Archive for February 2012
social upheaval
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Holy smokes! Two enormous lots, formerly bisected by an abandoned railway line sweeping across the entire lot, found between the Dutch Kills tributary of the Newtown Creek and 30th street to the west and east and between Borden and Hunters Point Avenues to the south and north, have been entirely razed. The Hunters Point Avenue side, until recently, held the plant of “National Envelope” and the other has been vacant for quite some time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This must be the first time in almost a hundred years that this point of view has been available from Borden Avenue, a wide open vista showing the Degnon Terminal- or at least the survivors of it- that stretches all the way to Queens Plaza. Incidentally, the dust that this project is kicking out is massive, and the day these shots were obtained- was heading in a westerly direction toward the recently repopulated neighborhood of Hunters Point commonly referred to as Long Island City.
Upon observing this, I made it a point to stay upwind of the dust plume.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m told that the next incarnation of this site along Dutch Kills will be a Federal Express shipping center, which will be enormous if the entire footprint of this site is used. That’s going to be a LOT of trucks coming and going through this ancient neighborhood and Western Queens in general.
Let’s hope that the century old bridges on Borden and Hunters Point Avenue can handle the additional load.
Wonder how the large shipments of bulk freight coming from the airports will travel here, or how the hundreds of local delivery Fed-Ex trucks will get to Manhattan, and North Brooklyn, and Eastern Queens- by which routes they will travel, and through whose neighborhoods?
ALSO, this Friday, as in tonight:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
aching chest
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Today’s huge dosage of weirdness was found in Queens Plaza, which is normally so incredibly bound by the mundane and material that it’s impossible to form an abstract thought.
Instead of the usual “how do I make it out of this area alive without being struck by a car, bicycle, or fellow pedestrian” or the “I’m rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the incredible loudness of this place, what in gods name are they thinking putting a park here”, your humble narrator noticed a set of missives tacked up alongside the entrance to the subterranean tracks of the subway.
from wikipedia
Queens Plaza is a plaza located on Queens Boulevard, between North and South Plaza streets, in Long Island City, Queens. The plaza is overlapped by an elevated railway transit (which was constructed in 1914), with the Queensboro Bridge starting on the eastern side. It has a subway stop for the E M R trains at the Queens Plaza station below ground and nearby are the 7 N Q trains at the Queensboro Plaza station on the elevated tracks. The only elevator for the underground subway station is on the SW corner of South Plaza St and Jackson Ave.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is certain that a conversation about 911 and the various conspiratorial theories about its execution and cause will not be entertained at this, your Newtown Pentacle, as it’s just not a subject which I am wont to get involved with. As I’ve asserted in the past- what is it about the modern United States Government, and the Bush Administration in particular, that would make you believe that its employees were capable of pulling off a perfectly executed tactical mission in a pristine and lasting vacuum of secrecy? Additionally, a full decade later, has no single member of this highly professional cabal felt pangs of guilt, or caved in to sell the story, and bared his or her dissident soul to the world?
That’s my worldview, of course, and the fellow who has posted these laser printed bits of signage about Queens Plaza sees things differently.
from wikipedia
9/11 conspiracy theories are theories that disagree with the widely accepted account that the September 11 attacks were perpetrated solely by al-Qaeda, without any detailed advanced knowledge on the part of any government agency. Proponents of these theories claim there were inconsistencies in the official conclusions or evidence that was overlooked. In a 2008 global poll of 17 countries, 46% of those surveyed believed al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks, 15% believed the U.S. government was responsible, 7% believed Israel was and another 7% believed some other perpetrator, other than al Qaeda, was responsible.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It would be worth your time to click through the photos to Flickr and check out the fullness of these pages, wherein Mr. Boss alleges the complicity of certain individuals and organizations in a far reaching “false flag” conspiracy and details the extreme and technologically sophisticated methodology of persecution these conspirators from the National Security Agency have subjected him to.
Of course, this is the viewpoint and position of the aforementioned Mr. Boss, I’m just pointing out what he or his supporters have left in Queens Plaza for all to see.
from wikipedia
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S. government communications and information systems, which involves information security and cryptanalysis/cryptography.
The NSA is directed by at least a lieutenant general or vice admiral. NSA is a key component of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which is headed by the Director of National Intelligence. The Central Security Service is a co-located agency created to coordinate intelligence activities and co-operation between NSA and other U.S. military cryptanalysis agencies. The Director of the National Security Agency serves as the Commander of the United States Cyber Command and Chief of the Central Security Service.
By law, NSA’s intelligence gathering is limited to foreign communications, although domestic incidents such as the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy have occurred.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Don’t get me wrong, Lords and Ladies, in no way should you interpret me as mocking Mr. Boss’s unique point of view, as I’ve seldom understood the childish formulae and meta themes which political people present. “Wealth trickles down to the poor”, “Change is good”, or “Hope” have all found their place in the mainstream. So has the sophomoric notion of “green jobs for the future” and the other modernist mottos of a generation of lobbyist bosses and their elected counterparts.
The sole argument I can offer against any of these conspiracy theories is simply this- the people who are supposedly perpetrating this “false flag” had nothing to gain from it, as they were already in full control over the government and its bureaucracy as well as being in a position to profit handsomely from the status quo.
from bossforcongress.com
The NSA is trying to kill me! And the NSA is preventing me from having my voice from being heard and of having a fair election. The NSA is bugging my car and home. The NSA is putting devices to give off microwave radiation in my car and through the walls of my apartment to kill me. I have a list of over 100,000+ people who have told me that when I campaign to them and give them my literature, that the NSA comes to them right afterwards and threatens to kill them and their families if they speak up. The NSA is forcing these people to take a gift card for $20,000 to join the NSA to keep them quiet about the NSA arranging the 911 attack.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A cursory scan of the vast interwebs reveals that Mr. Boss has indeed run for several offices over the years, including a recent stab at becoming Governor of New Jersey which netted him some 16,000 votes in 2009. Additionally, He has attracted the ire of many in his native state due to incessant pamphleteering and posting of flyers such as the ones in Queens Plaza.
His business life, as he claims, involves a past in investment banking, and seems to be associated with a company that promises the cryogenic storage of reproductive materials such as sperm and eggs- as well as the disposition of deceased pets.
also from bossforcongress.com
I CURRENTLY HAVE NUMEROUS CHEFS AND RESTAURANT WORKERS CONFIRMING THE NSA POISONS FOOD IN THERE RESTAURANT. THE NSA KILLS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS A YEAR BY POISONING THEIR FOOD.
I HAVE OVER 7 DIFFERANT NSA AGENTS ON DVD SAYING THEY ARE SERVING POISON FOOD TO OCCUPY WALL STREET! I HAVE PUT SIGNS UP, TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TOLD THE PEOPLE AT OCCUPY WALL STREET.
IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS THE NSA HAS POISONED THE FOOD FOR OCCUPY WALL STREET.THE NSA CONSIDERS THE OCCUPY WALL STREET AS A REVOLUTION AND THEREFORE THINKS ITS OKAY TO KILL OFF THE UPRISING. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS ARE BEING POISONED AT THE OCCUPY WALL STREET. INCLUDING MANY CHILDREN. ALL THE WORKERS WHO ARE WORKING THE KITCHEN AT OCCUPY WALL STREET ARE NSA AGENTS.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I am sure that I will soon be decried as working for the NSA, or not, depending on what happens the next time Boss googles himself.
JB- I’ve given you as much leeway as I can…
Just remember that if you come to Queens, the Newtown Pentacle is always watching…and If you come into my house, I will notice. We’ve got enough wacky stuff going on here in Western Queens to fill a hundred cargo ships, but we don’t complain to Jersey about it…
If the NSA is listening, however, my advertising resume could indicate some potential as a propagandist and I have never had any issues with doing government work. My work as a photo retoucher could be a handy resource, and editorial photography is a special interest of mine. Feel free to contact me, however, freelance rates will apply.
from nj.com
Ledger Live host Brian Donohue interviews Jeff Boss of Guttenberg who says the government plotted the 9/11 terrorist attacks and vows that legalized sports betting is the key to solving New Jersey’s budget woes.
Click here for a video interview with Jeff Boss.
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
mural history
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering around Calvary Cemetery is often a revelatory experience, and while perambulating through the hallows of Section 9 the other day, the shock of sudden recognition nearly laid me low. While scanning the monolith studded landscape for certain things which cannot be mentioned, the name of one of history’s most famous New Yorkers suddenly appeared before me.
Steve Brodie… The man who jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge and lived to talk about it.
Steve Brodie, photo courtesy Wikipedia
also from wikipedia
Steve Brodie (December 25, 1861 – January 31, 1901) was an American from New York City who claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived on July 23, 1886. The resulting publicity from the supposed jump, whose veracity was disputed, gave Brodie publicity, a thriving saloon and a career as an actor.
Brodie’s fame persisted long past his death, with Brodie portrayed in films and with the slang terms “taking a Brodie” and “Brodie” entering the language for “taking a chance” and “suicidal leap.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There weren’t just three major newspapers in 1886, there were hundreds, and the proto “media” ate up Steve Brodie’s story, turning him into a celebrity. From all accounts, Brodie found every advantage offered by fame- opening a swank saloon on the Bowery and starring in a popular play about his exploits.
He would always be known as the “bridge jumper”.
from nytimes.com
A tall, slim man, who looked very much like an overgrown street boy, stood talking to a young woman at the New-York end of the Brooklyn bridge a little after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon. He bade her good-bye and kissed her.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The scourge of the 19th century was “consumption”, or as we call it “tuberculosis”, and Brodie took ill. Like other “lungers”, it was thought that the dry air of the southwest would aid him in fighting the affliction and he packed off for San Antonio in Texas.
That’s where he died.
from nytimes.com
The body was taken to Calvary Cemetery for burial. A crowd of 500 or 600 men, women, and children, attracted by curiosity remained in the streets during the services at the house, and many of them followed the funeral cortege to Ninety Second Street Ferry on its way to the cemetery.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is a real shame that someone has decided to pry the probable white bronze marker from the monument, which would have occurred in the empty oval space directly above the names and dates which remain. Such is the case though, and there are many instances of such theft not just at Calvary but at all the cemeteries which comprise the cemetery belt of western Queens.
It’s pretty low to steal from the dead, in one humble narrators opinion.
An interesting analysis of whether or not Mr. Brodie actually made his jump was published by “The Day” in 1986. Click here for the article by Larry McShane.
Steve Brodie, photo courtesy Wikipedia
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
wildly luminous
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In yesterday’s posting, a object d’art was found along Laurel Hill Blvd. At the foot of that ancient byway lies an intersection with Greenpoint Avenue, and the bridge named for it. The street lamps are often utilized by your humble narrator as “something to hide from oncoming traffic behind” and recently I’ve noticed some odd graffiti popping up on them.
Not your usual “gangsta” braggadocio or “tags” nor “ironic hipster commentary”, these involve the bible.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The scrawl I’m referring to on this pole, which is on the western corner, is not the interesting tidbit about people of Korean abstraction which is written on the masking tape holding the pen- instead it’s the “Sin is the Devil” which caught my attention.
In the American King James version, at least, this correlates to 1 John 3:8
“He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Hmm.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Maybe I’m just stupid, but Psalms 141.6 doesn’t include the quotation above, which most likely comes from “Romans 5:13- For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”
The Psalms quotation would be “Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken“.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
DUGABO (or Down Under the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge Onramp), it would seem, can now boast of hosting a foe of evil.
Wonder what might happen should they spy the Blissville Banshee as she floats down the Newtown Creek, spy the occultists who make altars in area cemeteries, or wonder at the tales of an antique and quite spectral locomotive passing the Bliss Tower on its way to Deadman’s Curve at Berlin Hill?
Would we see an exorcism in DUGABO?
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
sober and solitary
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The other day, your humble narrator was seeking adventure and illumination amongst the mouldering tombstones and oil soaked sands of Blissville. This is an industrial stretch, closer to DUGABO than it is to DUKBO, with the cyclopean walls of Calvary Cemetery defining the northern side of the street and an unbroken facade of industrial buildings and warehouses on the the south, which is also the direction in which the fabled Newtown Creek might be found by those that seek it out.
This is formerly one of the most loathsome stretches of the Creeklands- home to oil works, distilleries, and fat rendering plants.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the gates of what was once the vast rendering plant of Van Iderstines, a noxious industrial combine which was reviled by its neighbors during the century it squatted squamously upon this spot, this artwork was observed. This was no mere graffiti scrawl, instead this was an affixed installation, one which was obviously prepared elsewhere.
Content and subject matter are curious… and more than curious…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator grew interested upon noticing the presence of the double helix in the design, and the labeling which is meant to indicate the various amino acids which DNA is composed of. The “genetic code” as it is called, is actually represented by just four letters representing the chemical nucleotides which form the “double helix”- G,A,T, and C.
The four bases found in DNA are adenine (abbreviated A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T)
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A secondary piece was hung nearby, this one showed greater restraint than the first, but absent the chaotic charisma of the first.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if the fences and gated properties of the Newtown Creek waterfront became a sort of guerrilla gallery for local artists. Imagine mile after mile of bizarre conceptions and twee fever dreams installed in the dead of night by a virtual and quite fey army of artists. Not “tagging”, of course, just tacking up something on paper whose impermanence was part of its very composition. Do the art on rice paper or something that will just turn to pulp when it rains.
A friend of mine once did an ad agency mailing for some “green” client, and her gimmick was to use paper into which flower seeds were embedded at the paper mill (and it was printed using soy inks, of course), and you were meant to just plant the advertisement in a pot after reading it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Being the sort of damaged individual that you’ve come to expect me to be, Lords and Ladies, an attempt was made to decode this particular painting. It soon became apparent that expertise in organic chemistry would be required to profoundly critique it, something which it would be foolhardy to attempt. A cursory scan of the various formulae revealed that some of these are indeed actual chemical descriptors for amongst other things- restriction enzymes.
The usage of the infinity symbol and the other text is a mystery to me, but overall I liked the art.
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
The Newtown Pentacle 