Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Chicago Tribune | Tighter than a bad shoe

An interesting note in the Chicago Tribune:

If you were a protester of any kind in Boston, where the Democrats held their convention, you were invited into a little prison-like pen under an abandoned elevated railroad track to have your say. It was a pathetic offense against everything the nation holds sacred. As for the convention center itself, it was like meeting in a United Nations refugee camp, but with appetizers.

. . . .

If you went to Boston because you believed passionately that abortion is wrong, for example, you got to voice your feelings in a little pen under severe constraints. If you came to New York to call the president a deceitful liar, bare your breasts to make a statement or strap on a faux penis shaped like a rocket, then you could well do that. You could also be among the many, many thousands who walked in their complete, engaging normalcy under a brilliant sun, shout all you wanted and even flip a bird at Madison Square Garden, if you were so moved. Maybe they are just different cities, but somehow, you would think the Democrats in Boston would have tried to be at least as welcoming as the Republicans who run New York.


And the Republicans are the fascists trying to stamp out dissent in America, huh?

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Announcement

By the way... David has not been much in evidence recently because on August 7th, his beautiful wife gave birth to a spectaular little boy. Joshua is not only beautiful, but he can already read!!!

Pride

Check out this excerpt from Lois Weiss’ column in today’s NY Post. I added the emphasis at the bottom.
(for those who don’t know, to kvel is to swell with pride… I am swollen!)
/Stuart

The old Cunard Building at 25 Broadway and owned by Zev Wolfson is going through some changes.
First, the U.S. Post Office is leaving its stunning headquarters on the ground floor. That remarkable space is being pitched to retailers by a Cushman & Wakefield team.
The lower floors up to 15 are a mix of office tenants. Meantime, the 16th-22nd floors are being kept vacant with plans to convert them to apartment condos — unless "the right" office tenant comes along.
According to Cushman's Eli Levitan, the company is keeping both options open for as long as possible.
The building is meanwhile being repositioned as a luxury office and residential property. As part of those efforts the lobby will be restored to its former grandeur.
Ralph Herzka led a Meridian Capital team that obtained $120 million in funding from Independence Community Bank.
Christopher Palmer and John "Jack" Curran of Cullen & Dykman worked on the deal for the bank while Wolfson was repped by a Fried, Frank team led by David Kaufman.