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The Villager Newspaper

The Villager Newspaper The Villager is a weekly community newspaper serving New York City's West and East Villages, Soho, N The Villager, founded in 1933, is an award winning weekly newspaper serving residents of New York City's famous Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Operating as usual

In a letter sent Sept. 23 to Gov. Hochul, the BPCNA expressed their interest "to develop a revised Robert F. Wagner Jr. ...
10/14/2022
Manhattan community calls on Hochul to let expert panel revise Wagner Park Resiliency Plan | amNewYork

In a letter sent Sept. 23 to Gov. Hochul, the BPCNA expressed their interest "to develop a revised Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park design that both protects from climate change risk and preserves the character and cultural significance of this park and its relationship to Battery Park City and all of New York."

The original design contained plans to demolish the 3.5-acres of Wagner Park and called for a $221 million makeover. The May 2022 Draft Environmental Impact

No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping feed children across the country, has teamed up with the N...
10/12/2022
No Kid Hungry and DOE celebrate National School Lunch Week | amNewYork

No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping feed children across the country, has teamed up with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to celebrate this year's National School Lunch Week.

No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping feed children across the country, has teamed up with the New York City Department of Education

A handful of independent bookstores on the Lower East Side are celebrating the diversity and resilience of the neighborh...
10/11/2022
Second annual Lower East Side book crawl to return over Halloween weekend | amNewYork

A handful of independent bookstores on the Lower East Side are celebrating the diversity and resilience of the neighborhood's indie bookshops through its annual Halloween-themed book crawl.

A handful of independent bookstores on the Lower East Side are celebrating the diversity and resilience of the neighborhood’s indie bookshops through its

10/05/2022
urstadt.swan

Urstadt.Swan — you may not know the name, but there is a good chance that you've seen the work of the East Village's Lauren Urstadt and Shari Swan.

The Village Trip wrapped up its biggest festival yet with a free concert on Saturday in Washington Square Park that fill...
09/28/2022
Lively Washington Square Park concert featuring klezmer and soul brings curtain down on this year’s ‘Village Trip’ | amNewYork

The Village Trip wrapped up its biggest festival yet with a free concert on Saturday in Washington Square Park that filled Garibaldi Plaza with fans of the Klezmatics, Joshua Nelson and Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir.

The Village Trip wrapped up its biggest festival yet with a free concert on Saturday in Washington Square Park that filled Garibaldi Plaza with fans of the

Calling the vineyard his "true love," he helps manage the sprawling vineyard's tasting room in addition to handling dist...
09/21/2022
New Yorker of the Week: Pindar Damianos: Making wine fun | amNewYork

Calling the vineyard his "true love," he helps manage the sprawling vineyard's tasting room in addition to handling distribution and basically all aspects of the wine business.

As the youngest of five children, Pindar Damianos is the general manager of the 400-acre vineyard in Peconic, NY that carries his name.

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet depicting a 10-year-old refugee from war-torn Syria, visited Times Square on Friday, where...
09/17/2022
Broadway fills New York City with songs in Times Square for Little Amal | amNewYork

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet depicting a 10-year-old refugee from war-torn Syria, visited Times Square on Friday, where she was welcomed by 200 public school students and the Broadway community, who serenaded her with popular Broadway tunes.

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet depicting a 10-year-old refugee from war-torn Syria, visited Times Square on Friday, where she was welcomed by 200 public school

From Germany to Mexico and other international destinations, fashion industry professionals—designers, models, show prod...
09/13/2022
PHOTOS: New York Fashion Week expresses creativity on and off the runway | amNewYork

From Germany to Mexico and other international destinations, fashion industry professionals—designers, models, show producers, commentators and influencers flock here during Fashion Week, which took place last week.

From Germany to Mexico and other international destinations, fashion industry professionals—designers, models, show producers, commentators and influencers

More than two decades have now passed since the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the gravity of that traumatic day s...
09/11/2022
Remembering 9/11 | New Yorkers exhibit strength and undying love at memorial honoring victims of terrorist attacks 21 years ago | amNewYork

More than two decades have now passed since the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the gravity of that traumatic day still weighs heavy on New Yorkers who lost loved ones on that day of infamy.

More than two decades have now passed since the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the gravity of that traumatic day still weighs heavy on New Yorkers who

A Con Edison facility that regularly discharges wastewater into the Hudson River in Midtown is operating within the limi...
09/11/2022
In hot water? Con Edison, DEC say Pier 98 operations are legal, safe | amNewYork

A Con Edison facility that regularly discharges wastewater into the Hudson River in Midtown is operating within the limits of its environmental permits, the utility giant asserted at a Sept. 8 community board meeting.

Con Edison has been using the cooling systems for about 20 years, according to permits issued by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, but

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The Villager, founded in 1933, is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving residents of New York City's famous Greenwich Village neighborhood, as well as the East Village and Lower East Side, Soho and Noho, Hudson Square, Union Square, Little Italy and Chinatown. As of 2019, The Villager’s Web site also incorporates the content of its award-winning sister Manhattan community newspapers, Chelsea Now, Downtown Express, Manhattan Express and Villager Express.

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Civilian Targets = War Crime. Whenever not faced, history's repercussions are tragic. Will not The Misplaced Idealism of The Narcissist Era ever fade?
Where we are, history's fallen on our heads. The Great Figurehead fulfilling his worst expectations was no surprise. Civilized, the desired hope. The culprit, Misplaced Idealism excusing his Dark Ages' sentiment toward empire's king. Absolute power corrupting absolutely. Answers easy, solutions rough. None of us able to just raise and wave our hands and say, "Hey, Vladimir, lighten up. We get the grievance. But there’s a whole world of understanding you shouldn't just claim to have no clue about. What czars and commissars acquired isn't people's identity. We're all "victims of history." PLEASE, face this crap, Господин Президент.
vote for brian Robinson now
he will get it done
www.votebriannyc.com
Of Mice and Men


By John Burl Smith author “The 400th From Slavery to Hip Hop”


The phrase “The best laid schemes of mice and men” is found originally in Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse,” written in 1786. The poem is a response to the author’s careless destruction, while plowing, of a mouse's nest in a field. The resulting poem is Burns’ apology to the mouse. Robert Burns (1/25/1759–7/21/1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist, universally regarded, as Scotland’s national poet. Burns, a cultural icon, is celebrated as a national charismatic cult leader, during the 19th and 20th centuries and pioneer of the “Romantic Movement.” Posthumously, he became the inspiration of both liberalism and socialism.

On the other hand, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. (2/27/1902–12/20/1968) was a very prolific American author (33 books), which makes him a giant of American letters. Winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, Steinbeck is noted "for his realistic and imaginative writings, while combining sympathetic humor and keen social perception." One of his iconic works “Of Mice and Men,” published in 1937, is characterized as a detailed and intricate story set during America’s Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted into the late 1930s. Steinbeck wrote in various genres, and like Burns, uses the word “mouse” in one of his most significant works “Of Mice and Men.” Unlike Burns in his poem “To a Mouse,” Steinbeck’s mouse story has a different intent. For most readers Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” reflects America’s uncaring and total disregard for human life, as Burns plowman for the home of a rat. Steinbeck’s plot revolves around two nomadic farm workers, Lennie and George. George is a big strong man but mentally challenged, whereas Lennie is intelligent but uneducated, hence Lennie looks after his gentle-giant dimwitted friend.

For me both stories are reflective of Burns immortal line “The best laid schemes of mice and men,” and is a prelude to where America finds itself today, as it struggles to survive the disastrous whirlwind of Donald Trump’s uncaring and destructive presidency. Cosigned in their book, “I Alone Can Fix It Donald J. Trump’s Final Catastrophic Year” Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, brilliantly describes Trumps “best laid plans and how he became a “rat,” with his 1/6 insurrection, which continues to ravish America’s democracy. Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” as “I Alone Can Fix It” details the odious impact and implications for America, as Trump’s stench hoovers over states like Georgia, Arizona and Florida smothering democracy, with Republican voter suppression.
I use “The best laid plans of mice and men,” to segue a mice to a rat, which was revealed by “Tic Tokers,” which pulled the cover off of Trump’s scam, as president and re-election. Deploying a scam of their own they showed out of the gate, the “scammer-in-chief,” “orange hair and all, Tic Tokers convinced Trump, over a million MAGA lovers were headed for Tulsa. With dollar signs for eyeballs, Trump booked up all the hotels, and added overflow space for the giant arena, as well as an outdoor concert for his huge event. However, less than 6,000 MAGA fans showed up, as Tic Tokers punched holes in Trump’s invincibility. My point is kids figured out what grownups are still confused about today, which is “Trump is a RAT.” Moreover, I am convinced 11th and 12th graders and other young voters will be America democracy’s “saving grace!!” They are far smarter than they look and possess the voting power to prove it, while all Republicans have come up with are lies and voter suppression schemes in states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas and others.


The fast forward to the present is prompted by last week’s 42nd Harvard Youth Poll (HYP), which showed young Americans are very much aware of the threat Republicans represent to democracy. Young Americans, in this latest survey, shared concerns for repercussions from the pandemic, democratic government, the Biden administration, and climate change among other things. The HYP found young Americans are worried about democracy. Even more striking, 35% of respondents anticipate a second civil war during their lifetimes, where 25% believe that at least one state will secede. More than half feel democracy is under attack, and at least half of all respondents struggled with feelings of hopelessness and depression. Even more alarming, 50% of young people polled said that COVID-19 has changed them, and 51% say the pandemic had a negative impact on their life. While, 51% felt down or depressed at several different instances two weeks before the survey.

Additionally, young people felt strongly affected and worried about the threat of climate change. Significantly, 56% of young Americans expect climate change to have an impact on their future decisions and 45% already see it affecting their local communities. Moreover, large numbers of both Democrats and Republicans believe that individual changes in behavior can have the greatest positive impact addressing the climate change crisis. More than half of respondents believe the U.S. government is not doing enough to address climate change. In addition to addressing climate change, respondents see strengthening the economy, uniting the country, and improving health care as key issues for the Biden administration.

The HYP spoke with 2,109 people 18 and 29 years of age, on various topics from across the country and found a striking lack of confidence in U.S. democracy among young Americans. Only 7% view it as a “healthy democracy,” and 52% believe that “democracy is either in trouble or failing.” Support for Pres. Biden has also dropped across the board since the last Harvard Youth Poll in the spring. A majority of respondents were unhappy with how the president and Congress do their jobs. Among young Democrats, approval for Biden stands at 75%, a drop of 10 points since the last survey in March. Republican approval continues to tank, slumping to 9%—a decrease of 13 points since the spring—while among independents it dropped to 39%, a 14-point decrease. IOP Director Mark Gearan stated, “Our political leaders on both sides of the aisle would benefit tremendously from listening to the concerns that our students and young voters have raised about the challenges facing our democracy and their genuine desire for political parties to stop attacks and find common ground.”

This brings us back to where we began “the best laid schemes of mice and men” and Donald J. Trump face to face with his attempted insurrectionist on 1/6. The US census has been given Americans numbers that show young Americans between the ages of 18 to 29 constitute the largest voting demographic presently in America. Now, for the first time ever, the HYP has established through personal preferences expressed by young voters, older voters can longer force their demands down young voters’ throats. The older generation must finally admit its failure to give young people VOICE, created Donald Trump. Now that older voters are no longer the majority, high school 11th and 12th graders have the voting power at the polls to elect and defeat MAGA with their ballots. Young people no longer must take to the street, as the only way to be heard. This is the threat Republican voter suppression is aimed to stop. Consequently, high school, 11th and 12th graders must do for their rabid MAGA parents and grandparents, as Lennie (Of Mice and Men) did for his gentle-giant dimwitted friend, save them before Trump leads them over a cliff, like lemming or another kind of rodent, as part of his “RAT PACK!!!”
For the First Time Ever!!!

By John Burl Smith author “The 400th From Slavery to Hip Hop

The question, “What does it mean to be author of ‘The 400th From Slavery to Hip Hop,” I can speak to young Voters about things older Americans do not want them to know. I believe 11th and 12th graders need to know a story of American history that goes beyond white America that is not based on myths and conjecture. The real story is about how descendants of American slavery became the unique people they are! As a descendant of “The 400th From Slavery to Hip Hop” which is a family narrative, I bring a unique perspective to any discussion related to this topic. Understanding the impact on America and the world, is intimately bound to the fact that descendants of American slavery were kidnapped from all along the West African coastline, as individuals, but over “The 400th” they have come to see themselves as one people. Consequently, they are unique because they survived the “longest running instance of genocide in the history of humankind.” What is even more miraculous, after surviving the horrors and terror of those 400 years, they still reside peaceful in the nation and among the ancestor of those who enslaved their ancestors and currently continue genocide against them.

“The 400th” is verifiable in the historical record even though most young Americans, white or black still ask “How and why did that happen?” Answering their quandary, I begin this history long before the “Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade” and the “Middle Passage,” long before Europeans could imagine the wealth slavery would pour into their treasuries. So, comprehending that the wealth Europeans and Americans lavish on themselves and enjoy today, readers must understand the poverty they endured before slavery. Ipso Facto, American and European wealth was gained from the blood, lives and deaths of descendants of slavery.

My role in this family narrative began, as an activist, in 1967. One of the most important facts about my history is that I was part of the contingent Rev. Hosea Williams and the Mayor of Gary, Indiana, Richard Hatcher, brought together for the first black political convention, since 1831, in 1972. Rev. Williams’ Convention nominated the first and only descendant of American slavery for president of the United States of America, US Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm. Not only did activists push through Rep. Chisholm’s nomination for President at the Democratic Nominating convention in Miami FL against the opposition of candidate George McGovern, supported by Rev. Jesse Jackson, but we organized, for the first time ever, a “black caucus” within the Democratic Party. Rev. Williams’ efforts, for the first time ever, gave descendants of American slavery, a real voice in the Democratic Party, because of the delegates that joined party to support Rep. Chisholm’s nomination. I look back at that period now, because of delegates we witnessed black Democrats standing firm against white conservatives Democrats for the first time ever. Secondly, it was the first-time black delegates wheeled real power on the Rules Committee, which gave blacks leverage, along with Latinos, Indigenous People, Asians, women and physically impaired individuals, as Democrats Party members.

Fast forward to 2019, the “Black Lives Matter” protests following the death of George Floyd brought many young people into the streets of America and around the world, supporting black activists. These overwhelming numbers shocked most White Americans. They did not understand the process that brought young black and white activists together, most thought it was for the first time. They were oblivious of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he came out against the Vietnam War. Simultaneously, black power’s impact on 11th and 12th graders, during the 1960s and 70s taught young protesters to “turn their street protests into street politics.” Over the period following Dr. King’s assassination I’ve come to understand, “politics is the art of the possible.” Accordingly, during the 2020 presidential campaign, I advised young activists to join Joe Biden’s campaign, rather than sitting on the sideline, once Sen. Sanders left the race. The lesson of “half-a-loaf is better than no bread” became my basic strategy.

My efforts were to bring the two sides together in a face-to-face, trust the other side meeting. I tell the story of the development of the modern progressive movement in “The 400th”, so readers understand that today’s young white progressives and other activists began with the “beatnik” in the early 1940s and beatniks became “hippies or peace-loving flower children” of the 1960s and 70s. These same young people joined Dr. King and Students for A Democratic Society SDS) to begin the modern progressive movement. That progressive coalition was a major part of the “hope revolution” and Barack H. Obama’s campaign to become the first black President of the United States. The “hope revolution” is what brings us here today. The election of 2008 showed, for the first time, the real changes which took place in the American electorate since 1960, as a result of one event, namely “The 26th Amendment.”

The 26th Amendment to the US Constitution was the event that gave 18-year-old the right to vote. That fact is the one thing Republicans could not circumvent with their voter suppression laws. Consequently, 18-year-old voters may be the very force, which saves American democracy from Republican insurrectionists. The escape hatch for American democracy opened because most 18 -ear-old are high school students, and beyond Republicans’ voter intimidation restrictions to affect them. Their ID information is valid, and Republicans cannot deny them access to the ballot box.

Here’s the problem for Republicans, young voters see Donald Trump as a “crook that should be in jail” for trying to overthrow the US government, with his January 6 insurrection riot, at the Capitol. Young voters oppose Republican efforts to cheat to win elections, as well as trying to block anything Pres. Biden attempts to mitigate the impact of global warming. Young voters want help getting education, a good job, after high school. But most importantly, some young girls are already mothers and are in dire need of healthcare and childcare, so they can get jobs. Moderate Democrats like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema do not care that most high school age girls face many systemic huddles, trying to get an education and a job that will allow them to care for families. Young high school voters see Pres. Joe Biden’s progressive efforts, as an effort to stand up for young people.

The thing young voters look at is democrats, like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are great at making promises, but block efforts in Congress to tax rich people, like them, who refuse to pay their fair share. But, for the first time ever, 11th and 12th graders, with their votes, can elect a government that will work for them. Young voters along with other progressives are the only voters between the destruction of American democracy by Republican autocrats. For the first time ever, “The 400th From Slavery to Hip Hop is a book written especially for 11th and 12th graders to help them understand that they are responsible for what happens to their world going forward. They have the voting power needed to save American democracy, and stop the rich autocratic Republicans' efforts to re-elect a “crook,” Donald Trump, whose insurrection failed to keep him in office. America’s future belongs to young voters because they will be the ones around to deal with whatever is done today!!!
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