It’s all about the links this week…

Links

Managed to get out for a sail on Sunday. I was single-handing, lazy and didn’t bother with a headsail–could have used it against the current though. I spent the better part of an hour trying to round a buoy (it’s good to have goals), then gave up when Rockaway Point YC’s race was bearing down on me.

Another good jam Friday. I left Sunday Papers off the list this week, but the band insisted we play it. So, it was the encore. It may forever occupy the last slot on the set list. Ziggy Stardust is coming into the rotation next week, so I spent some time on a rainy Saturday messing around with it. I’ve heard it a million times, and used to be able to stumble though it on a 6-string, but never appreciated Trevor Bolder’s, nice bass line. I hope to do it some justice come Friday.

Links

Photo of a white squirrel digging in some leaves in a wooded area of Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

White squirrel sighting! I would have easily run right by this one if not for the two women that had stopped to take a picture. I saw one earlier in the summer as well.

Thanks to Kenny, I saw Bikini Kill and Sweeping Promises at the Brooklyn Paramount. Both put on rocking shows. The remodeled Brooklyn Paramount theater is amazing!

We don’t own a car, I think it would be electric if we did. However, listening to Dave talk the effort that goes into finding charging stations and the confrontations at those stations gives me second thoughts.

This week, a former President announced on live, national television, during a debate that “They’re eating the dogs!” Perhaps more appalling, that was but one out of 33 lies he spewed during that debate. How anyone can be an undecided voter at this point is beyond me.

I watched Greg Palast’s Vigilantes Inc. (link to the stream below). The voter suppression in Georgia and elsewhere in the country is very concerning. While everyone’s attention is on this wingnut’s antics, thousands of voters are quietly being taken off the rolls. There are people trying to combat this, even in the face of strong arm tactics including arrests and charges carrying lengthy prison sentences. Check out the movie, it’s eye opening. I’d also like to mention that I have no relation to the Pam Reardon interviewed in this film.


Links

Two long-distance swimmers in the water near the Coney Island Pier celebrate their finish of the 2024 Rose Pitonof Swim. Also pictured, an orange, triangular buoy printed with the words "Urban Swim".

We blew past “mid-August” this week and the “unofficial end of the summer” (here in the US) is just a couple weeks away. I mention this because my sailing season has been almost non-existent this year. I’ve spent more time on powerboats than sailboats–I may be close to losing my sailor cred altogether.

At least I spent a day on the water Saturday shooting photos for the 2024 edition of the Rose Pitonof Swim (instagram link). The photo here shows two of swimmers on the relay team I was with at the finish near Coney Island. I’ve been on few of the Rose swims, including the inaugural one. This was the toughest I’ve witnesses. The swimmers were faced with a fair amount of chop and spent the last couple hours swimming against both the current and wind. They all did an amazing job. Shout out to the kayakers who spent time roughing it in the breakers at the end.

Takeaways from this week: Make it a point to get a few sails in before this season is over, and shoot more often.


Links

The political is separated from the rest of the links this week–easier to skip. Although, all voters should probably watch that Robert Reich video.

Political Links

This video (link) from Robert Reich highlights some of the more egregious schemes in Project 2025.

We visited friends in the country this weekend–it was lovely. Our time there made me realize how much I dislike riding in cars–perhaps as much as I imagine many loathe public transit.

This also made me think about my general transportation preferences. Here they are, ranked:

  1. Walking
  2. Cycling*
  3. Subway/Metro
  4. Tram**
  5. Boat
  6. Train
  7. Taxi
  8. Bus
  9. Car–driven by me
  10. Airplane
  11. Car–driven by most other (non-professional) people

Those last two really are in a tie for dead last in my book. But, sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.

* I rarely cycle these days, but I liked it when I did
** We don’t have trams in NYC, if we did, I’d rank them about equal to the subway

Links

Mostly political this week, sorry…