Melanie Hope Greenberg: "Beams of Hope"

Yesterday, riding the "M" train to Bushwick, I noticed the bright red pedestrian walkway on the Williamsburgh Bridge next to the track. While I've walked over the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges many times, I've only crossed the Williamsburgh once on foot. That was on September 11, 2001, with my daughter, my friend Marie, and her two sons as we made our way back to Brooklyn by the then only available route from the kids' school, P.S. 150, in lower Manhattan, a few blocks north of the World Trade Center. I remembered looking south at the smoke blowing eastward toward my neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights, and the fighter jets flying overhead along the path of the East River. I also remembered the Hasidim who greeted us on the Brooklyn side, offering us cups of water.

Last year, I posted a photo of the "Tribute in Light", the twin searchlight beams sponsored by the Municipal Art Society in memory of the September 11 tragedy. This year, I've posted "Beams of Hope", by my friend and neighbor Melanie Hope Greenberg, an artist, author and illustrator of children's books. Image © 2004 Melanie Hope Greenberg.

Jeter ties Gehrig's record.

Much as I've made it clear that my dislike of the Yankees goes a long way back, and I think most Yankee fans (though there are important exceptions) can be classified as either financial house quants who spend their time plotting new securitization strategies that could lead to the next market meltdown or gum-beating airheads who, when asked, "Why the Yankee cap?", will answer, "Oooh! Derek Jeter...he's so-o-o-o cute!", my animosity does not extend to most (though, again, there are exceptions) individual Yankee players, past or present. Indeed, the roster of baseball's truly great includes a disproportionate number of those who, for most or all of their careers, wore pinstripes. Perhaps the greatest of these was Lou Gehrig.

Nevertheless, I'm not dismayed to see Jeter (who, the last time I attended a Yankee home game, was rushed by two of the aforementioned airheads who came out of the stands to kiss him, and no doubt were rewarded with a night in the lockup) tying Gehrig's hit record. He's worthy of this, both for his play and for his character. I think Lou would be pleased.

Bravo Obama!

The details of the plan are good, if not all I might have wanted. What made the speech great was his peroroation in which he addressed the larger issue of government's role in society, and the people's relationship to government.