Today Freedom Tower Becomes the Tallest Building in New York City

Today workers at the Freedom Tower, One World Trade Center reached the 100th floor at 1,271 feet.  Please find the time today for a moment of silence to honor those who fell Tuesday, September 11, 2001.  Never forget.

Here you can see the tower coming up behind the Woolworth building just a few months ago. 

Below are a few more photos I have taken of the construction progress over time.

From Broadway, September 11, 2011.

July last year seen from New Jersey.

From the Williamsburg, Brooklyn waterfront August last year.

Taken from the East River Ferry last fall.

From the East River Ferry near the Brooklyn Bridge last September.

Robert Spencer Book Talk & Reception for "Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry into Islam's Obscure Origins"

I had the tremendous honor and great pleasure to attend Robert Spencer's book talk and reception in midtown today for his newly released book, Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry into Islam's Obscure Origins.  

The event, sponsored by the Middle East Forum originally planned to take place at a private venue at a law firm last week became the target of CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) who tried so very desperately to silence it by intimidation.  CAIR may have been momentarily successful in shutting it down but it was moved to another location and went off very successfully without a hitch today.

 In fact there were even more people there today than were planned for in the original event.  
So thanks, CAIR!

I shot about 35 minutes of the talk.  My apologies for the shaky camera at times but you DO NOT want to miss any of this.

"The Bama Bus" Revisted: That Was Fast!

(Click to enlarge all photos!)

I noticed that the Bama Bus was parked on that same street again today and literally overnight it was painted over.

Go here for yesterday's 'before' photos!

Obama was totally blocked out with white spray paint, his name, everything.

It's definitely an improvement.

It looks like they started running out of spray paint on this side but they did manage to cover Obama's name and most of his face. Biden's name was spared.

The same young lady was there from yesterday moving boxes. I asked her about the paint job and she said that she had been meaning to do it anyway. I wondered if my photo session yesterday may have sparked the desire to get it done faster.

I asked her if she was still going to vote for Obama she was kind of vague. She did say that the van mural was part of a project she started four years ago but now she's moving on to other things.

Here's to hoping that the rest of the his supporters feel the same way.


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Political Automotive Art: Meet "The Bama Bus"

(Click to enlarge all photos for FULL details! Recommended.)

I just spotted this baby parked nearby.

I really don't even know what to say except that I wished I had asked the owners if they were still going to vote for the Anarchist in Chief.

Not much hope left for this VW Mini Van.
I guess repainting would just cost too much money.

UPDATE: Wednesday, April 18th!
The Bama Bus came back again today. And literally overnight it was totally different. <--- Click!

Wow! That was fast.


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Occupy Goes to Central Park: The Movement of Perpetual Street Theater

I stopped into Central Park briefly Saturday afternoon to see what the Occupy folks were up to. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable happening so I stayed just long enough to take a few pics.
Supposedly they had gathered to protest racism, though I didn't see anything to that effect. It's a social scene--a continual protest, a chance to play dress-up.

There were a couple of hundred people gathered loosely broken down in what looked like sub-encampments each marked with a letter. And of course the only American flags present were defaced.

It was the same old drumming and endless mic check!s and that's pretty much it. What else has OWS accomplished except running up the taxpayer bills on police and sanitation?

The majority of the people there didn't appear have the capability to take this movement to the next step beyond drumming, hollering, playing pranks with the help of Big Labor and causing mayhem in the streets. I can't see any of them running for office and trying to effect legislature.

The Tax Dodgers!

It was very tame compared to what Occupy is threatening for May Day.

#OWS American Spring Agitprop: The Lynch the NYPD Edition

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A rather nasty bit of new incitement agitprop plastered on a wall at the entrance to the Bedford Avenue L Train Station in Brooklyn courtesy of the local jerks of 'The Movement of Peace' a.k.a. Occupy Whatever.

Obama's stealth army at work.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg, the three-term Mayor of Fat and Salt says that despite what the United States Constitution states we don't have the right to defend ourselves.