Assignment: 45 minutes in your childhood town.

If you had 45 minutes in your boyhood/girlhood town with a great pal that had never seen your town, where would you take them? What secret spot is most representative of you and the time long past spent there? Pick your spot. Take a picture of your spot. Why this spot?

response: nice note.

Before the sun rises I have a travel mug and I lightly jog to the train because I always get out the door just too late and there is a guy who works for the CTA at the station near me and when the train is about 2 minutes away he walks in front and starts waving so that any and all commuters that see him know that it is time to hustle and I do and I get to work on time only because of him, and, of course,  a little hustle.  

Here is a picture of the CTA stand just as the sun is coming up and my hustle toward another day begins.

Happy Birthday Barack Obama

Barack Obama: August 4th, 1961

Other August 4th birthdays...

1821: Louis Vuitton

1900: "The Queen Mother" Elizabeth.

1901: Louis "Sachmo" Armstrong

1955: Billy Bob Thorton

Also on August 4th....
1914: Britain declares war on Germany and World War I begins.
1944: Anne Frank captured.
1966: On a radio program, John Lennon says that the Beatles are more popular than Jesus.

1984: Upper Volta officially changes its name to Burkina Faso.

friendly grocers!

response: nice note

1. White Castle is known for their sliders. But nobody thanks them for their delicious milkshakes! Respect is due.















2. This boutique near our house is pretty great. It's windows are always beautifully decorated!

The Power of Radio

On 22 November, 1999, the radio program This American Life reported a story about Dorthy Gaines, a mother of three who was convicted of drug trafficking in federal court, after Alabama state court had dismissed the case as there was no evidence of drugs, drug paraphernalia, or any drug related activity, as well as the fact that Ms. Gaines had no prior offenses. The original arrest happened after a convicted felon gave Dorthy Gaines' name as a co-conspirator in order to reduce his sentence.

In federal court, Ms. Gaines was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months in prison.

On the show, the story ended with Ms. Gaines losing her last court appeal, though she had not yet told her children. She said that she was going to try the last resort of last resorts. She was to make a direct appeal to President Clinton.

On 22 December, 2000, a year and a month after the original broadcast, President Clinton signed off on Dorthy Gaines' clemency.

Radio is a powerful tool.

Ira Glass, host of This American Life, reminds us that "nearly 2/3rds of all federal drug offenders across the country have never been convicted of a violent crime, 40% are first time offenders. It's 10s of thousands of people... In the end, (Dorthy Gaines') 19-year prison term was higher than the federal mandatory minimum sentence for rape, for kidnapping, for running a slave trade, for criminal sexual abuse of a child, for second degree murder, or for conspiracy to commit murder. Her sentence had the same minimum as she would have gotten if she would have hijacked a plane, or bought and sold children for use in child pornography."


For information on This American Life, visit http://www.thislife.org/.

For information on Dorthy Gaines, visit her website: http://dorothygaines.org/

the pearl street diner

I can see the Pearl Street Diner out of the window of my office on John Street. I have worked in this office for months now, and I've never seen anyone go in or come out of there.

They advertise breakfast specials and American comfort food.
Visit and you can wave to me at my window:
212 Pearl St,
New York 10038
At Fletcher St