Mountain View
Carol Durant
Review: Dumpster Kat The Musical
Tonight was a first for me in the realm of musical theater. I had the pleasure and honor to be in the audience for a fledgling musical called Dumpster Kat The Musical. It debuted at Mount Ida Preservation Hall, a former church located in Troy, New York. I racked my brain and still do not recall seeing a brand new musical until tonight. It was thrilling to know that someone with a dream persevered and that dream finally came to fruition. It was a magical performance with insightful characters, dynamic music and fantastic community support.
Regarding Rebecca Lobo: Albany County Farmers Market
Citizens in the Capital District were in an uproar after remarks made by former professional basketball star and sports commentator Rebecca Lobo during the 2024 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament at the MVP Arena this past April. Ms. Lobo seemingly denigrated Albany and its ability to deliver activities to sustain visitors, by saying “Good luck finding something to do in Albany.” We all read a myriad of comments on various social media platform threads and printed articles with people miffed, outraged and offering alternatives, most occurring outside of the city limits toward making Ms. Lobo's commentary misguided and suspect.
Options for Participation:Voting
Hello humans! Our first Presidential debate started this week with vocal mayhem, critical chaos and team spirit. Television commentators and podcasters have been finger pointing and mulling over conspiracy theories. There is an abundance of chatter. Some people have a strong meme game and some of these creations are hilarious. But let us get to the heart of the matter, choice!
The Gauntlet of Employment Part II
Are you sitting in your cubicle or an actual office, annoyed that you are not able to work from home. You saved your life, mileage and money for lunch by working from home during the pandemic. Now, every day at work, you are back to worrying about someone abducting your lunch, putting mileage on the car, finding a parking space less than a sherpa hikes while trying to avoid Mildred's incessant conversation about her birds.
Opinion: American Fiction is a cinematic win
I was invited to go to the movies by one of my favorite people. I left the house to go to see a movie, at a movie theater! A formally independent movie house that is now owned by a small movie theater chain which thankfully had a matinee of American Fiction. I had not heard of the film before, but after accepting the invite, I hopped onto the Internet and found the name of the film and starring Jeffrey Wright. Mr. Wright is a brilliant actor on screen and stage, therefore, it was another reason to attend with my friend.
The Gauntlet of Employment
Unfortunately, we all know too many people that are unemployed or underemployed. Candidates are searching for employment in their areas of expertise. Companies are hiring. According to what your relatives say and mainstream media, these individuals need to try harder to land a position. Finding employment is different from obtaining positive employment. Let's meander down the potholed road to employment.
Support the new South End Grocery store
I visited the new South End Grocery Store located in the South End section of Albany, New York. My friend and I were excited to visit and support an important new endeavor. Interest was high, purchases were made and a positive experience was had by both of us.
Taking a breather from watching Billions
I took a break from filling my shopping cart on Amazon with all the great Black Friday deals and decided to check out Amazon Prime. I slogged through the website and stumbled across the show, Billions. It’s a series that originated on Showtime. Seasons 1–4 are available to stream.
Buc-ee's is on my travel itinerary
Everyday we use convenience stores to purchase gas, food, air etc. Most are local to your geographic area and traverse the state where you reside. Other convenience stores are national chains with locations in forty-eight or all fifty states. I have local and national stores that I patronize and my new favorite is Buc-ee's!
Opinion: a better life awaits you
A better life awaits you. It is right in front of you. Let us look back on what we have been through. We were stuck inside for over two years, but it actually feels like seven in dog years. Some humans felt trapped, unable to move without fear of illness or death. Unable to traverse the earth with air touching the skin on your face; learning to speak with volume and make eye contact that you avoided pre-pandemic. Working from home or in person in peril to keep the slowed economy moving. Warrior men and women who worked around the clock in various professions, to keep others educated and safe. Citizens that went from employed to unemployed for making individual sovereignty a personal choice from the collective. Medical, physical and emotional upheaval for a myriad of individuals, some who unfortunately by mandate died alone.
Opinion: solutions for Glenville Bridge truck accidents
Another tractor trailer has hit the Glenridge Road Rail Bridge in Glenville, New York. The top of the trailer sheared off like an old school sardine can and looks like the folds in a paper fan. The trucks involved are semis and box trucks. The steel railroad bridge is 10 feet 11 inches high. There are newly installed yellow caution signs, lights and a side road for tall trucks to use prior to impact. Why does this accident keep happening? Locally, it’s a running joke, with the bridge having its own social media pages. It needs to be resolved because it is costing the owners, haulers, taxpayers, police, fire, EMT, insurance and towing companies to name a few; hundreds of manpower hours and at this point millions of dollars of destroyed property.
Evan Blum and the Central Warehouse building
Central Warehouse located in Albany, New York is an immense concrete building that is owned by Mr. Evan Blum. The blight ridden building has recently been in the news because crumbling bits of concrete fell off of the south facing part of the building. This debris triggered a state of emergency by the City of Albany, since the building has inactive railroad tracks adjacent to active passenger rail. Due to this action, westbound Amtrak trains were canceled traveling to Albany until a structural engineering analysis and clean up was completed. The smokestack seen in the photo was removed.https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/central-warehouse-owner-responds-after-albany-declares-state-of-emergency-evan-blum.
Albany Skyway is an elevated park
Well, I wanted to see my tax dollars at work, so a friend and I walked her dog along the Albany Skyway. It's located off of Broadway and Clinton Avenue in Albany, New York. It used to be a road that cars traversed and now it is an elevated park. We went to the Skyway on Sunday in the early evening. There is the New York Excelsior seal at the beginning of the walkway. The former ramp has plenty of new concrete to admire while you walk the gentle grade. Keep to your right, in case of bicycles, scooters and skaters needing to whizz by you.
Book review: The Gospel of Afronomics Theology a/k/a G.O.A.T. by Minister Zumbi Y. Shawala
It has been over a year since the book, TheGospel of Afronomics Theology also known as G.O.A.T. has been published by Minister Zumbi Y. Shawala, which is the audacious nom de plume by author Chris Johnson. The book was written for individuals and families toward changing their economic future. The reader will follow the principles in the book to change their financial circumstances. With over twenty-two years of research, Mr. Johnson's work has elements and principles from Malcolm X to Robert Kiyosaki.
Joseph Pinion III candidate for United States Senator in New York
Mr. Joseph Pinion III is a convivial, insightful and forward thinking man. He is of Jamaican descent and was born and raised in Yonkers, the third largest city in New York. Pinion was a determined and focused student and athlete at Horace Mann High School. His studious nature and athletic prowess led to his recruitment to Colgate University where he excelled at football. He graduated with a degree in English. Pinion is an entrepreneur. He has founded or been at the helm of various nonprofit organizations throughout his career to assist and empower youth and adults on such topics as climate change and economic empowerment.
Opinion: Thank you Gregg Marcel Dixon
Mr. Gregg Marcel Dixon, a resident and teacher in Jasper County, South Carolina decided to launch a political campaign in the sixth Congressional district. He decided to primary an incumbent and challenger. The Democratic sixth district incumbent is Mr. Jim Clyburn. Jim Clyburn has helmed this predominantly black district for over thirty years. Mr. Dixon, nicknamed Marcel and his campaign was vibrant and informative. Marcel's presence on social media platforms, such as Twitter and YouTube was consistent and energetic. His campaign slogan, "Repair Black America to fix America" is curious and meaningful. It challenged the reader to research who Marcel is and what are the focal points of his campaign.
Camp Logan on Capital Rep main stage, produced by Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York
Camp Logan, a wonderful play by Celeste Bedford Walker starts performances this week on the main stage at TheRep (Capital Repertory Theater). The play is inspired by actual events that occurred in Houston, Texas in 1917. The all black regiment in the United States Army was thrown into turmoil due to racial tension and unrest. Ms. Bedford Walker's play captures the essence of what these soldiers experienced as individuals and as a unit with insightful and humorous dialogue during this timeframe in World War I.
Opinion: Memorial day weekend
Memorial day weekend is upon us. It seems that the month of May is the speediest month of the year. The tulips, lilacs and lilies of the valley are in bloom. The hum of lawn mowers whizzing on lawns in the neighborhood and the many trips to your favorite gardening spot for flowers signals that the weekend is here. Spring is nearing its end and summer is sprinting towards us.
Meghan Marohn is missing (update)
If you are a Baby Boomer or Generation X individual, you probably remember sitting down with a bowl of your favorite cereal, staring at the milk carton with the face of a missing child staring back at you. A black and white picture with the vital statistics of the missing person. Your parents worried and mentioned to you to remain alert; stay mindful and watch out for your siblings and friends before you left the house. These days, missing persons alerts appear on social media platforms and I reshare the posts. My friend, Meghan Marohn is now a missing person.
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