FIRE, FIRE, Everywhere?!

Ok, so today I am on my way to one of several appointments, and I am sitting in a taxi, riding north on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. I am minding my own business, and playing "Bejeweled" on my cel phone. All of a sudden I get this feeling that something is wrong. I think, literally, "Something is happening." I hear the cab driver say, "I take 26th to 7th avenue." I say, "Yes, that's right." He repeats his statement. Strange, but not really because cab drivers can never hear you through the plastic divider that separates you from them. I say, "Yes, that should be fine," thinking, "that's where I am going anyway."

I put my game on 'pause,' look up, and realize that the cab driver isn't speaking to me. He is speaking to the cab driver in the next taxi... My driver then says, "Look, there's a fire, it's good we aren't going THAT way!" I look up and see black smoke filling up the entire valley that is eighth avenue up near Times Square. The smoke was so high and so thick, you couldn't see past Times Square (and normally you can). It was frightening.

I arrived at my destination, and asked if anyone had heard anything about an explosion or an accident. It was a HUGE amount of smoke, people. This was not small. No one had heard a thing. Strange. Wait, it gets a little more creepy.

I came home and ate and then got online to check email, and do some work. I thought I would see if there were anything reported on CNN.com about the fire, or explosion, or whatever it was. NOTHING. It took me a good 5-10 minutes to find something, and that was on newsday.com... NY1.com didn't even report it. Why?

I find that a cab "caught on fire" in front of Port Authority, one of the most annoyingly busy and confusing areas of the city. The cab driver would only identify himself as "Z. Rahman," and didn't file a report with the police... uh huh. Here, read the article... and look at the pictures.. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-taxi0922,0,3451557.story?coll=ny_home_rail_headlines

NOTICE (in that article), that two days before this 'incident,' a cab "exploded" in front of NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center... literally RIGHT IN FRONT of the studio's main entrance. Coincidence? Here check that one out too: http://www.wnbc.com/news/14141860/detail.html
They sure went into some SUPER detail on that report, right??

Here's a pic: http://www.wnbc.com/slideshow/news/14141806/detail.html

It just makes me even MORE suspicious of the cab drivers in this town who didn't want the GPS systems in their cars. I know, it's expensive, and they have to pay for it... but not if they rent their cabs for the day, and more than half of the cab drivers in this city do that. The fleet owners would have to pay for GPS in those taxis. You see, that whole strike was, in my opinion, an excuse to rip us off. It's supposed to happen again. The drivers say the GPS thing is a violation of their privacy. I say, if you are a cab driver, living and working here, in Manhattan, and you can't deal with GPS in your taxi because you think it's an invasion of your privacy, then WHAT are you doing that is so private? Where are you planning to clandestinely go? The fact is, that drivers go where the CLIENT tells them. So in reality, it's the clients who are being tracked. That is, if the cab driver isn't doing something wrong.

We live in a city that was victimized by foreign gangsters (terrorists)... if we want to put GPS systems in the cabs to make things a bit easier to track, so be it. I have news for the taxi drivers: they already see you, everywhere... the traffic intersections of this city are ALL armed with cameras... primarily to keep track, and to ticket, drivers who run red lights (a friend recently received a ticket like this in the mail, but it looks like an error, because all three cars in the photo look like they've run the light... it was strange). So there!! LOL

Oh well...

I just watched the president's speech on television. He looks tired. I wish he were just a farmer somewhere; that way he would be happy, perhaps successful, and harmless. I don't think he is an evil man, just misguided. At least, I HOPE he isn't evil. I do think, however, that there are some evil people around him, giving him ideas, and opportunities.

He will never admit any of his mistakes, and that is unforgivable. When will we have a leader who speaks frankly and honestly? I don't think we will ever see that until there are major changes in our country, and in our world. The problem for the governmental powers-that-be is that the modern means of communication (such as email, websites, blogs, etc.) make it difficult to hide shady behavior... people, hopefully, are becoming more educated about the government and its actions... yet we see no change. We have no influence upon our own representatives, let alone control over our so-caled federalist system.

Welcome to ancient Rome...

The benefit that I performed in for The Red Fern Theatre Company was a rousing success. Everyone sang beautifully, and it was an incredibly interesting roster of entertainers. Thank you to all those who came out in support! I appreciate it, as does the board of the theatre company!

More to come... I am in work-mode now ;)

-brian

LIFT OFF!!!!

Greetings!

This is my first Blog... well, not my FIRST, after all, I do have a myspace account, and I have blogged there. However, this is the first posting of this new blog space - a new one for all of us. We don't need any myspace interference!

I just returned from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where I sang at the wedding of a very close college friend. I was honored that she asked me, and what made it even more special was that almost all of my closest friends from Duke were there (yes, I graduated from Duke University, and no, I don't think I knew any lacrosse players... if you don't get that, don't worry). The service was beautiful, the reception was beautiful, even the orchestra was beautiful... and yes, there WAS an orchestra... ok, well, not an ORCHESTRA, but a jazz combo... which is just as amazing! I have to tell you, that area of the country is rich in history and the people of Portsmouth have done a wonderful job of maintaining and celebrating that history in the architecture, the art, and even the food. It was a sweet and romantic weekend. I am grateful for my friends and the love we all have for each other. I am also grateful that my friend, the bride, has found a true gentleman to share her life with. This man is a winner!

On Monday, September 10th, I will be singing in a benefit for The Red Fern Theatre Company in NYC at the Triad Theatre. I won't bother with the details here, because there is a blurb about it on the front page of my website. PLEASE come out and support this company. They do some incredibly important work, and there is not enough of this kind of theater in NYC, or in the world, for that matter.

I have some other news, but I can't post it yet, so keep watching... love to you all!
-Brian