Today's FFF FrankieFunFact 2/1/2015

BIG RED

How many toes does the average domestic cat have?

18: Five on each of their front paws and four on each of their back.

Today's MOZEN The Blizzard That Wasn't 1/29/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Alright. So, it was the Blizzard That Wasn't. Weather forecasters had predicated yet another Storm of the Century with fierce winds and enough snow to last until May. The City would be crippled for days. Groceries flew off the shelves as quickly as a flock of startled crows off a power line. Roads were closed and public transportation shut down. Even the venerable New York City Subway System would be stopped. Personally, I can't recall the last time that happened (History tells us it has actually happened on two other occasions).

And, then, it fizzled. The storm stayed further out to sea, slamming New England with copious amounts of the white stuff while sparring New York almost entirely. But, the damage was already done - as a precaution, an emergency was declared and the City was closed. And I loved it! The world's most frenetic city took on a completely different pace. The streets, normally clogged with traffic, were so empty one could walk freely down the middle. And, it was quiet - almost eerily so. The only sounds heard were the howling of the wind, the occasional siren, and the plows clearing whatever snow there was off the streets.

There is an inexorable force to the streets of New York. Walking can feel like being on a conveyor belt. It's as if an invisible power is carrying you along.  It simply cannot be resisted. However, on days (or nights) after a blizzard, even one that wasn't, the streets of the world's  greatest city are YOURS. You set the pace. You are a Prince of the City. It's as if this whole, huge, bustling metropolis exists solely for you. Tarry if you like and think that Manhattan, this mad Manhattan that we've come to know, was once a wild and isolated island.

The calm AFTER the storm didn't last long. It never does - even when there is a real blizzard - and this one was far from the Snowmaggedon predicted. Like a giant centipede that was knocked on its back, the City eventually righted itself and got back in gear - running on hundreds of legs. It was back to business in, well, a New York minute. But, it sure was nice while it lasted.

Today's MOZEN: Clinging to Life 1/25/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

On a bitterly cold winter's morning I walked, as I often do, to the small riverside park at the end of my block. The park provides a sweeping vista of the Hudson at the Tappan Zee. It was a spectacular sunrise and I wanted to make some photos. I made a few of the emerging sun when I noticed something very curious at the water's edge. The large rocks at the shore line were covered in ice crystals. They looked like delicate glass spiders. But, perhaps, even more remarkably, interspersed between the crystals were these tiny, succulent plants. I thought it odd because most succulent species are associated with tropical climates. Still, there they were, literally clinging to the rocks - clinging to life. There was no soil to give them purchase. They were exposed to all of the cruel elements life at the water's edge in the height of winter can bring. Yet, they were not just surviving, but thriving. Where there is a will to live, there is a way to survive.

Life is precious, in all its forms. Great and small. And, we find it, often, in the most unlikely places. Respect it. All of it. Always.

Today's Photo Album.

Today's FrankieFunFact. 1/20/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Generally speaking, although there are many variables, According to WebMD, the old adage that dogs age at a rate of 7 to 1 as compared to humans is more or less accurate. The size and breed of the dog makes the greatest difference in life span. For example, a small dog that is 10 years old (literally) can be said to be 60 years old by human standards - a large dog would be 66.

The end result is that they live a much shorter life than we do - so, love 'em a lot all of the time!

Today's MOZEN: Let's Duke It Out

Word and photo F LoBuono

Is there no hope for enlightenment? Is there no way to shine a light on ignorance,bigotry, cruelty, hatred, and intolerance - one that blazes so brightly as to burn the evil away?

Based on current events, it sure doesn't seem possible.

Even when someone wants to do something right it seems to get turned into something so wrong.

In response to the recent murder of seventeen innocent people in France at the hands of Islamic terrorists, Duke University decided to use the bell tower of the Duke Chapel as a minaret for the traditional call to Muslims for noon prayer. About five percent of Duke's students are Muslim (about 700 students).  In a column for the student paper, Christy Lohr Sapp, Duke's associate dean for religious life, said "This small token will provide a platform for a truer voice to resonate: a voice that challenges the media stereotypes of Muslims, a voice of wisdom, a voice of prayer, and a voice of peace."

Sounds great, right? A call for peace and reconciliation, right? Muslims finally standing shoulder to shoulder with their "infidel" brothers denouncing violence and hatred. It's about time, right?

Well, WRONG!!

It didn't take long for the NAY SAYERS to rear their ugly heads and have their negative voices heard. Led by Franklin Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, a coalition was created to stop the event. Graham was outraged and urged alumni and donors to withhold their support until it was cancelled. He claimed that Duke was promoting Sharia law "in the name of Pluralism."

Of course, he missed the point which was not to promote "pluralism" but to extol understanding and tolerance. He slapped away a hand that was extended in a long needed gesture of peace. It was meant to be INCLUSIVE. Muslim students have met in the basement of the chapel for their noon prayers (Jummah) for years - and will continue to do so. They just wanted to share the fullness of their faith with all. Is THAT so terrible?

Well, according to the fundamentalist Christians, is is! They sited atrocities committed against Christians at the hands of Muslims - forgetting the centuries when it was the other way around as reason. They sought justification because Muslim fanatics, led by ISIS, are persecuting Christians and imposing Sharia around the world. And these things ARE happening. However, to take a gesture of peace and understanding, like the scenario at Duke, and place it in the same category is not only foolish, it is counterproductive. All it would do is create more paranoia, more mistrust, and more hate. In fact, it is no different in practice than the intolerance of those they wish to compare them to. They should read and follow their own doctrine!

Siting the strong opposition to it, and threats of physical violence, Duke relented and cancelled the event.

I am not a "religious" person. In fact, for reasons like the one we are discussing here, I am usually against most organized religion. Most (if not all) say, "do it my way, or the highway". That's not for me. It fosters and attitude of exclusion instead of inclusion. And, so it is the case here. Those who would have INCLUDED are now being EXCLUDED. And, all of it in the name of GOD. Perhaps, in the end, the only way is to forget about the chapels, forget the minarets, forget the prayers, and IMAGINE a world where there's no heaven, above us only sky . . . .

Today's FrankieFunFact 1/16/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

The name of the borough that, arguably, is most synomymous with the City of New York is Manhattan. The origin of the name is believed to come from the Delaware Indian Nation. In their language it was known as mannahata or hilly island. Some translate the name as small island, or just the island.

Today's FrankieFunFact 1/14/2015

WWII Navy Hellcat Fighter

The whole nine yards is a phrase used to describe maximum effort, or giving without reserving anything. For example, if one gives an extravagant gift to someone, people may say, "wow, he went the whole nine yards with that one!"

Since the game of football is measured in "yards," one might think that the term came from that sport. But, they would be wrong. It's actually borrowed from the military. During WWII, fighter planes were equipped with 27 feet of .50 caliber ammunition used in their machine guns. If the pilot were to engage the enemy and use all of his ammunition he would have used the full 27 feet or gone the whole nine yards.

Today's MOZEN: A Meditation On The Significance of Fire 1/14/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Fire has a dual nature. It can destroy in a most cruel and complete manor. But, it also provides us with light and warmth. As a species we could not have completed our accession to mankind until we harnessed its might. We are deeply connected to fire.

I think, perhaps, that is why, when we find ourselves within its warm embrace, we are mesmerized. Whether in a group or by ourselves, in fine voice or in total silence, we stare wide-eyed into the dancing flames. For me, a true fan of warm weather, time in front of a fireplace is one of the few pleasures that winter has to offer.

With this in mind, I found myself in front of one that I had going in the small fireplace at my house. It was a particularly cold day and the comfort provided by the raging fire felt especially good on my face. I folded my arms across the mantle, forming a cradle for my head. From here, I could stand directly in front of the fire and peer down into it. I found myself completely relaxed, absorbing the warmth right into my weary bones. The sound of the crackling fire made the only sound. The rich, deep smell of the burning wood filled my nostrils with a most pleasant odor. I was truly home.

With the trance-like effect now created by that atmosphere, I had the luxury of allowing my mind to wonder. Of course, I would never pass up an opportunity to take such a trip. I began to think: why are we SO connected to fire? What is it within its power that brings us to an almost altered state of consciousness? As I tossed a fresh log into the fire, I watched in silence as the flames overtook and began to engulf it. Eventually, it too became part of the greater fire. It was releasing a tremendous amount of heat and light and it felt so good. Why can't I take my eyes away?

It was then that it came to me: Beyond the obvious benefits, we are drawn to the fire because it is a metaphor for life and death. We are as the wood that we use in our fireplaces. Like that wood, we spend our entire lives storing up the energy we take in from the sun. from our food, and from our very lives themselves. After a certain time taking and storing, it is time for all of that energy to be released. In the case of the wood, tens of thousands of sunny days and hundreds of rain storms endured are now being transformed into a new form - that of heat on light. So, in a sense, the cycle is maintained. The tree from which the wood was taken is not gone. Rather, it has been recreated as pure energy.

I believe that it is the same for us. At the end of our lives, we don't "disappear". Our form just changes. Like the wood in the fire, when we pass, we release a tremendous amount of heat and light into the universe. We are no longer "wood" but a new state - that of energy. And, that energy continues in new, various forms for all eternity. All that remains from our previous state, like the wood, are ashes. So, in a sense, that is our immortality. Perhaps, that is what we are experiencing within the warmth of a fire - why we are so connected to it.

After a few more moments of self-indulgence (and another bourbon), I needed to enter yet another altered state of consciousness called sleep.

Today's FrankieFunFact 1/15/2015

Henry Hudson

In his search to discover the legendary Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson made three, mostly successful trips to the New World, the first in 1607. During his third and final voyage aboard his flagship Discovery, his crew, fed up with Hudson's tyrannical rule, mutineed. Hudson, along with his teenage son and seven loyal crew members, was cast adrift in the bay that would eventually bear his name. They were never heard from again. That was June, 1611.