Would You Boycott Hollywood for China?

People post more than graffiti and stickers in random places in NYC. You can spot fliers for guitar lessons, guys with vans that want to help you move, and police department notifications stapled and taped to parking meters, street lights, trees, bike ramps, and anything else that's rooted in place. I spotted this on a street lamp on West 3rd and Sullivan. Not sure if you can read the whole thing, but it seems to be a rambling rant claiming facts without sources. According to this, Hollywood (specifically Tom Hanks and James Cameron) is willfully ignoring genocide. I guess the author of this flier wants a movie made about Korea and communist China. But, I can't begin to imagine how many genocides have yet to have major motion pictures made about them. Central America, the former Yugoslavia, Africa; there are entire continents that deserve to have their stories told. But the sad truth is that most people don't care, or can only be depressed by so many movies in one year. I wonder if this person isn't simply a jilted actor or screenwriter. But, I put this question to you. Do the atrocities performed by the Chinese in Korea deserve a movie treatment? Would you watch such a film?

Remembering Auxiliary Police Officers

I know I'm a day behind the times here, but on March 14, 2007, two auxiliary police officers were gunned down by a crazy person just a block from my apartment. I just wanted to take a few moments to remember them. These images were taken around the corner of Bleeker and Sullivan on the spots where Nicholas T. Pekearo and Yevgeniy Borisovitch Marshalik were killed.

I've always been very disturbed by this event, and have felt close to it. I had met the crazed gunman, now deceased, before all this happened, when he was working as a bartender at Raccoon Lodge. And my brother-in-law attended school with one of the officers. Plus, living so close by, I could easily have been caught in the crossfire that day.

I wish I had something profound to say about death, life, and the brevity of it all. It's a mystery I don't expect to solve in my lifetime. But, violence aside, the fear of death is something that we all live with every day. It's scary and sad, but mostly for those of us that are still here when someone passes away. And I'd love to believe that Nicholas and Yevgeniy were some place better now, but faith is a whole different ball of confusion I won't solve in my lifetime. For now it just makes me sad that four lives (including the pizza parlor cook who was gunned down first) were snuffed out so senselessly.

Snowicane

It's so cold and snowy out even the fire hydrant on Sullivan Street needs a hat. There have been a few false prophets who've predicted snowpocalypses earlier this year. But this one is the real deal. All the treasures on the street corners are buried and all the schools are closed, but I'm out trudging my way to work.

I'm not alone though. All the doormen and handymen around town are busily scraping paths for me to walk in. Plows are out further towering snow on top of parked cars. Some of which, as you'll see below, wouldn't be making it out of their spots today anyhow.