to all of his fans, should you happen to come across this icon, feel free to approach him with a smile and expect one in return.

Again, make sure to look for Christian Levi to be prominently featured as he helps in the fight against HIV/AIDS on our coming site, www.endhivaids.com. You can also find more information about young Christian at www.myspace.com/universalartists as well as our main site, www.universalartists.net.

Don't Let the Glasses Fool You...

To book Christian for a show domestically,  please write to shaka@universalartists.net, and for all international matters, please write to joe@universalartists.net, or feel free to call our San Diego/LA Metro office at 1(619)757-1301.

For the latest in Universal Artists, International’s videos, please visit us at www.youtube.com/universalartistsintl. To donate funds to the cause of building the www.endhivaids.com site for future generations, please go to www.paypal.com and submit your donation of $5 and up in increments of $5 to payments@universalartists.net. Your help in fighting the world’s plague known as HIV/AIDS is greatly appreciated and recognized.

Christian with Ms. Kesha Lee

The U.S.S. Madonna

It was a cool morning on board the U. S. S. Madonna, the quiet of the day broken by the revving tug engines straining the mooring ropes, pulling the gray ship into the dirty, crowded piers of Ellis Island.  On this day, March 14,1911, my great-grandfather, 40-year-old Manuel Bettencourt, stared up at the Statue of Liberty, like so many before him.  Manual was ready to step off the sea-worthy home he had spent the previous two long months aboard, on his great journey that had begun on the Island of Pico, Portugal.

The Statue of Liberty

Rare photo of construction of Lady Liberty

Today is Statue of Liberty Day, the 113th anniversary of our Nation’s ultimate icon of freedom and acceptance, of transition from a nation of relatively homogeneous settlers to a home for immigrants far and wide, whose journey under Lady Liberty’s great shadow welcomed over twelve million of them into our melting pot.

Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned by the French and American governments to create a statue to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  America was to create the sturdy foundation, and France would make and deliver the statue.  Lotteries, concerts, and art exhibits were among the methods used to fund the work.  Prize-founder Joseph Pulitzer used his newspaper The World to extol the virtues of donating to the cause.

The statue was completed in July of 1884 and delivered to American soil in June of the next year on board the French Frigate Isere.  The pedestal, however, wasn’t finished until April of 1886.   To transport the enormous copper statue, it was cut apart in 350 pieces and shipped in 214 crates, carefully lifted piece by piece and reassembled on its new foundation over a span of four months.  In 1956, the island where Lady Liberty resides was renamed Liberty Island.  In May of 1982, a daunting 6-year, $87 Million restoration of the statue and foundation began.  Following the horrific events of 9/11, concerns regarding terrorism closed the extended arm and crown of the statue until earlier this year.

Ellis Island and America’s Journey to the Face of Liberty

Ellis Island

Next door, only half a mile from Lady Liberty’s visage, sits the small 27-acre Ellis Island of New Jersey.  Three Million visitors stop through Ellis Island each year to take pictures, stare across the water at Liberty, and think about their roots. It is believed that 40% of all Americans can trace their lineage through Ellis Island’s immigration station.  On this day let us ponder a bit on the difficult journey so many of our ancestors took to this great land.

Why Did People Make the Journey?

Immigrants made the decision to come to America for a variety of reasons, including famines, disease, civil unrest or wars, natural disasters, or to simply join family members already there.  From the Potato Famine to the Jewish Pogroms of Eastern Europe, as many came to American fleeing nightmares as those that pursued dreams.  Stories of family members becoming wealthy through hard work or obtaining religious freedoms sang to them like the muses calling to Odysseus.

How Often Was Separation From Family Involved?

Immigrant family on board their ship

Most families immigrating to America lacked sufficient funds for the entire family to make the journey.  In these cases, quite often the father and oldest sons came over and worked at whatever jobs they could, scrimping and saving enough for the mother and rest of the family to join them.  Often it took long years to bring families back together again, and no small number of marriages did not survive the ordeal, as men fell under the spell of America’s often more liberal ways…

What Was Considered a Carry-On in Those Days?

Due to space considerations on the ship (and often for profitability’s sake,) the amount you could carry onboard a ship largely depended on how much you paid.  Those with First- or Second-Class fares typically had a storage location for crates of possessions, as well as in their rooms.  Steerage passengers (the majority of all who made the journey) typically stored what they could rolled up in bundles under their tiny bunks, or shoved in corners, carefully watched by family members or new-found friends.

Were There Physical Requirements to Make the Journey?

Immigrants sitting topside during their journey

Because it was a requirement that shipping companies pay the return voyage for all passengers who were turned down at Ellis Island, many had their own doctors inspect closely for diseases or other conditions that would disqualify them in America.  Most shipping companies required the hair of boys to be close-cropped and girls to undergo fine-tooth combing to prevent the spread of lice.

Despite precautions, over 2% of all passengers were returned to their country of origin for either health reasons or due to lack of finances to adequately begin their lives in America.

Where Did People Sleep and Eat During the Journey?

First- and Second-Class fare holders had their own rooms and beds to enjoy during the long journey, and a dining area for their meals, with a comfort and culinary level commensurate with the amount paid.  Steerage passengers slept in three-high suspended cots, seasick for weeks as they bobbed about in rough waters.  They ate on the floors in the same cramped compartments in which they slept.  Food served tended to be slightly warm soup, near-rotten boiled potatoes and mottled beef.

How Did People Keep Themselves Occupied?

Families awaiting processing at Ellis Island

If the ship stewards allowed it, the children of steerage customers would play topside in the open air, simple games like dominoes, cards, marbles, and other diversions taken from back home and altered for a shipboard environment.  Some people, unwilling to simply lie down for the entire journey, helped the sailors care for the ship, scrubbing and mopping surfaces and repairing damage.

How Dangerous Was the Voyage?

Although death from other than natural causes was relatively rare during the journey, it happened.  Untreated illness, food poisoning, falling into open spaces (or overboard) were examples of hazards if one was not careful or unlucky.

What Happened When You Arrived at Ellis Island?

After arriving at the Hudson or East River piers of New York City, steerage passengers gathering up all personal items, and were shuttled by barge to Ellis Island to be documented, inspected by doctors, and finally sent on their way.  For many, it was the ultimate in “sink or swim.”  First- and Second-Class citizens were cursorily inspected on the ship and sent off into New York without further question, as it was assumed that they were unlikely to become a financial ward of the state.

Back to My Beginnings

My Great-Grandfather's Ellis Island Registry

As the tugs cast off lines and chugged away from the Madonna, Manuel Bettencourt didn’t know what future lay ahead of him, how successful he might be.  Perhaps he turned and stared at Lady Liberty and said a prayer.  Perhaps he kept looking straight ahead with purpose, and began his journey.

Manuel was lucky in that he travelled with others from his community, including neighbors, brothers and cousins.  They worked together to protect each other in the bustling culture of New York.  A farmer by trade, and desiring to join family far west, Manuel and his group began looking for ways to cross our land of opportunity, to the rich, fertile farmland of California.  That’s another story…

I came across a Tweet from one @hulach today and it incited a riot in my head.  He says “2 years ago I met a HR manager…really smart.  After 2 years, smart turned stupid!”  Aside from being quite pithy – and I’m a fan of pithy – I started to wonder whether there is something to this notion that being part of an HR department can quite literally suck the smarts out of you.  I’m not sure if that’s what @hulach was suggesting, but let’s pretend for a second that he’s on to something. 

1. How many Ivy League School grads do you know who have sought a career in HR?  I know a couple – and they are quite successful.  It’s certainly not the norm, though.  I’ve asked before and will do so again: Name the top 5 business schools in the U.S.  Now, name the top 5 HR graduate level programs in the U.S.  Which was easier?  Exactly. 
2. I know a lot of people who got into HR with absolutely no formal HR training or education (myself included…scary, I know); is HR the Ellis Island of career immigrants – give us your tired, your poor? Will we take anyone? Is what we do so easily learned that anyone can do it?
3. I know a number of people who got into HR because they wanted a change in lifestyle – meaning they left something that was really hard and demanding to go into something that was…well, easier. 
4. Is the HR department a place where one’s intellect is stimulated or are we so busy running around putting out fires, managing risk, and keeping our people paid and benefited…generally checking the boxes?  Does merely checking the boxes lead to boredom, and then apathy, and finally brain atrophy?
5. Why is it that 9.9 times out of 10, I have to further explain what an SPHR is to non-HR people.  Do people have to do that when they introduce themselves as a CPA?  Are the professional credentials we hold in HR really an indication of academic, intellectual, or career achievement?  And by the way, did you know SPHR comes up in “spellcheck” but CPA doesn’t…
6. I know a number of people who got into HR from other careers (see ‘3′), but I don’t know a lot of people who got into other careers from HR.  This is maybe the most telling of all.  Once you become an HR person, is that all you can be?  Seriously, are you stuck there?  What exactly is HR the Triple-A club for? 

I’d love to get some responses to this post – hopefully some of your comments will include some tangible indication that I’m way off base and far too unkind to the profession.  But if I can ask these questions as a 17+ year guy on the inside, what’s being asked by those who are outside looking in?

I am recently returned from the Big Apple, and – hold the front page – I have money left over. Not a lot, as Paul Daniels might say, but a whole $50 that I refrained from spending. My last jaunts across the pond have left my bank account in a post-holocaust wasteland state, and I had expected similar results this time, but due to a combination of massive self restraint and great company with an eye for culture rather than jewellery and shoes, I enjoyed a more experiential visit. As opposed to pounding SoHo, Fifth Avenue and 34th Street for five solid days, pausing only to down cocktails, I did stuff.

For the first time, I stayed in the heaving neon masterpiece that is Times Square – nothing like it for getting a cricked neck and having adverts emblazoned on the insides of your eyelids when you close your eyes. For the first 24 hours this was terribly exciting, gazing open-mouthed at the street entertainers, watching people making their way to Broadway shows dressed in their best, and laughing off the attentions of hustlers. But after that initial period, not so funny, and really just quite annoying.

Times Square - can't miss it

Not a bad view from your hotel window, eh? I jest, obviously.

Anyway, I’m trying to demonstrate what a grown up I’ve become, wait till I tell you. In the past, I’d have grabbed a hotdog from a street vendor and gone out dancing. Not this time. Although I did have one or two warm up bellinis before we headed to the beautiful and romantic Grand Central Terminal. Can a railway station be romantic? Probably not New Street or Snow Hill, but GCT is in a class of its own. A cerulian blue ceiling decorated with delicate golden zodiac symbols arcs over the heaving throngs, and the ubiquitous giant clock.

Grand Central Terminal. Not too shabby.

Hot on the experience trail, we enjoyed something a bit special to mark Adam’s first morning in NYC. NOT Breakfast At Tiffany’s – talk about letting the side down – but breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria. The beautiful art deco masterpiece facing Park Avenue is one of the grandest hotels in the world, and arguably one of the most famous. We dressed to the nines to enjoy eggs benedict in the Peracock Alley restaurant and while I had entertained ideas of pretending to be British Aristocracy, my general clumsiness and myriad bruises put paid to that. As you would expect, service was deferential and first class, the eggs perfect, the orange juice $9 a glass…

Peacock Alley at the Wadorf Astoria. Probably the most expensive orange juice in the world? Probably not, that's likely to be at the Cafe de Paris in Monaco

Much schlepping to be done to work off those eggs – we took in FAO Schwarz, resisting the urge to knock the children off the giant piano and bash out a bit of Razorlight, and admiring lifesize lego structures of Chewbacca, Batman and Harry, Hermione and Ron, and we traipsed all the way to 34th Street to Macy’s, where I got lost. In case you’re wondering, the miracle is that I didn’t spend anything on 34th Street. For all my raving about how beautiful the Chrysler Building is, I’d never actually set foot in it, and I can now advise that the ceiling is painted with a mural of the building itself – painted on canvas and stuck up there, apparently.

On Friday night, after a bit of an emotional reunion with my best friend Lou and a very pretty dinner, we made a midnight visit to the world famous Carnegie Deli for a slice of cheesecake. What arrived was roughly the size of a seal. How people can eat anything that size escapes me, I have seen smaller babies. Nevertheless, I can see why the deli is world famous, charging the same price as a Waldorf orange juice for a slice of cake that will feed a family of four.

When it rains in NYC, people in the street start charging $20 for umbrellas. I’d forgotten mine but hoped we’d strike it lucky. We were lucky to a point – we got to see New York’s most famous landmark while the weather was fine, before experiencing the tidal wave of city rain that washes over the city within a couple of hours. We caught the ferry at Battersea Park to visit that famous green statue – I’m not posting a picture, you know who I mean, and marvelled at her beauty and the generosity of the French, before carrying on to Ellis Island to see evidence of Amerca’s appeal to migrants. After a couple of hours envisaging the refurbished immigration centre in its original state, crammed with people seeking a better life, we could envisage no longer and had to brave the torrential rain that was sheeting down.

When we could ignore it no longer, we paddled to the mainland (from the ferry, in case you’re wondering, the rain was that heavy) and took refuge beneath hand dryers and napkins in a well-appointed TGIs until the rain stopped. A brief stop at the Ground Zero site to see how the WTC tribute was coming along, and then we steeled ourselves for a visit to Hell On Earth, the bargain department store Century 21, which is a cross between TK Maxx and Dante’s Inferno, but capable of rendering some fantastic steals if you have the stomach and the elbows for it.

I’d never been to Cafe Wha? before. Apparently Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan have; and many other big names in comedy and music, who have pitched up and made surprise appearances. We were knocked out by the enthusiasm, stamina and talent of the fantastic Cafe Wha? band, who covered off every genre imaginable over a five hour set – there is no way anyone could fail to have a great time, and it’ll  be high up on my list of must visits whenever I go back.

So, this is where going away with a movie buff gets tricky. I am as guilty as the next person of expecting things to appear exactly as they do in the movies. A dazzlingly sunny day was spent exploring more Manhattan streets to see the Flat Iron Building and enjoying Sunday Brunch at Dock’s Oyster Bar, before heading to Central Park to soak up some sun and relax. I thought. But what we were actually doing, it seems, was looking for the building where Dana Barrett, as played by Sigourney Weaver, lived in Ghostbusters. And it’s DAMN hard to find, because the one we passed – 55 Central Park West, if you’re wondering, as spotted and accentuated by my good self – is the correct building but had magically been extended and enhanced by those good movie bods, so that it didn’t look right, and we walked much further than necessary. Here it is, in case you’re interested:

The spooky building where Dana lived in Ghostbusters, apparently.

We saw the Lion King – way better than the cartoon, and every bit as fabulous as I’d heard and read. Emerging into the bright lights of Times Square, we jumped in a cab to scramble to the top of the Empire State Building. Personally, I prefer the Top of the Rock, but I decided that an NY Newbie deserved to make their own mind up and dutifully hit the 86th floor, and the 102nd floor to look out over the illuminated city. Man, it was cold.

Look how pretty.

You wouldn't think you could miss him, would you?

Me making etching of my grandfather's name at Ellis Island

There are

a few things  that I always remember about Columbus Day  and one is that is was my maternal grandfather’s birthday.  My grandfather was born in Italy in the small town of Poggio Cinolfo about 40 miles from Rome.   He immigrated to the USA with his mother at the age of 6 coming through Ellis Island.

My husband and I recently went to visit Ellis Island again.  I had made an etching of my grandfather’s name a long time ago in the early 90’s and decided to make a new one.

 I thank my cousin Donna for having his name inscribed on the Ellis Island wall when it was being built.

My maternal grandfather and I playing a board game after dinner as a teen.

DOMINION POST: NEW ZEALAND does not seem to have a symbol of international significance – that could change with a giant bronze statue of a Maori warrior to be set up in Ngaruawahia in Waikato.

MONUMENTAL: That is how the giant bronze Warrior could look like. (pic: STUFF)

“Paris has the Eiffel Tower, New York the Statue of Liberty but they are both embraced by their nations. The Maori warrior could have exactly the same national and international significance.”, Wellington sculptor Dennis Hall says.

Hall would make the warrior over an estimated two years out of an steel frame, covered with a two centimetre thick bronze skin.

The idea is to create a statue that represents New Zealand and its culture in a way that is comparable with other internationally recognised monuments.

- read the whole story here

CARROT-SIZE: The giant warrior in comparison to other landmarks (pic: STUFF)

The massive warrior is not New Zealand’s first giant statue. Other landmarks are:

- the giant Carrot in Ohakune

- the gumboot in Taihape

- the giant trout in Gore

- the L&P Bottle in Paeroa

- the Kiwi fruit in Te Puke

The programs for today were Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

The day had to be begun with good (healthy ) breakfast. Based on the hint from the youth hostel receptionist, I had my breakfast at the nearby Broadway Bagel, located about two blocks from the hostel.

I ordered a “Continental” menu. And see what I got! Stuffed scrambled egg, pancakes including maple syrup, orange juice, and a coffee. Very delicious and all for about 10 USD!

After breakfast, using subway heading to South Ferry, Manhattan’s most southern station. It’s commute time.

Arriving in South Ferry Station

Around Battery Park: a church between modern skyscrapers

The Battery Park

During my stay in NYC, I had never seen a rat. Not a single time. But there were rabbits…a lot!

Liberty Statue, taken from the Battery Park

Very tight security. Taken in front of Clinton Castle, where the tickets sold

After passing security clearings, finally on the deck. The skylines of New Jersey.

And of course, the skylines of Wall Street

The Lady of Liberty, the symbol of kinship and freedom. It’s the symbol of immigrants. Like many Americans say: “There are no foreigners in the USA. We are all Americans! Blacks, Indians, Whites, Asian, Hispanics, they are all Americans! At the time you get your US citizenship, my friend, you are American! We are strong because of our mixed-up cultures and societies. And we are proud of it!”

And of course a poem contribute to the Lady of Liberty by Emma Lazarus, called “The New Colossus”:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Statue of Liberty and a pigeon

Statue of Liberty

Manhattan from Liberty Island Park

Queuing to pass security screenings. It was more than an hour queuing!

The security officer was joking around with the girls. Forget such screen in old Germany, where the security officers as stiff as robots

Inside the tent.

The Mother of Exiles

The torch replica

An interesting note on the toilet door

In the museum…

A view to Manhattan

A view to New Jersey with the Ellis Island on the foreground

Manhattan, New Jersey, and Ellis Island

The stair to the crown. Yes, you need a special ticket in order to the crown. No, I didn’t get it

Me and the Statue of Liberty

Now, heading to Ellis Island. Again queuing…

Some tens of years ago, the ship was full of immigrants, now it is full of tourists

Ellis Island

Full of “immigrants”…

The main building

Inside the museum

The tree of American language. It is a mixed-up from other languages. The World Tree of “Ethnic Americanisms”

The registry room

America

Leaving the homeland

The American Dream

And of course the old country tried to hold its own people through (as usual “nasty”) propaganda

A collection of passports of immigrants

“Mit 100 Marks nach Amerika”

Many ways lead to America…

There were a lot of jobs in the new vast land.

Unrestricted Immigration against underpaid labor!

Due to World War 1, anti immigrants feeling grew and grew…

The immigrants brought their own languages and cultures. They enriched the culture and the language of their new home.

The immigrants were now the new Americans

Outside of the museum

Heading back to Manhattan

And this is one of our welcome committee: the Obama Condoms. Yes, we can, baby

A memorial for the fallen American soldiers during World War 2

The Sphere

Ok, enough with the museums and monuments. Now the time for $$$ No money no fun

We are entering the heart of world’s economic: the NYC Financial District, the home of NYSE and the Fed, and hundreds of other most important institutions.

US Custom House

A short pit-stop at Giuliano’s and had a stuffed double pizza as the lunch. I couldn’t find such pizza in Germany. It was very delicious as long as fat and cholesterol didn’t matter for you  And it was only 5,45 USD! There were so many Germans that worked for a living at Wall Street. And yes, I got some chit-chats with them. They were all very happy with NYC and their life now and would never go back to the old country…

Road to NYSE: closed for motorized vehicles! And many many heavily armed policemen…

The New York Stock Exchange

The Federal Hall

George Washington

The NYPD Emergency Service. At soon as the siren is on, it’s better you give them enough place. You do not want your rear look ugly…very ugly, do you? And yes, they are well prepared

Wall Street and The Trinity Church. As I said before, there were many heavy armed officers.

The Trinity Church

Heading to World Trade Center Site

WTC Site

Heading to Grand Central Terminal, a creative street artist. Very nice percussion music…

Grand Central Terminal…guarded by heavily armed US Army

Heading to Times Square and see there the launch of One Drop Foundation, a foundation that fights for water preservation. There were dancings and the bilboards were turning blue and showing One Drop ad.

The bilboard of M&M’s Times Square

Enough for today…going back to the hostel…

An opera before bedtime…

Here is my question, Barney.  Did your parents come to America, hide from the authorizes, refuse to identify themselves, and send the money they make back to Germany?  Just curious.

See, Barney, there was this place called Ellis Island.  All the immigrants who wanted to enter the US went there, were examined, interviewed, recorded, and either allowed in or sent back.  They didn’t sneak across the border in the millions.  They followed the law.

Perhaps you should do some research before you lie more, Barney.  The US had much more restrictive immigration laws during that time than we do now.  But, as we know, Barney Frank has never found a lie he didn’t love.

Via Breitbart, a reminder that it’s never too early to Godwin a policy discussion, especially when it’s already super-charged with rage and bad faith. To be clear, he’s not comparing U.S. immigration law to the Holocaust; he’s saying that if immigration law then was like immigration law now, his ancestors never would have made it here and would have ended up in the camps. Which may, for all I know, be true in the particular case of his family, but as a general rule, it’s revisionist history.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Good news: Barney Frank injects Holocaust into immigration debate

The National Park Service has reset its sights on a new hub for tourists headed from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The National Park Service hopes to ease congestion caused by the screening and boarding of visitors to Liberty and Ellis Islands.
For several years, crowds have clogged the waterfront promenade in Battery Park while they wait to clear security and board ferries to the monuments in the harbor. The imposition has been compounded since 9/11 by the large tents that house the screening checkpoints and block views of the statue.

The park service had planned to move the screening and boarding operations to Pier A, a dilapidated structure at the northern edge of Battery Park. But now, officials have a different destination in mind. They hope to move the whole process, including ticketing, to the site of the Coast Guard building tucked into the southern tip of the park.

At the same time, the park service is preparing to spend $3.1 million to expand an existing pier on Governors Island so it can accommodate the ferries that carry tourists between the Battery and Liberty and Ellis Islands. Those ferries, operated by a private company, Statue Cruises, do not stop at Governors Island, a former military base that is home to another national monument. But city officials have pressed the park service to include more stops around the harbor in its transportation service.

A notice published this week by the Army Corps of Engineers says the park service envisions as many as 500,000 people arriving at the Governors Island pier annually. The federal agency now relies on a smaller ferry operated several months a year by a state agency, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, that docks at a different location on the island.

“If we have our own pier, we could land all types of different vessels for all types of different purposes,” said Darren Boch, a spokesman for the park service. “There’s no plan right now, programmatic or otherwise, with Statue Cruises for them to do regular landings over at Governors Island.”

Indeed, Mr. Boch said, a brief test last year of the idea of adding Governors Island to the tour of the statue and Ellis Island “did not demonstrate any significant demand for it.” Still, the park service has received $3.1 million in federal money for the pier expansion, which is expected to be completed in May, he said.

Separately, Mr. Boch said, the park service has contracted with the Army Engineers to study the feasibility of having the Statue Cruises ferries load and unload at a dock adjacent to the Coast Guard building. That building, which is owned by the federal government, sits at the water’s edge near the Staten Island ferry terminal. Once the home base of the Coast Guard in New York City, the building now contains a recruiting station and offices.

Mr. Boch said the park service was contemplating replacing that building with one that could serve both as the hub for visitors to the statue and Ellis Island and new offices for the Coast Guard.

But the park service’s designs on the site seemed to startle Coast Guard officials. Petty Officer Third Class Barbara Patton, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard who works in that building, said on Wednesday that her superiors were unaware of the park service’s study.

The proposal is still just a “conceptual” alternative to Pier A, Mr. Boch said. The park service had been planning for years to move its security setup to the pier after it was renovated by a developer. Last year, city officials bought the crumbling pier back from the developer and turned it over to the Battery Park City Authority. But the authority could not come to terms with the park service, which determined that Pier A would cost too much and would not provide enough space, according to Mr. Boch.

That leaves the Coast Guard site as the next great hope for ridding Battery Park of the security queues.

“I don’t think you can say this is better for the Battery or worse for the Battery; it’s another idea,” said Warrie Price, president of the Battery Conservancy, which oversees the development of Battery Park.

But Ms. Price is eager to have the park’s promenade cleared of the island-bound throngs. “No one likes it,” she said. “It’s big plastic latex tents right on our historic waterfront. We all know that it’s not the appropriate thing for this historic site.”

By PATRICK McGEEHAN

New York Times

I’m continuing the week’s focus on National Parks by heading to the Big Apple and the National Parks of New York Harbor. What? You’ve never heard of such? According to the National Park Service, the area covers 10 National Parks and 23 unique destinations.

I must admit, I haven’t been to every destination listed though Gateway National Recreation Area looks interesting enough that I plan to take a look next time I’m up there. But this isn’t about the places I haven’t been …

Carnegie Hall Stagebill

I first visited the Big Apple as an “adult” in the spring of 1989 with the UALR Concert Choir, which had joined with Mid-America Productions to sing Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” at Carnegie Hall. As the old saying goes, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.”

It was quite an experience for a 20-year-old sprung on the city for the first time. I may have slept two hours a night. But I was more interested in the downtown sites (like the bar Don’t Tell Mama”) than in the historical sites. Luckily, I got to see some anyway.

After our performance, we took a cruise on the Hudson and partied with all of the other performers. During the cruise, I stepped out on the deck and saw the Statue of Liberty shining in the night sky.  It was a sobering experience seeing the lit-up Lady Liberty staring at us as we passed through the night. I immediately regretted not taking the opportunity to go see it in person, but vowed to come back.

Ron does his best John Lennon imitation. (Photo by Michael Ford)

It took 19 years to return, but I took a group of student journalists to the College Media Advisers’ annual conference in the Big Apple in spring 2008. Three students took the opportunity to get up early in the morning and join me on the jaunt to The Battery to catch a boat that took us out to Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

It’s the first time I’d seen the Statue of Liberty up close and personal.  I knew it was big, but I had no idea how big it was (OK, I kind of stole that line from “Roxanne”). I made one of my students shoot at least four shots of my best John Lennon pose to make sure he got me and the statue in the same frame.

We walked around to the entrance to go up into it. They’re really strict about what can and cannot be brought into the monument. It took awhile to get through the line, but it was worth it in my mind.

The original torch from the Statue of Liberty.

When you go into the visitor’s center, you see the original torch that Americans butchered to show off the incandescent bulb, which couldn’t even be seen across the harbor.

Today, the refurbished Statue of Liberty features a gold-covered flame that can be seen miles away.

While waiting for the tour to start, we milled around looking at the story describing how the statue was constructed. It’s hollow on the inside, with a thin covering of copper over a framework of steel.

We went up as far as we could go, all the way to the pedestal observation deck. Unfortunately, the Statue’s crown and torch were not accessible.

After leaving Liberty Island, we took the boat to Ellis Island National Monument. I must admit, it’s not as exciting as the Statue of Liberty … but how could it be?

Ellis Island gives you an opportunity to consider what immigrants experienced when trying to get to the United States. A tour explains America’s heritage. If you know your family’s last name and when they arrived, you can look up their arrival date.

Visitors view exhibits at Ellis Island

Even though it may not have the “wow” factor, Ellis Island is an important piece of our history and will be worth your time to visit. The picture shows the flag of faces, i.e. you see a flag from one angle and faces of immigrants from another angle.

I also suggest getting a bite to eat, but beware of the birds. This clip from Michael Thomas shows how they aren’t shy at all about seeing if you’ll feed them. Notice the face of the lady in the window!

Yesterday, I posted a picture of mountains. The photograph is actually of an area near the Syrian/Israeli border. I went there this summer and looked out over these mountain ranges trying to imagine what it was like for my grandfather to narrowly escape death in Marash, where his mother and sisters were killed. Together with his father, they found their way from Turkey, traveling through Syria and Palestine to Alexandria, Egypt. They stayed in Alexandria until they could come to America. I have a copy of the record from Ellis Island, New York.

I MAY HAVE FOUND MY SYNAGOGUE here on the East End (I say ‘may’ because I’m still shopping around).

I went to Yom Kippur services at Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor, the oldest synagogue on Long Island, and found the unpretentious building very much to my liking (I have a habit of choosing a house of worship largely for its architecture). I also liked the gender-neutral prayerbook and the way the rabbi, Leon Morris, made the service personal and very moving.

The building, which dates from 1898, is sweet, sitting on a hill in a neighborhood of vintage cottages (see one example, below). It has been in almost continuous operation since 40 or 50 fresh-off-the-boat Jewish craftsmen, with their families, were brought out directly from Ellis Island in the late 19th century to work in the watch factories of Sag Harbor.

I love the elaborately carved wood decoration above the altar, the vibrant (relatively recent) stained glass windows, and the fact that the main sanctuary only seats about 100 people, with High Holiday overflow in an annex.

The shul (Yiddish for synagogue) doesn’t require tickets for Yom Kippur, the holiest and most crowded of Jewish holidays. “We don’t turn anyone away,” said Howard Chwatsky, a longtime congregant and this year’s treasurer.

It’s a warm and welcoming place for a wandering Jew like me.