Bloomberg x 3

Don’t go. Please stay. It’s believed that’s the desire of many New Yorkers with money and power regarding Mayor Bloomberg. They’d love to change New York City’s term limits policy and encourage the mayor to run one more time after his second term ends in December 2009. The term limits law must be changed by next July to make that mayoral run possible. Despite the opinions of many others too for “more of the same,” it’s important to remember that term limits are a vital protection against the occasional poor choices we voters make. New Yorkers have twice voted against extending term limits. Recent polls confirm they would do so again. After 9/11, many in New York looked to extend Mayor Giuliani for fear of who might follow in his wake. That fear turned out to be unfounded. Mayor Bloomberg has truly done an exceptional job for New York during his tenure. Let’s hope though that there are no "backroom deals" that deny the will of the voters.

San Fran Arrests Our Times Square Man

SFO police officers busted NYC’s Naked Cowboy for sidewalk singing in a “restricted” area of their version of Union Square. Liberal as they are on the “left coast,” a New Yorker in his underwear is somehow offensive to their society. Radicals can disrupt church services, illegal aliens are embraced by the local government, but our Robert Burck can’t belt out a ballad in the “city by the bay.” Perhaps a singing cowboy from New York is only welcome out there when part of a larger singing group like the Village People.

Black Grad Rates Don’t Make The Grade

New York City ranks near the bottom nationally in its ability to graduate black students with a high school diploma. In 2006, only 32% received their sheepskin compared to 57% of white students. Both figures are an outrage. Sadly, New York ranks 54th out of 63 big city school districts in the country. When will Board of Education and city government officials actually work to improve statistics? Annually posting stats in reports that fewer and fewer young New Yorkers are capable of understanding is appalling.

Songbirds Make Jailbirds

They say, “Music soothes the savage beast.” Apparently, it can bring out the beast in some people too. More and more immigrants are attempting to smuggle expensive songbirds into New York through our local airports. Often, they bring them in less than favorable conditions to the birds’ health. The birds may inadvertently pose a health risk to humans, too. It’s hoped that authorities will make these criminals “sing” about who their local managers and buyers are.

Cable Wars Coming To A TV Near You

It may still be hard to find something good on TV, even with hundreds of stations, but at least there’ll soon be something good about cable TV. Verizon has received approval to build their high-speed, fiber-optic network in New York City. It's scheduled to take six years to complete. Cablevision and Time Warner’s cable TV monopoly is about to receive its biggest challenge yet. It’s going to be bloody. There are too many dollars in the market for it not to be. But, we the customers will benefit from extra channels, competitive prices and improved service as Verizon’s system approaches our neighborhoods. Stay tuned.

Subway Shakespeareans

Many consider Romeo and Juliet, William’s #1 play. Well, here in New York, we have Broadway. Romeo and Juliet ride the #1 train! This summer, USC drama students Peter Vack and Troian Bellisario have been performing the play’s famous balcony scene between train stops. They like the variety of audiences that enter at each stop and time their performances accordingly. Tips have ranged from a penny to $20. Live performances in the subway are often a very entertaining diversion from our famous hole in the ground. However, Troian shouldn’t be standing on train seats in order to recreate a terrace. New Yorkers don’t stand on things meant to be sat on, Troian. You shouldn’t either. Despite some nasty scenes you’ve undoubtedly witnessed while riding the rails, we got some class here!

"New" New Yawk Talk

Within the next few months, all New York City agencies providing public service must do so in six foreign languages (Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and French Creole). Mayor Bloomberg believes our newest residents’ great diversity can also pose significant challenges when it comes to dealing with the government. It probably does. Of course many who are fluent in "the King's English" are challenged by government bureaucracy too! It's a fact that for hundreds of years before initiatives like this language assistance program, one of the city’s, and for that matter, the nation’s greatest strengths was the “great melting pot” our ancestors were a part of. Our relatives were compelled to learn the language and customs of the new nation where they chose to live. Of course they had fewer options back then. In so doing though, they became a more integral part of something far better than they left behind. Immigrants should have the right to celebrate their heritage. Each wave of newcomers often enhances our society in some manner. However, they should be more open to the idea of assimilating into America’s culture; language included. A "common language" is a better way to build a society with a cohesive bond among all its' people. I wonder if this plan of the mayor’s will contribute to a more cohesive city or, if it adds another floor to the Tower of Babel. That kind of skyscraper we don’t need anywhere in New York.