Ground Zero Now

You can click the image to the left to access The New York Times, or you can simply check out the amazing video below of the Ground Zero location as new office towers are rising at the site. It truly is fascinating.

The Muscle-Rippling, Bicep-Busting Ryan Gosling Becomes A Hero On The Streets of New York City

Yes, the very muscle-rippling, bicep-busting Ryan Gosling became a hero last weekend in NYC.  Two annoying girls were taping him break up a street fight without even realizing it was the actor from "Notebook" 

Land of the Lost: The Freeway To Nowhere

I've always been fascinated with abandoned projects - buildings, ghost ships, and what not.  
I think it's truly fascinating that at some point in our lives, or in that of our parent's; Someone's dream came to a screeching halt.  That in the middle constructing a mall or highway the money ran out, or a protest brought things to a close.

In the following images you will see the Richmond Parkway Interchange, "a stretch of highway that would have connected southern Staten Island to the Staten Island Expressway."  

According to Nathan Kensinger's blog, "The plan for the parkway was to cut through what is now the Staten Island Greenbelt, tearing down pristine forests." 

Members in nearby communities were able to stop urban developer, Robert Moses with amazing success - this project ended up being his last.  Residents were able to protect their beautiful landscape, and the highway has since remained abandoned for more than 45 years.  The roads are now littered with empty liquor bottles, abandoned cars with trees growing through them, and juvenile graffiti.

It would be a dream to be able to visit all these places I blog about so much.  Just another goal in life...

Want to see more Land of the Lost issues? Click here.

Through The Streets of Brooklyn in High Definition

Shot on Rule Boston Camera's Phantom Flex camera, this astonishing film, 8 Hours in Brooklyn, directed by Jonathan Bregel is absolutely breathtaking.  

The footage was shot with an 8 hour span in Brooklyn, NYC and features people going about their regular day.  From kids playing basketball to skaters boarding through the streets, kids's playing slip 'n slide, and a tattooist inking someone.  The images are captivating and mind blowing, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Bike Lanes Suck

So how do you prove that bicycle lanes are the dumbest thing in the book?  Just tape a video of yourself crashing into things.

Last week, I posted a great video by Ron Gabriel, on the expansion of bike lanes in New York, and the issues that have arisen because of it.

This time around, Casey Neistat wishes to let everyone know he got a ticket for not riding on the bicycle lane.  He informed the officer that bike lanes were not safe, hence, the video below.

Where Were You On That Cloudy September Day in 2001?

"I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children." 

These were the words broadcast late last night, as Ryan and I watched President Obama explain what had just happened. He had given the order to kill Osama bin Laden after months of secret intelligence briefings kept under wraps from the American people and the world.  

"Last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden," Obama said. "It was far from certain. And it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we could locate bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside Pakistan." 

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," the president continued. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body."

I moved to Houston from Corpus Christi on August 16, 2001, and in less than one month's time, one of the most memorable events in our nation's history took place.  I remember sitting down as a PBX operator at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center when the news broke out, "the towers in New York have been hit by a missile!" someone yelled.  At that moment, everyone jumped and ran to the main lobby to see the real-time events on the big screen.

We knew that one of the Twin Towers in New York had been hit, but no one was sure what it was.   A few minutes later, the world watched unimaginably in shock, as another plane hit the second tower.  You couldn't hear a pin drop as everyone gasped and covered their mouths - our eyes open, and our hearts beating a mile a minute.  

Tears ran down our faces as we saw the images of people jumping for their lives and the anguish people were feeling while this was happening before our very eyes.  The last time I felt so heartbroken was back in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger, with all it's crew on board, exploded.   

Never in a million years did I expect another horrific moment to happen before my very eyes.

"It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history," Obama said. "The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction."

"The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts," Obama said.

 "Tonight we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counter-terrorism professionals who have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome," Obama said. "The American people do not see their work nor know their names, but tonight they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."

And I couldn't have said it better myself when Obama thanked our U.S. Military for Sunday's operation that they, "exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of burden since that September day."