Babs' last Saturday at the Sidewalk Cafe

It was Babs' last regular Saturday shift at the Sidewalk Cafe after nearly four years as a friendly and helpful member of the waitstaff. She's in her last semester at university, working two part-time jobs related to her major in film. She just doesn't have enough time to reliably take a regular shift.

She was nice enough to let me take this photo and post it. Click on the photo to see it full sized.

http://kayester.blogspot.com/2017/01/babs-last-saturday-at-sidewalk-cafe.html

Ron Kolm and Carl Watson outside the Sidewalk Cafe, NYC

Just one photo.

This is outside in front of the Sidewalk Cafe on Ave. A and E. 6th St. in NYC, Saturday, Jan 28 2017.

Carl Watson and Ron Kolm, two writers.

I ask myself how unbearable is it?

Permalink

http://kayester.blogspot.com/2017/01/ron-kolm-and-carl-watson-outside.html

Westchester Refugee Task Force at Congregation Sons of Israel Briarcliff Manor

Wed, January 11, 2017, Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor hosted the Westchester Refugee Task Force's "Stories of Escape and Resettlement."

We are in the midst of the worst global refugee crisis since World War II and yet instead of learning from our past mistakes and opening our doors and lending assistance to these people, facing danger, impoverishment and death, driven from their homes because to stay was almost certain death, we hear of our national and many local political leaders, quivering in fear that we might let a bad person in with all the deserving, preferring to shut the door, bolt the gates and stick their heads in the sand.

Prof. Mary Refling

With more than 300 members of the community present, from throughout central and northern Westchester, we heard four moving speakers tell of us of their own experiences. The first, Riva Silverman of HAIS, spoke of the evolving mission of HAIS from parochial to global, aiding refugees wherever the need arises. The second, Nya Chambang was a refugee who was lucky to escape South Sudan with her life, and is working now to help her people settle into safe villages. She is president of Thon Met African Peace Foundation. The third, Susan Smith of the Muslim Peace Fellowship told us of her experience as a volunteer at a refugee camp in Greece. The keynote speaker, Chris George, executive director of IRIS - Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services spoke of his experiences working with the issues of resettlement as the director of a state-wide program in Connecticut and gave us direction as to what we can and should be doing to help these people. It was informative, it was moving and it was inspirational.

Riva Silverman

The invocation and concluding statements were delivered by Rabbi Steven Kane of CSI, the event was mc'ed by one of the founders of the Westchester Task Force, Professor Mary Refling.

Rabbi Steven Kane

If you click on the picture it will open a slide show in most browsers, or enlarge the picture in others.

Permalink:
http://kayester.blogspot.com/2017/01/westchester-refugee-task-force-at.html

Nya Chambang

Nya Chambang

Susan Smith

Chris George

A very short story and the photo that goes with it

A few weeks ago I was at the bar in the Sidewalk Cafe on Ave. A in Manhattan. It was an early sunset and I got into a conversation with these three people. They kept talking about their experience with another person, not present, and their manner of describing this absent party was such that I had to ask: was this person the boss from hell, a huge, ogre who upon entering a room bit off the head of the person nearest the door, picking up others and hurling them into the wall on the opposite side, leaving them jerking in agony on the floor?

It wasn't and the gentleman on the right, in the watch cap, had some very choice words to say about the person they were discussing and his rather close relationship with her.

Anyway, here are Todd, Lila and Jonathan. If you run into them, they can tell you more.

Two other randomly selected photos.  One was shot outside the Sidewalk a little bit later. It was an early sunset.

 

This one was shot a couple of nights before, while walking past the former location of a Jimmy Choo store in the Waldorf Astoria. I worked in retail a long time ago.

 http://kayester.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-few-weeks-ago-i-was-at-bar-in.html

Should there ever be another cute cat picture posted to the web?

I'll answer my own question: No! Never! Unnecessary, already been done, but, as it turns out, inevitable.

One of the cats with whom I share my home likes to get his water from the bathtub faucet. He follows me in and looks longingly at it, waiting for me to make the water drip.

Inevitably, I took pictures, many pictures, yet rather than give in completely to the temptation to overshare, here's just a couple

His name, if you are wondering, is Pancake.

 

http://kayester.blogspot.com/2017/01/should-there-ever-be-another-cute-cat.html