Suspenden Al Corrupto Alcalde De Mayaguez Guillito Rodriguez

Enhorabuena suspenden al alcalde de mi querido pueblo Mayaguez. Desde que este flamante alcalde subio al poder el pueblo de Mayaguez ha estado cayendose en cantos, es un pueblo fantasma. 

Cuando el rio suena, piedras trae. Ya era hora que explotara el fraude, y suspendieran al corrupto alcalde. El unico interes de la legisladora popular Jocelyne Rodríguez Negrón es hablar de su partido revalidar en Mayaguez. A los alicates del municipio no les interesa el bienestar del pueblo, su unico interes es continuar saqueando el dinero del pueblo. 

La Bofetada De Will Smith Ha Dado La Vuelta Al Mundo

No entiendo porque los llamados dizque comediantes en Puerto Rico estan preocupados por lo que hizo Will Smith. Ninguno da gracia. Ademas, si le dan una pescoza a el Molusco, Sunshine o a la Comay, todos sabemos que se lo merecen. Muchos de ellos han hecho una carrera denigrando, burlandose y humillando a los demas. 

A Few Days With Family In New York City

On Monday, we spend the day hanging out in the Brooklyn Bridge and had lunch at Eataly NYC Downtown Restaurant, next to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. 

The following day we went to Central Park, went shopping in Times Square, and had lunch at famous Joe's Pizza. Even though Joe's Pizza claim to serve the best pizza in New York, and their restaurant is covered with pictures of famous people, personally I wasn't impressed. 

The family insisted on buying cookies at Levain Bakery on West 74th street. Another place that claims to sell New York City most famous cookies.  So after leaving Bethesda Terrace, the water fountain and Central Park lake, we walked two blocks to Levain Bakery. 

Levain Bakery reminded me of the famous Soup Nazi from the sitcom Seinfeld. Same store configuration, and design of the front counter. For a minute I thought the character from the Soup Nazi was going to make an appearance and say, "No Soup For You". Enjoy the pictures! 

Dancing With The Utterly Unhinged

The text messages from Ginni Thomas, the insurrectionist wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas are not only disturbing, they are also damaging to the Supreme Court. 

I want to point out that Justice Thomas was the only justice who voted against releasing White House records related to the January 6 Capitol insurrection attack. Not surprisingly, Republicans are standing by Justice Thomas. 

There is no question that Ginni Thomas right wing extremist text messages borders in sedition, her effort to throw out the election results is out of touch with reality. These so called Christian conservatives are so unhinged that they believe that "this is a fight of good versus evil". 

In my opinion, this is an outrageous abuse of power.

Dinosaur B-B-Q

The family arrived this morning, and finally met the bundle of joy in person. At least he didn't cry when he saw me for the first time, so that's a good sign I guess. 

After they settle into their rooms, we spent some time catching up. Afterwards, we had lunch at Dinosaur B-B-Q in Brooklyn, excellent cuisine with excellent prices. Highly recommended.

We have a full schedule ahead of us, so for now I am going to leave you with a couple of pics. Enjoy!

Welcome To The Jungle

This is why I refuse to live in New York City ever again. I moved out of the Big Apple 28 years ago, and every time I visit, there is always drama.

As you know, my sister, niece, the bundle of joy and family arrive this morning (Saturday, March 19) from Puerto Rico. I arrived at the hotel a day ahead to make sure when they arrive tomorrow everything is ready for them to have fun. 

I ordered BBQ chicken on the grill, and went to a deli across the street from the hotel to purchase juice, water and milk. While I was waiting to pay for my order, a brazen shoplifter who appeared to be homeless, walks into the deli, open a can of Coke and began drinking. One of the two people behind the counter saw the homeless guy drinking the soda on his surveillance camera, grabs a baseball bat, chase the guy around the store and beat him senseless. Just like in the movies, there was merchandise strewn all over the deli. It was a mess, it looked like an earthquake hit the store, merchandise fell from the shelves and scattered on the floor. 

I left my juice, water and milk in the counter and walked out of the store. The police never arrived. 

P.S. - I was so disturbed by what I witnessed, that I don't know how people have time to record incidents like these on camera. The last thing in my mind was pulling out my cell to record the beating.

Throwback Thursday - Amsterdam Bloggers Meet

On my first trip to Europe in 2006, visited Amsterdam, during a blogger meet and greet in the Netherlands.

I didn't know what to expect. The host pick us up at the Schiphol airport, and took us on a 25 minute train ride to Leiden, a Dutch province of South Holland. At the Leiden train station, I saw the biggest parking lot, exclusively for bicycles. 

In my entire life I have never seen so many people riding bicycles, while wearing suits and carrying their work suitcases. Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful, cycle friendly cities you'll ever find. It's got a great mix of cosmopolitan vibe, with a small city charm to it. 

The pictures at the restaurant were taken at Osaka Japanese Restaurant, which offers amazing views of Amsterdam harbor. My first taste of Europe exceeded all my expectations. Enjoy the pictures! 

The Planets Aligned That Day

Last night I was listening to a Valerie Bertinelli interview, where she was trying to dispel the accusations that it was her fault the band Van Halen broke up.

As I was listening to her, I was transported to the summer of 1985. To show his appreciation for working on his motorcycle, a customer who used to work at NBC gifted me two tickets to the Dave Letterman Show. 

Unbeknown to me, taping of the show at NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center happened at 5:30pm, so my boss was not happy when I left the job early. That day Valerie Bertinelli was the talk show guest while her husband Eddie Van Halen was the musical guest. It was also my then-wife's birthday, so it was great timing. The planets aligned perfectly that day for me. 

[ This is a photoshopped internet image of Dave Letterman and myself. ]

Book Burning

Remember when book burning used to be associated with fascism and communism? The Nazis, the Soviets and the Chinese Communist Party did it.

I was watching a book burning that happened recently outside of Nashville, Tennessee, held by Greg Locke, an anti-LGBTQ pastor. 

At that event a man threw a copy of the Bible into the blaze shouting several times, "I burned a Bible, hail Satan", as people in the crowd cheered. The spectators first cheered, applauded and airhorns basted, until they realized he was burning the Bible. They then kick him out, while shouting "in the name of Jesus Christ, you will be saved". 

Hardin said that he did the prank to show their hypocrisy. 

On a related story, not sure if this is true or not, but I heard on another video that Chris Hardin explained later why he has a problem with the Bible. He said that he used to have a family; he was a dad and a husband, and attended church in Indiana regularly. Hardin claims that his own church helped have his 5 children taken away from him when he came out of the closet.

My question is, if they are burning books, and they agree with that idea, why would they be opposed to burning a Bible? My point is, they like the idea of burning books they don't agree with, this man doesn't agree with the Bible. Funny how they didn't take it that way.

Last time I checked, we live in America, we should be able to access whatever book we want. 

Los Peyotes Rock and Roll Band

Evanescence is one of my favorite alternative music bands. Their Bring Me To Life music video is one of my favs. 

Other favorite alternative bands that I listen to on a regular basis are Audioslave, Linkin Park, Coldplay, 3 Doors Down, Green Day, Nirvana, Three Days Grace, Soundgarden, etc. I usually play their music in the background when using my computer or when I am editing photographs.

Many years ago, a group of friends and I attended a 3-day outdoor rock & roll music festival and surfing championship in Rincon, Puerto Rico. After setting up the camping tent, we went to watch the live bands on stage. Much to our disappointment, someone broke into our tent and stole the beer. Despite being robbed, we had a blast at the music festival. 

Marionettes

On July 4, 2018, the Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. The same day, eight Republicans were at the Kremlin doing a photo-op with high ranking members of Vladimir Putin's regime. They traveled to Moscow on a Republicans only trip to Russia. 

One Russian official said, "the eight Republicans were soft, was one of the easiest meetings in my life". Senator Ron Johnson even downplayed Russian election interference just days after his 4th of July trip to Moscow. 

After Putin illegally invaded Ukraine, and started bombarding cities full of civilians, Ron Johnson went on Fox News to blame president Biden. 

If these senators were truly worried about Russia, why they voted to block three separate election security bills? Why did they cover for Trump when he withheld crucial military aid to Ukraine? Why have they all consistently taken Putin's side? 

Putin's Republican marionettes need to be voted out.

Courtesy of Progressive PAC Really American.

Perfect Instagram Photograph

I noticed this mural of the American Revolution in one of Philadelphia's most dangerous neighborhoods, and was surprised there was no graffiti damage. I was unsure how to safely approach the mural to use it as a backdrop, with my motorcycle in the foreground. It is a great photo to share in social media.

Decided to shoot the image early on a Sunday morning. I figured at that time the drug dealers are in bed, and there is less car traffic on the road, no pun intended. I guess that is why police arrest people in the early morning, criminals are not anticipating a visit from the police or the FBI. Besides, a lot of criminal activity takes place at night.

Arrived early one Sunday morning and took several images without any unexpected trouble. Perfect Instagram photograph! 

Let's Play Jeopardy

As you know, Jeopardy is a TV game show in which contestants are presented clues in the form of answers, and they must phrase their responses in the form of questions.

Yesterday, the Ohio lawmaker and Orange Turd apologist, Rep. Jim Jordan, tweeted the word Trump. Twitter users quickly turned his tweet into something similar to the Jeopardy game, where if Trump is the answer, people supplied the questions. 

Tell Me Which Tweet Is Your Favorite:

What The Doctor Ordered

Back in 2018, during a regular visit to my primary doctor, he suggested that I should be more active. Including walking to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. As we all know, physical activity also  help reduce the risk of depression, anxiety and help us sleep better. 

After consulting with a podiatrist about the type of walking shoes to wear, I began walking on a daily basis. I began taking public transportation half way, then I walked one mile on the first few weeks. Later progressed to walking three miles daily. 

In the first six months, I noticed that my clothes felt looser and I lost some weight. I also began experiencing some kind of minor discomfort on my right Achilles tendon. Didn't think anything of it, until months later when I began experiencing a sharp pain on my Achilles tendon. It was so painful that I had to stop walking. 

To make a long story short, after getting x-rays and seeing a specialist, I was diagnosed with Achilles Tendinitis. I also had to wear a (AFO -Ankle Foot Orthosis) carbon fiber boot for almost two years. The moral of the story is that in my case, "the cure was worse than the disease". 

On The Top Image You Can See The Carbon Fiber Ankle Boot On My Right Foot.

International Womens Day - March 8

International Women's Day - March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. In 1908, a group of young immigrant workers working at the Triangle shirtwaist factory went on strike looking for better wages and working conditions. The Triangle owners refused to concede. 

Two years later, a suspicious fire caused the deaths of 146 workers, 123 of them women and girls. They died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths to avoid being burned alive. According to Wikipedia, most of the victims were recent Italian or Jewish immigrant women and girls aged 14 to 23. The owners of the company, had four earlier suspicious fires at their companies.

This workplace disaster was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City, and it sparked the labor movement. This disaster forced the United States to pass labor laws that protect workers.

Reckless Ignorance

During a zoom conference call with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky this morning, Senator Marco Rubio and Steve Daines were told not to share pictures to social media while it was in progress to protect the location of the Ukranian president.

According to the report, President Zelensky addressed more than 280 senators and House members during the virtual meeting. 

These two traitors disregarded the request and posted photos to Twitter during the Zoom meeting putting the security of president Zelensky at risk. It's important to note, that some reports indicate that the Ukraine president has survived multiple assassination attempts in the past week.

It is a mystery to me who in their right mind continues to vote for these two. Leave it to Republican politicians to share information with Putin.

Gas Prices

I took this picture of my bike at Orange County Choppers, in Newburgh New York in 2014. At the time gas was at $4.05 a gallon. 

Since 1994, average gas prices have fluctuated between a low of 96.2 cents a gallon in February 1999 and a high of $4.11 in July 2008. The current average price, is almost exactly what it was in 2014. 

Where you buy gas also matters. 

Methinks that high gas prices are political talking points, and many of those complaining usually drive expensive gas-guzzlers. Many people don't realize how cheap gasoline is today.

When I entered high school in the early 70's, I had a part-time job at a Sears service gas station. If I recall correctly, I pumped gas at .32 cents a gallon. If we adjusted for inflation that .32 cents, it is $2.22 today. Not sure how true this is, but I've heard that gas prices in the US are among the cheapest in the world. 

By comparison, one White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks cost $4.45. One gallon of Dasani water is $11.22.

Do Americans believe the president has any power to control gasoline prices? The answer depends on whether you ask a Republican or a Democrat, and which party occupies the White House.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Have you heard the latest? Kim Kardashian is officially declared single in divorce drama from Kanye West. That means that now we can officially date, and maybe ask her to marry me. Paparazzi spotted us holding hands while clubbing in Los Angeles. Sounds like we need to start working in our new reality TV show.

Kim Kardashian said in a new interview that our next wedding will be on a private island with no TV cameras. Which raises a lot of questions, like, "If a Kardashian does something but there are no cameras, did it actually happen?"

[ This is a photoshopped internet image of Kim and myself at club in Los Angeles. ]

Throwback Thursday

This picture was taken in 2001 from Camden, New Jersey waterfront, across the Delaware River. This is the same location of the New Years Eve fireworks. Twenty years ago, I used to be more active, ride my bicycle everywhere, and go dancing every weekend. 

"What a drag it is getting old". - Rolling Stones.

In A Compassionate Way

Lately I have been carrying with me my GoPro Hero action camera during my photo walks, trying to experiment with the different camera settings.

A couple of days ago, I was waiting for the bus in the corner of Kensington and Allegheny Avenue when I took this picture. 

Learned recently that this area was the location for the Philadelphia Nativist Riots in the 19th century. According to Wikipedia: 

"The Philadelphia nativist riots also known as the Philadelphia Prayer Riots, the Bible Riots and the Native American Riots were a series of riots that took place on May 6–8 and July 6–7, 1844. The riots were a result of rising anti-Catholic sentiment at the growing population of Irish Catholic immigrants. The government brought in over a thousand militia, they confronted the nativist mobs and killed and wounded hundreds".

This was also the birthplace of the K&A Gang, (an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine) currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob.

Unfortunately, Kensington and Allegheny is now famous for being the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. Even the pandemic has not slowed down the drug supply around this area where drug is used openly on the streets. 

I don't feel comfortable taking pictures of drug users, but if you are interested to see more, search for "Jeffrey Stockbridge, Opioid Crisis: Photographing Addicts in a Compassionate Way"

Solitude

"Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself." - Psychology Today.

As the world around me moves too fast, there are times when I visualize myself in a remote location. Doing that helps me reduce stress. 

It is hard for me to describe the peacefulness I feel when I am voluntarily alone for a few quiet hours taking pictures. I truly enjoy the quiet, it makes me happy to experience the beauty of nature. 

I need to stop procrastinating and escape the rat race, and never get sucked back in.