A letter from Kafka to his friend Oskar Pollak, 1903, quoted in Briefe (ed. Max Brod)

“For we are abandoned, like children lost in the wood. When you stand before me, and look at me, what do you know of the pains that are in me, and what do I know of yours? And if I were to prostate myself before you and weep and talk, would you know any more about me than you know about hell when someone tells you it is hot and fearsome? For this reason alone, we human beings should stand before one another with as much respect, as much sympathy, and as much love as if we were standing before the gates of hell.”

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The breach of security by miscreants at the Brooklyn Bridge, who swapped out American flags with bleached white versions, is a severe embarrassment to on-site NYPD security unit. And it certainly does not fare well for newly appointed NYPD Commissioner William Bratton. To add to the humiliation, this stunt was pulled off just several hundred feet from One Police Plaza! This was quite a 21st century Thirty-Seconds Over Tokyo which could be more aptly renamed “Thirteen Minutes Over the Brooklyn Bridge”, the amount of time it took to swap flags on both towers, right under the noses of a powerful security apparatus, with minor material yet powerfully symbolic damage.

Symbolically, the bleached American flags represent America’s perceived faded global power and influence. A more disturbing situation would be if they turned the American flags upside down which signals distress. Or even worse, they could have replaced the American flags with flags from militant organizations that preach hatred and vow destruction of America, its values and way of life.

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Shower, get dressed, get coffee, take the train to the office, work, do yoga and pick up the dry cleaning on your lunch break, work late, meet colleagues for drinks after work, get take-out, go home, eat, collapse. Next day, get up, shampoo, rinse, and repeat.

Add kids and a spouse and a dog, and what you wouldn’t give to just live in a luxury hotel with a concierge. Oh, those crisp, clean sheets, that sparkling porcelain bathroom, that empty kitchen sink!

Well, you don’t live in a hotel, you live in your apartment, and when you get home, you’re tired, and the place is a mess. You don’t have a concierge, you have you. It’s time to expand your household staff, straighten up your life, and get a little luxury star treatment up in there.

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Today’s the day of the annual Eagle Street Rooftop Farm soil and plant sale with McEnroe Organic Farm. You’ll find transplants and high quality organic soil compost, potting soil, and rooftop-ready mix.

From 11-4pm at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm 44 Eagle Street, Greenpoint

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Bedlam Nightmares: Shock Treatment
Deep in the vaults of an institution for the criminally insane, The Blood Brothers await their final hours on Earth. In the custody of a physician as sinister as they are, the two brothers fill their last days feeding on the surreal stories of their fellow inmates.

Showings at 9 and 11 pm at The Brick Theater. Details here.

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Discovery @ Glasslands featuring Scott Grooves
Discovery invites Detroit producer Scott Groves, back for his third time, for this month’s installment.

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