To State Senator, Sean Kean, You know in your heart....

It's the right thing to do. Make jersey proud and throw politics to the wind and throw your support S-1967, the Marriage Equality bill.

remember some very smart and married men wrote this:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," plain and simple and what this country needs and really is about.

Thank you,

Big D

I sent mine, now send yours to Senator Kean

senskean@njleg.org

Dan the Man

Have to say that Dan Jacobson of the TCN can write a good explanation of what is. Well, unless he's on one of his APP rags. I mean his tirade on Asbury Partners come to mind.

But his recent articles on Sandy Hook and Red Bank's parking were on point and made it all so clear about the whys and wherefores. Loved his strategy of using Republicans to save the day. That's novel in this day and age. Can a Republican actually say yes? That is a good question. Obviously Sarah said yes too many times. LOL

So, Dan no worries about the APP. They'll either die or move on to the resting place of worn out ideas. I.E. the newspaper junk yard.

Checking in...ma bad

Yeah, ma bad. It's been two months since I wrote anything here. But now I got some things to say.

Just seems there is turn in the air here in the Little Apple, in the state, country and the world. I mean look, The City finally, yes finally, got decisive and suspended metered parking for the holidays. Yahoo! And that's more for the decisiveness of our elected leaders than for the result.

Then there was the collapse of Asbury Partners, another yahoo! If you are going to control large masses of anything you need to be visionary and those guys were surely not. How it will play out only the Guardian Angels of the Little Apple know, or not. I've said it before and hopefully my dream for Asbury will come true that there shouldn't be one big developer but many. Each having their own take and voice on transforming those barren lands taken from the Partners control.

Hopefully the City will see the opportunity to step up to the plate and encourage positive progress rather than letting some investment group have their way. Did you ever look at the book Lost New York? You could cry seeing all the great buildings lost to idiotic thinking. Now think of Lost Asbury Park and all those empty spaces allowed by idiots of days gone by. Don't cry, fight for your city.

Now lets chat about some other things going on. I read today that there is a push to legalize same sex marriage in our state. It lost it's momentum but it's coming back. Personally I believe government should stay out of the marriage business. But like Tom Duane, NYC politician, said on NPR in response to question on why the government needs to be involved. Basically he said to make it fair and right straight people would have to give up their government sponsored marriage to make civil unions equal to all. And I agree with him there is no way that would happen and the only way is to equalize it all by law.

Equal rights is what this country should be about. Don't you get tired of racism and sexism? Even though it's built into our culture we need to stand up and fight for the rightful needed change. With a 53% divorce rate in this country, i think it's only fair that everyone gets their chance to be part of the statistics...lol..Ok, ma bad again. Truth is the more progressive states have a lower divorce rate, what's that about? hmmmmm.....

But for our Little Apple, marriage by all is a great commodity to be resourced here. One weekend I saw three marriages performed on the beach. Just imagine the joy and income it brought to our city. Asbury the marriage capital of the world! Sweet. Lets get it done! Call your people in Trenton today!

On a lighter note. Saw the Mayor at Langosta's anniversary and benefit for the Hispanic Resource Center. He asked me if I could fluff his glass of wine. I said I'm going to put that on my resume....

Big D, Fluffer to the Mayor
Only in the Little Apple Kids

Ma bad, Big D will try to mo better here.....

Oh check this out:
http://ridavio.blogspot.com/2009/11/making-of-aranea.html

4 years of Tricky Manuevers

From where I sit, well, stand actually because I'm always on my feet, I get into the "Asbury Conversation" a lot. It's the one about remembering the past, expectations of the now and the "what I think?" of the future of our Little Apple.

Ok, the past: things I remember- the Albion Hotel (would of made a great south beachesque hotel), the Mayfair and St. James (what were they thinking tearing them down, we would of had the best performing arts center in the state), The Paris Cinema (Red Bank Cinema anyone?) and the obvious- the carousel, the Ferris wheel (yep, I'll keep on nagging about it)...the Savoy ( check my last posts)....the list goes on.

The present: that part of the conversation is tough. Expectations are high. What did we get? A solid reality that the Little Apple is moving (organically) forward and it isn't going backwards (unless we get our own Katrina and acts of god are forgivable). I said last year that you wouldn't see the "New Little Apple" for 5 years and I still believe that we have 4 more years coming. No, it won't be finished but it won't be a desert of empty eminent domain lots either. (For better or worse as the Reverend says).

A Past, present and future moment: The powers that be, The City and the developers. That reputation of corruption and lack of visionary leadership that haunts us here. With the new Mr. Mayor Man there is an expectation, cynical albeit, that there will be change. In my experience there is no change just a progressive, and hopefully, transformation to a better city. It's out job and duty to make that happen not the politicians and developers. We are the check and balance of the city.

Side note: Parking.....ask the powers that be and they can't give you a straight answer. HELLO!!!

Ok, the Future as Big D sees it. The powers that be will slowly get it because of OUR relentless castigation. We will see movie theatres, more businesses, yep, more condos, we'll see that the owners of the Berkeley actually took charge of the mammoth and made it to a interesting hotel, that functions, there will be my Ferris wheel and I'll move here from Ocean Grove and run to be the next Mr.Mayor Man..........

VOTE Big D!!!!

The Politics of Dancing @ Big D's B'day Bash

Last night was the Mayor's Ball but I absconded with it and made it my birthday bash. Nice crowd showed up and we wined and dined and danced the night away. Though I couldn't get Mr. Mayor Man out on the dance floor. I got the feeling he's got higher sights that keep dancing low on his priorities. Oh well, maybe he will at the Governor's Ball in a few years.

Thanks Jake

Thanks for the shout out in the TCN Jake and sorry about the bed bugs...uuuugh. Don't know if we ever met but maybe I'll see you at the Mayor's Ball Saturday. Say hello sometime.

I was biking around downtown Little Apple yesterday, beautiful day. Sounds like there new and interesting things in the works. I don't want to jinx them so I'll hold my tongue.

In my travels I was eyeing this building on Bond. There was this alley next to it and I drove in. I totally forgot about the Savoy Theater that sits behind the building on Mattison. I kind of remember from when I was a kid that there was a community theater in there years ago. my brother did lights for them. I also remember being told that the Savoy has very rich history. One thing I was told years ago is that it was part of the Negro Vaudeville Circuit in the early part of the 20th century. Don't know if there are ghosts there, they should have Kathy from Paranormal check it out, but I'm sure its got a lot of memories that shouldn't be lost.

The Little Apple needs more places for art and culture and the Savoy is just sitting there. Damn if the powers that be let me have it ...............

Have a great day!
Big D

Wow, it's been a month!

So, me and 60 other people were naked in the Convention Hall arcade this past Saturday night. Now that was an Asbury experience! We all gathered to be a part of the Angelo Musco photo shoot. Only in the Little Apple can an event like this really work. There were men and women of all shapes, ages, colors and sexual orientations. After ten minutes of being in all of nothing you could feel everyone start relaxing because we all felt we were part of a monumental artistic event.

Having been a performer, I have been on stage and screen in the all buff, so, it wasn't a weird experience for me. I think if this was in the Big Apple there would be some competitiveness to "be seen." But here it was a real lets make art atmosphere. I think everyone left feeling they were not only part of a historical artistic moment but an essential part of it.

I believe that being essential is what you get from the people here and it is what makes the Little Apple unique and wonderful.

Now, if only Mr. Mayor Man was there! Naked!