Author Archives: rockviv
Working Artists Enliven Labor Day Weekend
It’s that holiday celebrating American workers–the ones who make the cars and run the hospitals, plus the creative geniuses who draw and write and paint. We’ve still got plenty of those, even if fewer of us have actual paying jobs. … Continue reading
A Paean to Irene
That Hurricane Irene was some bi-polar storm! Carefree teens tubing down the Saw Mill River Parkway on Sunday afternoon contrasted with kayakers in distress pulled from the Hudson River on Saturday night. The mood of the city swung like a … Continue reading
It’s Showtime!
Well, we’ve been talking about it and preparing ever since Mayor Bloomberg decided to devote millions of dollars to his plaNYC initiatives in 2007. An actual serious emergency that could require evacuation of millions from low-lying areas of New York … Continue reading
You Can’t Even Say “Speed Kills” Anymore
Some force on the planet was clearly at work, other than the combustion engine of the late model Infiniti G37 hard-top convertible coupe–the car that helped save three lives today. At about 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, the young … Continue reading
My Short-Lived Run for Office
It lasted for a mere 20 days in July. For less than three weeks, it was a chance to upset the apple cart, to offer a fresh new choice to voters in Southeast Queens. Even a chance to make a … Continue reading
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
I couldn’t resist featuring the stunning hydrangeas of Rockaway Park in the header photo this week. These bushes are located in the gardens that surround the apartment building at the north end of Memorial Circle (Rock. Beach Blvd. between Beach … Continue reading
Is Independence a Fiction in Bloombergville?
Independence Day is one of those American holidays celebrated with disparate emotions among the populace. Are you part of the investor class or a wage earner? Wage earners live for the weekends, particularly the three-day ones. Those of us who … Continue reading
Got Activism? Clearwater Festival 2011 Breaks Records
They say that rot is rampant in the social fabric, and all the heroes have died. A decade ago, columnist Russell Baker commented aptly that the few American heroes left in sports, politics and business all “came down with terminal … Continue reading
It’s Spring–When a Boy’s Thoughts Turn to Baseball (Unless He’s Anthony Weiner)
At this time of year, I always realize how much I miss our family baseball years. When my son played Little League, for three months straight, our lives were structured by those dates scribbled on a sheet by the coaches. … Continue reading
“The Long Gray Weather Has Ended…”
God our creator and redeemer, we marvel at the beauty that surrounds us. The long gray weather has ended. The sky is blue now, the sand is golden and the ocean is a sparkling green. The faces here today are … Continue reading
Oy Vey Rockaway 