Bob Hauk, "There was an accident. About an hour ago, a small jet went down inside New York City. The President was on board." Snake Plissken, "The president of what?" ~ Escape from New York
NYC was always the worst of everything but it also used to be the best of everything as an offset. Used to go to and play the clubs, hang with amazing musicians and when TS got a facelift, it was an amazing place. Now? Rapidly approaching dystopic shithole of the East Coast status. I had a family reunion there yesterday and while it was good to see them, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out.
The description reminded me so much of L.A., which I left in '04 and visited once in '05. I think it must have been painful for you, remembering old landmarks that are replaced by tragedy. I loved "the country" in NY, the only town I've visited there was Suffern (sp?)
I remember in the 1900s having to walk from Penn Station to Grand Central because the subway was too sketchy. That walk was no walk in the park. Ten blocks of constantly looking all around me like Linda Blair. That was before Juliani. Now I recently had a choice of train or bus home, then I thought of that old walk that I did. Scratched the train!
Welcome back to the real world, where civil is still part of civilization. In spite of its fabled history, NYC is now the rotten apple, on a downward path since Rudy, "America's Mayor", left office. Such a shame, our iconic cities all falling into ruin under super liberal demonrats. NY is under Muslim (Shaia) rule, unsafe for Jews and Chrisrians.
We need to end this madness or the bells ringing will be for Muslim prayer, not for freedom and liberty.
Congrats! Its a smart move, and one I haven’t regretted at all. I still tune in to the first few minutes of the NYC news from time to time just for the schadenfreude of those pretending everything is still ok there. Its not, hasn’t been for a while, and the only question is how low will it go?
"I was so ignorant of that world, I only found out later how unusual this was, for a person as famous as Donna Karan to be put on the back burner for a nobody like me."
Cis got it right. I've got lots of time for Karen and zero for the Hollywood asshats so impressed with themselves.
I grew up there in the seventies I was a teenager in 1980 I was 19 and left the city to join the Navy which was a very good thing because I was getting in trouble but nevertheless we loved New York City.. Central Park was our playground with our skateboards, my grandfather live right next to the Guggenheim Museum we used to go to the Hayden Planetarium and all the museums it was so so cool I loved it.. I wouldn't go back now if you paid me because it would ruin all of those good memories ...thanks for writing this Karen as a believer in Christ as much as I love this country I can see the end zone is in sight and everything the Bible talks about is going to come to pass 100% true... keep your eyes on Isreal that is the epicenter of all prophecy... God bless you Karen love your writing so much praying for you!! Maranatha!
What memories we have. My memories of the San Fernando Valley, Mos Angeles are similar to yours. Those were different days, before the invasion of AI, not to mention everything that came with it.
Great article! (and in spite of the sadness of the truth, using "Snake" in it was funny). I drove from the airport to Suffern for work once. It was dark but it was almost all beautiful forest, similar to the Oregon Coast, another place I will not be seeing in the near future. Happy to hear that "the book" is getting attention and very interesting how God works... that you needed to publish this one before you were ready to publish the other. Love, The Nagger p.s. The artwork on your student's poem is gorgeous.
loved this story! I'm vaguely recallin' seein' the name Cis Corman as a castin' director--how LOVELY ta know that Streisand's Co. helped yer writer's program!--that's QUITE the honor Karen!--I had no idear that her "team" had projects outside of her own film/music endeavors. She might be a lefty but it's nice ta know "Babs" did sum good few know about. (I know that fer all her own "Vaxxine" riffs on the famous hit Jolene that Dolly also has give-back "projects" such as helpin' kids read..) Good stuff! Swell illustration ya did with the text in the center too...
I think it's a wise idear ta ditch NYShitty (pahrdon mah french)--it's mah hometown an we got fed up 'n left 2.5 years ago--broke as heck from the long time without income (we didn't comply), dee-skusted at the quality of life issues that made NYC "grosser" than it wuz even back in the 70's when folks say it was at its wurst (an' I know older folks that sawr it goin' way back even 'fore that!). 'Tween the drunken MyGrunts, garbage, our nice park turnin' inta "needle park," cwazy unhinged homeless folks on the rampage (an' yep, bein' TRAPPED on the trains with 'em--skeery stuff!), 'twas jus' too much . Oh an' our ol' landlord wanted ta double yep DOUBLE our rent! Plus all the ProHamAss protests were not jus' a hassle but got me worried...our fam has always attended jooish shows, concerts as well as regular stuff & we didn't feel it wise ta go any more cuz crowds-with-joos seemed a new risk, no longer a comfort--an' the armed checkpoint charlies & guards even outside've our temple made me say...git the heck outta here! git outta Dodge while there's still time! Plus I had ta break picket lines ta go inta mah fave health food store b/c the store sold...gawdferbid--Israel hummus. 'Twas too much.
I hope the RottenApple comes back "one day"- I miss "home" & mah other half & I cain't really git real work out here in da boonies (no surprise lol) but at LEAST we're not takin' out life inta our hands, stomicks inta our throats! an' I worry lots less 'bout our girls. Jus' goin' out & taking the trains each day seemed like russian roulette.
NY Schtate is BEE-U-TEE-FULL outside the city.... hills, fall leaves, old-archie-texture houses on the Hudson that glint in the sunlight (you kin tour some've 'em!)...apples, trails, festivals (the wool one in Duchess Cty's a fave of ours!).... Some of the woke-i-fied burgs are a little "much" ta take now--that never used ta be the case in the daze of live & let live... now even in purple areas there's a bit of atty-tude, a broadcastin' of TDS, all that-- There's still lots ta love 'bout NY (not the taxes tho!)... I'll hope & pray mah "shitty" comes back one day an' again becomes The Big Apple (& not so "seedy" lol)... meantime with Mandami there--I won't even visit. Seems old skool new yawkers like us ain't wanted anywayz....
I would never be awarded any grants by Barbra Streisand or anyone in Hollywood nowadays. Nor would I ever be allowed to run InsideOUT Writers, which demanded anyone who worked there had to be Covid vaccinated. I was never a leftist. I never wanted any kind of label. If anything, I considered myself a liberal. Thise days are long gone.
sadly troo--Hollyweird went...wull weird & deranged. (FWIW I lost mah own union membership due ta refusin' the jabs) The woke-virus (the only virus indeed) affected, of course, not jus' (jabs-)Babs but ALL of 'em.
Still their past (unknown) contributions ta help folks with grants an' recognize' yer good work shouldn't diminish that recognition...or yer accomplishments.
Not sure when the shift started but it used ta be Hollywood (vs Hollyweird) wuz split 'bout 50/50 'tween conservatives & liberals (republicans/democrats). They ALL got along--all went ta the same dinners. Of course there were always jokes but folks in the biz were not divided--I've read SO many biographies! Shirley Temple (I'mma fan ;-) wuz on the Right an' nobuddy bothered her fer her views. Handsome Gary Cooper too!
When did it shift? The 90's? Early 2000's? I was unthinkin'ly "dem" 'prior ta 9/11 so I didn't notice... but again... I'm not talkin' bout labels--I agree--t'day the entire program ya founded would not git funded...
But I HOPE yer still able ta feel real good 'bout that earlier grant & the honor fer ya. Many folks lose their "bearin's" over time--when they had 'em they thought whut'cha did wuz good stuff... hope whut I'm sayin' here makes sense now...
I think the shift started way before Covid, but Covid was the defining moment.
IOW is still funded, it has a yearly contract with the LA County Probation Dept that I secured in 2000 and as far as I know, it's still funding it today. Once you get one of those contracts, unless you break the contract in some way or the government stops funding them, they never end.
They get other grants as well, but that was always the lifeblood. I was ousted by the nun who wanted all the glory and it was terrible what she did. I trusted her and looked up to her. What a disappointment. Long story... it needs to be told because people should know the truth about nonprofits. When IOW became "cool" in Hollywood I couldn't stomach it any longer.
likely well before covidcon but guess it amped up then... I do wonder when?
Anywhoo... I recall a while back ya wrote a bit on that selfish "NONE".... Clearly they pulled the rug ya wove so thoughtfully & ahrtistically out from under yer feet....sad fer all the girls that could'a blossomed creatively with yer help & support.... Non-Profit's an oxymoron!
Cannot blame you at all for going somewhere else a little safer and less likely to see you accosted purely for who you are by antisemitic A-holes who don't need any other reason to attack you and be supported by that reprobate Mayor. We were in NY in late October 2023 after the attack in Israel on 10/7 and I was shocked at the mass student protests in the centre of town, ( at NYU I think, near Grand Central Station, please correct me if I'm wrong) I could not understand how those young people could be so misguided in their celebrations of the Palestinians atrocity and their vile, nasty condemnation of Israel as a so called, by them, colonial oppressive apatheid state still mourning it's dead and trying to come to terms with what happened. They hadn't even retaliated yet when we were there.. I realized then that we ( the West) have major problems ahead and the fact NY embraced Mamdani is proof of that. Democrats have lost their frickin minds. So I cannot blame anyone that feels unsafe for leaving NY, amazing city that it is in terms of, as you stated, its architecture, it's history and it's cultures, but alas I think things are going to get pretty bad there and those that voted for it, will eventually realise the true folly of that decision. I think some of them are starting to click on to that, but that guy is worse than Gavin Newscum in California and BJ Prizinger in Chicago ( I know they're state governors but they're in charge of their regions and are rabid leftists) because he truly is an Islomofascist and chickens are starting to come home to roost for those that voted for him. And they shouldn't leave NY to go Fk up somewhere else, stay put and enjoy the fruits of your Democrat voting.
At least you had your head screwed on and saw Mamdani for what he is.
Thanks for the article on a bit of your history, had no idea of the valuable work you did in the past, you are to be truly commended for it, particularly since it helped educate and steer people on the wrong path towards a better future for themselves and society in general. Keep up the great writing and stay safe, from me, down under.
NYC was always the worst of everything but it also used to be the best of everything as an offset. Used to go to and play the clubs, hang with amazing musicians and when TS got a facelift, it was an amazing place. Now? Rapidly approaching dystopic shithole of the East Coast status. I had a family reunion there yesterday and while it was good to see them, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out.
Giod description of what it used to be and sadly so true aboit its present state of collapse.
The description reminded me so much of L.A., which I left in '04 and visited once in '05. I think it must have been painful for you, remembering old landmarks that are replaced by tragedy. I loved "the country" in NY, the only town I've visited there was Suffern (sp?)
There is so much beauty across the United States. My son Max and I plan to drive across the US when we can fit it into our schedules!
If you visit East SDakota, my home is your home (and your son's).
Thank you. We actually really want to go there!
I hope that you do!
I remember in the 1900s having to walk from Penn Station to Grand Central because the subway was too sketchy. That walk was no walk in the park. Ten blocks of constantly looking all around me like Linda Blair. That was before Juliani. Now I recently had a choice of train or bus home, then I thought of that old walk that I did. Scratched the train!
Unf Newark Penn Station was a scary shithole. I may write about that bus ride.
Bravo! Your loyal readers will be delighted to hear you’re moving to safer grounds!
Not as delighted as I am!
Welcome back to the real world, where civil is still part of civilization. In spite of its fabled history, NYC is now the rotten apple, on a downward path since Rudy, "America's Mayor", left office. Such a shame, our iconic cities all falling into ruin under super liberal demonrats. NY is under Muslim (Shaia) rule, unsafe for Jews and Chrisrians.
We need to end this madness or the bells ringing will be for Muslim prayer, not for freedom and liberty.
It's been an illuminating three years that I've been here.
Congrats! Its a smart move, and one I haven’t regretted at all. I still tune in to the first few minutes of the NYC news from time to time just for the schadenfreude of those pretending everything is still ok there. Its not, hasn’t been for a while, and the only question is how low will it go?
"I was so ignorant of that world, I only found out later how unusual this was, for a person as famous as Donna Karan to be put on the back burner for a nobody like me."
Cis got it right. I've got lots of time for Karen and zero for the Hollywood asshats so impressed with themselves.
❤️
I grew up there in the seventies I was a teenager in 1980 I was 19 and left the city to join the Navy which was a very good thing because I was getting in trouble but nevertheless we loved New York City.. Central Park was our playground with our skateboards, my grandfather live right next to the Guggenheim Museum we used to go to the Hayden Planetarium and all the museums it was so so cool I loved it.. I wouldn't go back now if you paid me because it would ruin all of those good memories ...thanks for writing this Karen as a believer in Christ as much as I love this country I can see the end zone is in sight and everything the Bible talks about is going to come to pass 100% true... keep your eyes on Isreal that is the epicenter of all prophecy... God bless you Karen love your writing so much praying for you!! Maranatha!
What memories we have. My memories of the San Fernando Valley, Mos Angeles are similar to yours. Those were different days, before the invasion of AI, not to mention everything that came with it.
Maranatha to you, too, my brother!
This is good news. getting out of there, Karen.
Are you staying in NY state? or going to Kansas?
City life is not enjoyable anymore. It was fun while it lasted and we were young and more tolerant, but now the annoying ppl are more glaring.
Lovely drawing by you to share this girls' very tender thoughts.
I'm heading back to Arizona, which has always been my intention. I'm a desert person. I can't return to the Middle East but Arizona is beautiful.
Great article! (and in spite of the sadness of the truth, using "Snake" in it was funny). I drove from the airport to Suffern for work once. It was dark but it was almost all beautiful forest, similar to the Oregon Coast, another place I will not be seeing in the near future. Happy to hear that "the book" is getting attention and very interesting how God works... that you needed to publish this one before you were ready to publish the other. Love, The Nagger p.s. The artwork on your student's poem is gorgeous.
🩷✍️
loved this story! I'm vaguely recallin' seein' the name Cis Corman as a castin' director--how LOVELY ta know that Streisand's Co. helped yer writer's program!--that's QUITE the honor Karen!--I had no idear that her "team" had projects outside of her own film/music endeavors. She might be a lefty but it's nice ta know "Babs" did sum good few know about. (I know that fer all her own "Vaxxine" riffs on the famous hit Jolene that Dolly also has give-back "projects" such as helpin' kids read..) Good stuff! Swell illustration ya did with the text in the center too...
I think it's a wise idear ta ditch NYShitty (pahrdon mah french)--it's mah hometown an we got fed up 'n left 2.5 years ago--broke as heck from the long time without income (we didn't comply), dee-skusted at the quality of life issues that made NYC "grosser" than it wuz even back in the 70's when folks say it was at its wurst (an' I know older folks that sawr it goin' way back even 'fore that!). 'Tween the drunken MyGrunts, garbage, our nice park turnin' inta "needle park," cwazy unhinged homeless folks on the rampage (an' yep, bein' TRAPPED on the trains with 'em--skeery stuff!), 'twas jus' too much . Oh an' our ol' landlord wanted ta double yep DOUBLE our rent! Plus all the ProHamAss protests were not jus' a hassle but got me worried...our fam has always attended jooish shows, concerts as well as regular stuff & we didn't feel it wise ta go any more cuz crowds-with-joos seemed a new risk, no longer a comfort--an' the armed checkpoint charlies & guards even outside've our temple made me say...git the heck outta here! git outta Dodge while there's still time! Plus I had ta break picket lines ta go inta mah fave health food store b/c the store sold...gawdferbid--Israel hummus. 'Twas too much.
I hope the RottenApple comes back "one day"- I miss "home" & mah other half & I cain't really git real work out here in da boonies (no surprise lol) but at LEAST we're not takin' out life inta our hands, stomicks inta our throats! an' I worry lots less 'bout our girls. Jus' goin' out & taking the trains each day seemed like russian roulette.
NY Schtate is BEE-U-TEE-FULL outside the city.... hills, fall leaves, old-archie-texture houses on the Hudson that glint in the sunlight (you kin tour some've 'em!)...apples, trails, festivals (the wool one in Duchess Cty's a fave of ours!).... Some of the woke-i-fied burgs are a little "much" ta take now--that never used ta be the case in the daze of live & let live... now even in purple areas there's a bit of atty-tude, a broadcastin' of TDS, all that-- There's still lots ta love 'bout NY (not the taxes tho!)... I'll hope & pray mah "shitty" comes back one day an' again becomes The Big Apple (& not so "seedy" lol)... meantime with Mandami there--I won't even visit. Seems old skool new yawkers like us ain't wanted anywayz....
Enjoy the CallyFornie Sunshine an' yer travels!
I would never be awarded any grants by Barbra Streisand or anyone in Hollywood nowadays. Nor would I ever be allowed to run InsideOUT Writers, which demanded anyone who worked there had to be Covid vaccinated. I was never a leftist. I never wanted any kind of label. If anything, I considered myself a liberal. Thise days are long gone.
sadly troo--Hollyweird went...wull weird & deranged. (FWIW I lost mah own union membership due ta refusin' the jabs) The woke-virus (the only virus indeed) affected, of course, not jus' (jabs-)Babs but ALL of 'em.
Still their past (unknown) contributions ta help folks with grants an' recognize' yer good work shouldn't diminish that recognition...or yer accomplishments.
Not sure when the shift started but it used ta be Hollywood (vs Hollyweird) wuz split 'bout 50/50 'tween conservatives & liberals (republicans/democrats). They ALL got along--all went ta the same dinners. Of course there were always jokes but folks in the biz were not divided--I've read SO many biographies! Shirley Temple (I'mma fan ;-) wuz on the Right an' nobuddy bothered her fer her views. Handsome Gary Cooper too!
When did it shift? The 90's? Early 2000's? I was unthinkin'ly "dem" 'prior ta 9/11 so I didn't notice... but again... I'm not talkin' bout labels--I agree--t'day the entire program ya founded would not git funded...
But I HOPE yer still able ta feel real good 'bout that earlier grant & the honor fer ya. Many folks lose their "bearin's" over time--when they had 'em they thought whut'cha did wuz good stuff... hope whut I'm sayin' here makes sense now...
I think the shift started way before Covid, but Covid was the defining moment.
IOW is still funded, it has a yearly contract with the LA County Probation Dept that I secured in 2000 and as far as I know, it's still funding it today. Once you get one of those contracts, unless you break the contract in some way or the government stops funding them, they never end.
They get other grants as well, but that was always the lifeblood. I was ousted by the nun who wanted all the glory and it was terrible what she did. I trusted her and looked up to her. What a disappointment. Long story... it needs to be told because people should know the truth about nonprofits. When IOW became "cool" in Hollywood I couldn't stomach it any longer.
likely well before covidcon but guess it amped up then... I do wonder when?
Anywhoo... I recall a while back ya wrote a bit on that selfish "NONE".... Clearly they pulled the rug ya wove so thoughtfully & ahrtistically out from under yer feet....sad fer all the girls that could'a blossomed creatively with yer help & support.... Non-Profit's an oxymoron!
Great backstory of your "younger days"-- thanks for sharing! 👍
Haha, you're welcome!
Sometimes you just have to let go.....
Cannot blame you at all for going somewhere else a little safer and less likely to see you accosted purely for who you are by antisemitic A-holes who don't need any other reason to attack you and be supported by that reprobate Mayor. We were in NY in late October 2023 after the attack in Israel on 10/7 and I was shocked at the mass student protests in the centre of town, ( at NYU I think, near Grand Central Station, please correct me if I'm wrong) I could not understand how those young people could be so misguided in their celebrations of the Palestinians atrocity and their vile, nasty condemnation of Israel as a so called, by them, colonial oppressive apatheid state still mourning it's dead and trying to come to terms with what happened. They hadn't even retaliated yet when we were there.. I realized then that we ( the West) have major problems ahead and the fact NY embraced Mamdani is proof of that. Democrats have lost their frickin minds. So I cannot blame anyone that feels unsafe for leaving NY, amazing city that it is in terms of, as you stated, its architecture, it's history and it's cultures, but alas I think things are going to get pretty bad there and those that voted for it, will eventually realise the true folly of that decision. I think some of them are starting to click on to that, but that guy is worse than Gavin Newscum in California and BJ Prizinger in Chicago ( I know they're state governors but they're in charge of their regions and are rabid leftists) because he truly is an Islomofascist and chickens are starting to come home to roost for those that voted for him. And they shouldn't leave NY to go Fk up somewhere else, stay put and enjoy the fruits of your Democrat voting.
At least you had your head screwed on and saw Mamdani for what he is.
Thanks for the article on a bit of your history, had no idea of the valuable work you did in the past, you are to be truly commended for it, particularly since it helped educate and steer people on the wrong path towards a better future for themselves and society in general. Keep up the great writing and stay safe, from me, down under.
Here's an essay I wrote awhile back about my work with incarcerated youth
The Power of Words
https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-power-of-words-33f
Thank you 🙏
All the best for your next adventure. The road goes ever on.
Thank you. Yes, it does.
Can’t wait for your book Karen
Me too!!!
Nice memories. Good luck with the move.
Enjoy the great open west!