Today's MOZEN 4/26/13

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Take a moment to reflect.

You may be surprised at what you'll see.

Today's MOZEN 4/16/13

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

There are certain days, like today, where it's important to realize that the sun will rise. The clouds will part. The birds will sing. Spring has come.

May everyone find peace, each in his own way.

Today's MOZEN 4/12/13

Words and photo by F LoBuono

I think that ending a relationship is a lot like a forest fire. At first, it's devastating. Fire rages, ravaging everything in its path. The carnage is everywhere. Trees that took, perhaps, centuries to reach maturity now lie wasted. What was once lush and green is now gray, smoldering, and decimated. Growth that may have taken eons to create has been destroyed in a matter of mere moments. Everything is lost! But after some time, the scene takes on a new perspective. You realize that even though lush, the forest was actually clogged with over-growth. The forest was not really healthy. In fact, it was suffocating. The fire that swept through it was NECESSARY to clean away the detritus that affected the overall well-being of the forest. Yes, the painful part is that it did take healthy trees. But, at the same time, it did the important job of clearing away the crap that had built up for so many years. It provided the forest with air and light for a new beginning and a brighter, healthier future. Soon, new, lush growth will be seen regenerating throughout the forest. It will take time to reach its former glory. Only time truly heals. But, the forest will return, more verdant than ever.

Our relationships are no different. Sometimes, it takes a seemingly destructive event like separation to bring us to the realization that, often, eradication of the old is necessary to begin the process of a new, deeper, greater understanding of ourselves and our relationships. The fire that sweeps through us when we end a relationship burns. It is painful. Destruction always is. However, like the forest, the only way to clear a path to new growth is removal of the old. In the beginning, our emotional lives my seem as smoldering and barren as that fire-ravaged forest. But, after the grace of time, new growth rises from the ashes. And it's thicker, healthier, and more lush than what it replaced. Our new roots, forged in fire, are sturdier, and, therefore, more capable of supporting greater overall growth. Miraculously, because of this trial by fire, we are stronger and, therefore, not afraid. The Phoenix will rise!

Today's MOZEN 4/11/13

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

 

Like Mighty Troy, my Fortress has been Stormed
Destroyed
Not by Force of Arms
By Deception

Like Noble Hector, I am Slain
Defiled
My Body Desecrated
By Pride

Like Fearsome Achilles, I lay wasted
Mortal
The Prophesy fulfilled
By Fate

There are No Victors
Only Carnage and Memories

 

Today's MOZEN 4/9/13

One of the strengths of any community lies within the traditions it endeavors to perpetuate. They often become part of the identity and, if you will, mythology of any particular place. Large cities often stage huge, annual events which they are often associated with and become famous for. For example, New York's Thanksgiving Day Parade, or Chicago dyeing its river green for St. Patrick's Day come to mind as major cities staging big, traditional events for the benefit of their populations. They have become part of each cities' urban mythology and millions of people have enjoyed these traditions for many years. However, it is within the small towns and villages that dot the American landscape that some of the most positive, simple, lasting, and rewarding traditions can be found. Such is the case with my little adopted village of Nyack, NY.

Every Spring, on the first weekend in April, the Village of Nyack, and it's surrounding communities, open the Little League Baseball Season. It is every bit a harbinger of Spring as the arrival of the crocuses, the swallows returning to Capistrano, the blooming of the forsythia, the appearance of a robin, a chorus of spring peeper frogs, or the running of the Shad in the Hudson. The event involves all the children who participated in the previous baseball season and who are committed to the current one, assembling in their perspective uniforms at the parking lot located in the center of town. Hundreds of kids of all sizes, ages, shapes, and colors gather with their teams to prepare to march down Main St. to Broadway and, then, ultimately, to the baseball field located on the banks of the Hudson River for the ceremonial first pitch and game. Parents and coaches who are can make it join the kids in an attempt to get them into some form of organized chaos for The Big Parade. The energy level is extraordinary. Some of these kids made the "Energizer Bunny" look like a tired, old stuffed animal. If we could have only bottled a fraction of the energy that was being radiated by the kids in that parking lot, we would never have to worry about importing foreign fuel again!! Somehow, the coaches, acting like Paris Island Drill Sargents, managed to organize this unruly mob (parents included) into some semblance of order in time for the parade to begin.

Team banners unfurled, led by the Nyack High School Marching Band and gleaming Fire Trucks, the parade stepped off down Main St. (yes, that's right, Main St.) where the streets were lined with adoring crowds. With the band playing and the sirens wailing, the kids and their coaches made their way the three blocks down Main before making the right on Broadway (yes, Broadway) and winding down to Memorial Park (yes, Memorial Park) and the ball field. The sense of pride among the kids was palpable. They smiled. They laughed. They waved. They actually "glowed". All of them were made to feel like winners. However, the greatest honor - to actually ride ON the antique fire truck - was reserved for the League Champions from the previous season. On top of the sparkling pumper, they peered down on the crowd like the conquering heroes in an ancient Roman Triumph!

The whole event lasted but an hour or two. After, the streets returned to normal and the kids resumed everyday activities. I've witnessed this "spectacle" many times in the 30 plus years that I have lived in the area and my feeling never changes; it makes me proud to call myself a Nyackian! I really do find myself swelling with pride. It's kind of embarrassing. Such a simple thing, really. And it happens every year. But, perhaps, that's why I enjoy it so much. It IS simple. It is not unique - many other communities do the same thing. But this is MY community and they make an effort to do the right thing - and that is to cherish their children. You can feel at that moment in time, there is nothing in the world more important than the children of Nyack. The kids feel it, too. This is empowering.

I must admit that I always have the same reaction, no matter how times I have witnessed it; I have to choke back tears. I remember marching in a parade or two like this one when I was a kid growing up and remember just how special I felt doing it. So, there was a sense of nostalgia. However, it was a tradition that did not, as far as I know, continue in my hometown (Fort Lee, NJ). Nyack has never lost their tradition. They make a Herculean effort every year to continue it. THIS is strength of a community. There is so much discord in our lives. It seems that, as a society, we just can't agree on anything. About the only thing we do agree on is that our children or our future. However, how will we empower them to meet theirs? One way is to foster in them a sense of community. We have to make them feel that they are all contributors and that their efforts are appreciated. What better way to do so than to laud them, ALL of them, with a parade down Main St. and Broadway - literally. THIS is the best that America has to offer; color is not important, gender is not important, age is not important. What is important is that they are together. And it is powerful enough to bring a tear to my eye. And I am not ashamed.

GALLERY: The 2013 Nyack Little League Opening Day Parade, Part II

Today's MOZEN 4/7/13

Words by F LoBuono

FULK SMASH!!!!!!!! FULK RAGE!!!!!! Where is the outrage over the way that the Exxon Corporation is handling THEIR oil spill in a small Arkansas town? Here's the main story: A neighborhood in a small Arkansas town is being destroyed by a thick, oily substance that is suddenly seeping through the ground and is collecting in pools everywhere. It's been determined to be a type of crude oil that is, apparently, emanating from a damaged pipeline in the area being operated by Exxon. It is considered to be highly toxic. Now, here's the back story: No one seems to know EXACTLY what has happened, how it happened, or how it is being dealt with!! The reason for this is that  Exxon has declared virtual Martial Law, preventing free access to the area by The Press. They are COMPLETELY controlling the amount of information being gathered and disseminated concerning key aspects of the spill. They have intimidated and threatened The Press with arrest if they attempt access to the area. They have refused to answer even basic questions. The local police have been reported to have responded in the affirmative when asked if they are taking instructions directly from Exxon. The FAA, at the request of Exxon, has instituted a "no-fly" zone over the affected area. NO aerial photographs are to be made over the scene. Of course, Exxon sites health and safety reasons as the reasons for such strict measures. BULL SHIT! These measures are more than strict - they are draconian. They are designed to prevent a FREE PRESS, i.e. The People, from access to real answers and, therefore, accountability on the part of Exxon.

FULK SMASH!!!!!! FULK RAGE!!!!!! Where is the public outrage? What is happening in Arkansas is completely unacceptable. A PRIVATE company is dictating to the Government, to THE PEOPLE, the way this situation is to be handled, how it is to be presented, and therefore, how it is to be PERCEIVED! They are accomplishing this by controlling the flow of information and restricting free, unfettered access by The Press. The Freedom of The Press is such an important element in a democratic society that it is included in our Constitution by the addition of the 1st Amendment. So, the question is, why is this being allowed to happen?

This is an issue that, to me, should transcend politics. Every American should support a Free Press. It is essential to a free society. But, unfortunately, this IS political. It goes to the core of what we believe in and how we want our Country to move forward. Exxon is the darling of the Conservative Core of the GOP. They contribute tens of million of dollars to Republican candidates and causes. The Oil Industry is the backbone of the GOP power base. Do the Kochs' come to mind? It butters their bread. THIS is why the Conservative GOP will do everything in its power to prevent the passage of even reasonable Environmental Restrictions on business - ones that may help to prevent "accidents" like the one that is currently unfolding in Arkansas!! The GOP will claim that ANY restrictions on the Oil Industry is bad for the economy and, therefore, bad for America. Well, how good is what's happening in Arkansas?! This is the price we pay for GREED. And that's all it is, GREED - the worst of human nature.

So, I ask again, where is the outrage - especially from those so-called "Constitutionalists" who hide behind the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment during our current debate on gun control? This is an insidious move to restrict YOUR freedom, too.  This is BIG BUSINESS flaunting the Constitution. Exxon is looking you in the eye and saying, there is no need for you to know more. WE will tell you everything that We need you to know. And you will accept that??

Well, I, for one, will not. Not now. Not ever. Perhaps, it's the New Yawka in me, but I'll never accept we'll tell you what we need you to know. Perhaps, because I'm a child of the Vietnam War era, I have a healthy mistrust of those who would tell me how to think. I made a statement years ago concerning the Exxon/Mobil Corporation; from the day I learned about how badly they handled the Valdez Oil Spill off the coast of Alaska, I never purchased fuel from them again. Not once. It's a small statement, but it's MY statement. I believe that the only thing they understand is money - the profit and loss of it. Well, it's time for them to understand this: you won't be getting any of mine. It's time to unleash The Fulk. FULK SMASH!!!!!!!!!!!!! FULK RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't be afraid to unchain your inner beast- Righteous Rage can be a good thing.

GALLERY: The 2013 Annual Nyack LL Opening Day Parade Part1