I currently live on Myrtle Ave, just a couple blocks down from where this shot was taken in 1943. The elevated train was demolished sometime in the mid sixties I think. This is what the same shot looks like today on Google Street View.

I’ve spoken to people in the neighborhood who still remember when this shop was around. I just think it’s a great iconic image.

Check out his collection of negatives from around the city at Metro Orange Art and at BrooklynPix.com.

Meh, I don’t feel good about this.

Palin
• Oh my goodness, she said “shout out”
• If she presides over the Senate will she address the senators as “Government” in the Capitol? - As in, “Hey Government, you betcha we gotta get this darn bill passed.”
• When did Maverick become an obligatory noun in every sentence you say in a public forum?
• She survived much better than I or anyone expected.
• I need to work out more before you call me “Joe Sixpack”
• Who is Senator Obiden?

Biden
• Did you just lose to to the woman who couldn’t name 1 Supreme Court decision you disagree with?
• Why didn’t you call Palin out more often on not answering questions directly?
• Do you mind is she calls you Joe?
• I like what you said about respecting someone’s motives, but questioning their motives.

To step back and for a more thorough investigation, listen to This American Life episode 355: Giant Pool of Money. Next Sunday’s episode of This American Life will be a sequel to Giant Pool of Money that brings listeners up to speed on all the events since this story was first broadcast in May. I’m looking forward to it.

Margie and a were hanging out the other night when my mom poked her head around the corner and asked, “were do I go to send an eCard?” It was my uncle’s birthday and with all good intention my mom wanted to send along a quick congrats via email. It’s been like this for a while, but it seems like the eCard has become the standard recognition of thanks or congratulations for that special someone who you just didn’t have the time to sit down and write. The more I think about this the more the entire standard of card-giving upsets me.

Looking back even further, how did a folded, often witty, piece of 8″x10″ come to represent the gamut of greetings, thanks, congrats, and all other kinds of emotions that people exchange? I remember the looks that I would get when I would be seen throwing out the stack of birthday or Christmas cards I had received only a few days before. “I read them already,” I would pronounce. But this simple, logical explanation did nothing to refute the disapproval.

The idea of a greeting card in it’s essence is absolutely brilliant. How many times have we all received a card (or email) with a simple, mass produced message intended to convey sentiment from the sender? In a way, this is capitalist efficiency at it’s finest. Millions of “happy birthdays” are exchanged each day and all greeting cards do is capitalize on the want of the masses to express this in a unique way. Why have everyone one produce their own “happy birthday” when you could mass produce this message and spare the consumers’ the time and effort to think of a creative message on their own? Brilliant.

I guess all I’m trying to say is the obvious; a simple thought out note to convey emotion is so much more meaningful than a mass produced market variety greeting, a paper greeting is more thoughtful than one constructed of bits and bytes, and if you must eCard, eCard with someecards.com.

someecards.com - “When you care enough to hit send.”

You can listen to or watch the discussion on America Abroad Media’s website.

What I took away from the interview was a new sense of what’s possible. Friedman has such an informed view of where we are environmentally and about the possibilities of progressing the environmental technology revolution. Hearing his take on recent events and on the candidates’ positions on the importance of moving forward environmentally was a bit of a wakeup call as to where we as a country really stand. He’s also got some great ideas on how to bring about the technological revolution that is needed to solve the imminent environmental crisis. I implore you, have a listen:

Fresh Air, September 8, 2008

P.S. Why don’t we have people that are this well-informed on the issues making the decisions in government?