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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 7/3 - Progress

Here’s a sign that things are changing for the better, at least it is for some. An apartment in Bedford Stuyvesant, long a troubled neighborhood, has sold for a million bucks. The white couple who bought it have moved from their once beloved Lower East Side of Manhattan, lamenting that the area was losing its gritty feel. It takes all kinds to make a world. Some are lamenting the gentrification of Bed Stuy. I guess it’s not the right type of progress to them. In a speech in Africa, President Obama sort of lamented that more and more of its citizens were acquiring cars and air-conditioning, which he believes contribute to global warming. The same has happened throughout China. Worldwide poverty is being reduced at an astounding rate. Are people supposed to embrace poverty until green solutions are reliable and cost effective?

Homer Bailey, 26, of the Cincinnati Reds has pitched his second no-hitter. He was a high draft who struggled with injuries his first few years in pro ball. He was deemed an underachiever, despite stellar stuff. He remains wildly inconsistent, his record a less than mediocre 5-6, his era a so-so 3.57. Will his latest feat be a springboard to excellence or will his no-hitters in the long run seem as out of leftfield as Phillip Humber’s (16-23 lifetime, 5.34 ERA)? It's easy to root for a kid with a name like that. Kudos. I hate MLB’s playoff system, but the 162 game regular season still produces many marvels. Yasiel Puig, a defector from Cuba, who may have gotten out with the help of drug dealers, has been sensational in his first month with the Dodgers: .443 BA, 8 HRs, 17 RBI. America may be on its heels right now, but it's still a land of opportunity, despite the roadblocks politicians throw in the way of citizens.

Angelo, who I'd guess is about 50, stops to chat whenever he passes the floating book shop, usually in the company of his wife and pre-teen son. About a year ago he told me the woman was abusive. Today he opened his shirt to display fresh scratches she put on his chest and abdomen. He will not make a move to separate from her until the boy turns twelve, which he believes is the legal age the kid will be able to choose with which parent he wishes to live. Seeing the family pass by, one would never guess at the turmoil.   

It's always a good day when Mrs. Eclectic visits. She bought her usual assortment of books. Thank you, madam, and to the others who made purchases.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx

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