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Bronx Hate Crimes: Hard life, hard time
Posted on 16 December 2010. Tags: Anti-gay hate crime, Bronx Community College, Bronx Hate Crime, latin king goonies, Morris Heights, Nelson Falu
A warm October light filtered through the leopard print bed sheet tacked above
Photos of Nelson and his girlfriend Jasmine Ferrer on his vanity mirror. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
the bedroom window, casting a yellowish tinge on the neatly made bed. Nelson Falu, 18, had not slept in it for over a month.
Two movie bills of Scarface hung on the beige wall next to posters of NBA stars Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and his favorite—Lebron James. A stack of shoeboxes three-feet high peeked out from a sliding closet door left ajar. Strips of photo booth pictures of Falu and his girlfriend were taped to the vanity mirror.
More photos of the couple were strewn across two Bibles lying on the dresser, along with sonogram pictures of a baby in utero. A slip of paper with the scribbled phone number hinted at an upcoming appointment Falu had in a midtown Manhattan office. He never had the chance to make it.
On the afternoon of Oct. 7, Falu attended a GED preparation class at Bronx Community College. The next night at 11:30 p.m. police officers arrested the stubble-faced teen in front of his home on Hennessy Place between West Burnside Avenue and 179th Street. They booked him in connection with an anti-gay hate crime in the Bronx that made national and international headlines.
1910 Osbourne Place, where the crime occurred. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
The brutal crime, committed amidst a series of anti-gay incidents in and around New York City, caused an uproar in the Bronx gay community and drew sharp criticism from local government officials. On Oct. 3, a group of teens the police claimed were part of a gang called the Latin King Goonies were charged with beating a 17-year-old and an openly gay 30-year-old man with the handle of a plunger and a small wooden baseball bat in a Morris Heights apartment. A second 17-year-old was also assaulted.
According to the criminal complaint, Falu attacked one of the victims with a box cutter and said, "You crazy? You lost your mind, you faggot," before punching the victim in the face. He is also indicted for robbing the apartment of the 30-year-old's brother.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly vilified Falu and the 10 young suspects calling them "predators" who "employed terrible wolf pack odds," saying their "crimes were as cowardly as they were despicable."
For those who know the 5-foot 10-inch teen, it was difficult to imagine him so out of control. Family members are still reeling from the horrific charges leveled against Falu, who is known to them as "PJ." They described a decent young man who lived through a peripatetic childhood filled with uncertainty, violence, sadness and a period of time locked up in juvenile detention. He was just beginning to finish his high school education and move into young adulthood when he was arrested.
"He's funny. He's smart. He's nice," said his girlfriend Jasmine Ferrer, 17, outside the courtroom in Bronx Supreme Court where Falu was appearing. She has been dating Nelson since June of 2009. "He worries about people too much for him to do something like this."
"He's a very respectful young man," said Meema Yao-Lengi, Falu's GED teacher. "He is very nice, outgoing, and did his work."
When Falu's aunt heard that her nephew was arrested for the brutal attack, she was shocked and saddened, but not completely surprised. Brenda Ayala, his mother's sister, said Nelson's upbringing was so fractured and painful that she
Nelson Falu while at Taberg Residential Center in upstate's Taberg, NY. Photo courtesy of Caroline Ayala
always feared he would get into terrible trouble one day.
"Nelson has issues that need help," said Ayala, who moved up to New York's Rockland County from the Bronx over two decades ago. "I always said if you don't help him now it's going to be too late and he's going to end up in jail.
"And look where we are now."
Since his arrest on Oct. 8, Falu has been locked up in Riker's Island, charged with 55 counts of gang assault, assault, robbery and menacing. Some of the charges are being considered hate crimes that carry stiffer penalties. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years for each of the charges and spend much, if not all, of the rest of his life behind bars.
His mother, Caroline Ayala, 46, said he has called her everyday from prison, sometimes singing to her and his sisters over a speakerphone. At least once he told her there was no way he could have done what police have accused him of doing. She has grown concerned since his first arraignment on Dec. 1 when he pled not guilty and stopped calling home regularly. Falu is expected to appear again in court for pre-trial hearings set to continue Jan. 4.
Falu's arrest forced him to miss a major event in his life—becoming a father. On Oct. 21, while his mother and sister waited all day to catch a glimpse of him in Bronx Supreme Court, his girlfriend Jasmine Ferrer was in labor at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. She later gave birth two months prematurely to their son. The young parents had already decided to name him Ayden. Missing the birth of his son, who is healthy and has doubled in weight to over eight pounds, has been tormenting Falu, who has yet to meet Ayden, now almost 6 weeks old.
"He wanted to cry because he couldn't be there," his older sister Jasmine Reyes, 26, said.
"He wants to be with his son," his mother said. "He can't stop thinking about him."
Falu abandoned the GED classes he had begun on Sept. 14 at Bronx Community College's Future Now program, which targets at-risk out-of-school youth. The program coordinator said he had only attended class six times in his three weeks there.
He had attended class enough, though, to make an impression on his teacher.
"I was surprised when I heard about what happened," said Yao-Lengi. "I could not have expected it." Yao-Lengi said Falu had a good head on his shoulders and always completed his class work. He recalled that he needed the most help with math, and remembered cracking a joke in front of the class about how low Falu wore his pants. After the joke, the teen laughed along with the rest of the class.
Another neighbor in his family's Morris Heights apartment building expressed dismay at the charges.
"I'm gay and I live downstairs and I'm cool with him," said Darcey Ceasar, 31, whose apartment is directly below Falu's. "I don't think he would do something like that."
Nelson Falu, like his mother and her 11 siblings, was born in the Bronx. His mother said that his troubled life began as an infant, when his father would not let her hold him out of jealousy. His mother and sister talk about his childhood as a troubled odyssey in and out of numerous foster care homes, removed from his parents by the city's child welfare agency at the age of four because of abuse by a family member. For the next five years, Nelson shuffled between as many as eight foster homes in Brooklyn—so many his mother and sister could not remember their names.
Dawne Mitchell, the Legal Aid attorney who represented Falu in the abuse and neglect case, declined to comment on the details without speaking to Falu because he was a minor. Noting privacy concerns, a spokesperson for the city's Administration for Children's Services would not confirm either how many or in which foster care homes Falu lived.
Still, Falu's current attorney, Martin Goldberg, doubted a judge would sympathize with his client's harsh childhood. He described Nelson as "well-spoken," "respectful," and "not a stupid kid."
"The justice system doesn't care how many foster care homes you've been in if you're charged with a violent crime like this," Goldberg said. "The purpose of the criminal justice system is to put people in jail."
In 2001, Caroline Ayala won a long fought custody battle with Falu's father, and her three children were returned to her. But, according to her daughter Jasmine, Nelson's early removal from his home and the constant array of foster homes had done their damage.
"He was not a happy kid," said Reyes, who described him as closed off, emotionally. "He would cry a lot."
Nelson's mother said that starting in elementary school, he was always in special education classes because of hyperactivity. His aunt said that he attended anger management sessions as a young teen.
"My nephew has suffered throughout his whole life," his aunt said. "He was a very angry kid, but a good kid."
A good kid whose biggest passion was anything basketball. If he was not out playing in the park nearby their house he was talking about it or at home watching it on television. When he was not on the court, Nelson liked to write poetry, play-wrestle with his three-year-old nephew and sing R&B.
"He thinks he can sing," said his mother in the kitchen of her five-bedroom apartment, which she shares with her two daughters and grandson. "He can't, but it makes us laugh."
In 2007, Falu's mother enrolled him in Alfred E. Smith Career and Vocational High School in Melrose because he liked to paint and do carpentry and other "hands-on" things. She said that he was taken into the automotive program at Smith instead of one of the building trade programs and was not happy with it.
A few months into his third semester at Smith, when he was 15, his mother and aunt said police arrested Falu on gun charges. His mother said that he was sitting in the driver's seat of a car with older teenagers, and when cops approached the older kids threw a gun under the car, leaving Falu there alone when the police arrived. Details on the case were not available because he was a minor at the time and the files are sealed. He was still on probation for this crime at the time of his arrest on Oct. 8.
Nelson's mom said her son served 14 months at a juvenile program in upstate New York called the Taberg Residential Center as a result of the weapons arrest. Richard Hogeboom, director of the program that provides counseling, education, and vocational training, would not release any information confirming Falu's presence in their program stating it would break confidentiality laws. According to Pat Cantiello in the public information office at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, youth who enter the program usually stay between 12 and 18 months.
After finishing his time at Taberg, Falu returned home to the Bronx in February of 2009. He reentered Alfred E. Smith High School in March, only to drop out several months later. On June 8, Falu, then 16, met Jasmine Ferrer through a friend and they started dating. For the remainder of the year, he stayed home and spent a lot of time with his new girlfriend.
Nelson's certificate from Career Connections. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
In early 2010, Nelson's mother enrolled him in a program for out-of-school youth at Bronx Community College called Career Connections. As part of the program, Falu took a course on customer service training. On April 28, two months after he learned he would be a father, Falu received a certificate of completion that would allow him to work nationally in customer service.
Throughout his teenage years, his mother held firm on her policy that forbid his friends from hanging out in her house, one she has grown to regret since his recent arrest. It meant she had no idea who he was befriending.
"He always chooses the wrong people to hang out with," Caroline Ayala lamented, seated below a wall clock in her kitchen stuck at 6:45. "I should have asked who he was hanging with because maybe this would have never happened. I should have asked more questions."
Acutely aware of his impending baby, Falu was beginning to look for a job and take his life more seriously. Mark Bodrick, the coordinator of the Future Now program at Bronx Community College, said that while he did not come as often as they asked, he appeared to care about his work and had questions about class assignments when he showed up.
On the evening of Sept. 21, just one week after starting the program, Falu and another teen were arrested for assault and harassment, both misdemeanors, for allegedly beating another teen in Morris Heights on Phelan Street. A judge released Falu after his arraignment on Sept. 22 and the case is still open.
Before his arrest on Oct. 8, Falu attended class six times out of a possible 15. He signed the class roster for the final time at 2 p.m. on Oct. 7, four days after the hate crime and about 30 hours before his second arrest in just over two weeks.
At some point during Falu's time at Future Now, Bodrick remembered talking with him about becoming a father. As was his normal practice with teens in Falu's situation, he said he probably gave him a flier containing information about programs around the city that helped teenage fathers cope with the responsibility of parenthood. Bodrick never officially referred him to any of the programs, though. Falu pursued that on his own.
Nelson's bedroom. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
A slip of paper on top of the Bibles in Nelson's room contained the information of a Montaigne Massac, coordinator of a program at the non-profit Friends of Island Academy called Fathers Moving Forward, a program that helps young fathers build the skills they need to support their child through job readiness and GED training. He said he remembered speaking to Nelson directly and had him in his system as having an appointment sometime in early October.
"It sounds to me like he was trying to receive any help he could," Massac said. "Young men at that age need a lot of guidance. Unfortunately, sometimes they know the wrong people."
Those closest to Falu would say Massac was right.
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Crime, Hate Crimes, Northwest Bronx, Special Reports4 Comments
Avoiding banks, immigrants save their own way
Posted on 08 December 2010. Tags: banks, Melrose, Mott Haven, sociedad, sociedades, unbanked
Denisse Lina Chavez keeps her cash savings in a Heineken bottle that she hides behind the counter of her store in Mott Haven, a practice she has kept for at least 10 years. This unique savings method helped Chavez pay for her expansion to a neighboring store and then later to open a Mexican restaurant she ran for a while before selling it. While she could have placed that money in a bank and collected interest, she said she doesn't trust banks and prefers her system instead.
Denisse Lina Chavez behind the counter where she keeps her savings. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
Chavez is one of thousands in the Bronx shying away from the formal financial system. According to a June 2010 report released by the Office of Consumer Affairs Department of Financial Empowerment, the Bronx, at 28.6 percent, is the borough with the highest percentage of unbanked people. While 13.4 percent of New York City residents are without bank accounts, a staggering 56 percent of the roughly 86,000 residents of the neighborhoods Mott Haven and Melrose are unbanked.
But just because many people are not using formal banks does not mean they lack access to savings and credit services. Mexican immigrants bring their cultural practices to the Bronx in the form of informal savings groups called sociedades. They consist of a group of people who contribute some amount of money on a regular basis. Then, each member takes the entire pool of money weekly or monthly.
"The point is that you are forcing yourself to save," said Adrian Franco, director of financial advocacy non-profit Qualitas of Life. "It's a way to develop an attitude to saving money."
Chavez is the organizer of a sociedad. In hers, 11 women each contribute $400 weekly, and the pot of $4,400 is given to a different member over the course of 11 weeks. Although the formal group is only 11 women, members without enough money during any given week may ask family and friends to contribute.
"We don't get rich," said Chavez. "We just help each other."
But her group has a much greater chance of bigger returns than most other savings clubs like it. Franco explained that the $400 weekly contribution is extremely high for sociedades, with people normally giving more like $50 a month or $15 or $25 a week. He said he wouldn't be surprised if there were as many as 50 or 60 people indirectly participating in Chavez's sociedad.
Chavez explained that in her sociedad, no interest is charged and the group functions to create opportunities for people to make bigger purchases that may be necessary like clothing and rent, or to cover an emergency. She said that a member and her husband have bought two houses in Mexico with their shares of the money.
Sociedades are not replacements for banks, however, because they don't provide people with a formal credit history. Experts and financial advocates said they serve to help people, especially women, collect savings and attain some financial independence by creating a social structure through the sociedad. Belonging to a sociedad carries with it certain cultural practices and assumptions.
"There is a social pressure attached," said Alicia Portada, a financial literacy coordinator at the Union Settlement Federal Credit Union, a non-profit group that works in all five boroughs. "You don't want to be the one who didn't give the money. Everybody will wonder why and you'll get left out in the future."
It is difficult to track how many sociedades actually exist because members are often undocumented and there is no paper trail. But it's easy to understand why they are so popular.
In all of Mott Haven and Melrose, there are only eight banks, as compared to the 44 across the river in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Financial illiteracy also plays a big role in pushing these alternative systems forward, "It might be that they don't know better." said Portada. "It takes time to learn the minimum required."
Lack of English skills also drives people to sociedades, said Adrian Franco, director of Qualitas of Life, another non-profit group providing financial literacy classes to Hispanics. Immigrants who don't understand a bank's policies and complicated procedures prefer these informal savings groups where they can communicate with other members in their native language.
Sociedades and other groups like them have their pitfalls as well. It's easy for people to run away with the money, which is why these functions work best with friends and family members. "They must be managed well or people can fail to pay and the system collapses," said Deyanira del Rio, who works at a financial advocacy non-profit organization called the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project. "If it works well, it can be a disciplined form of savings."
Margarita Gutierrez, a former member of Chavez's sociedad, used her savings to buy her store on 138th Street. Four of the 11 members of Chavez's group were recommended by Gutierrez. "It's good because it gives credit to people who don't have social security numbers or documents," said Gutierrez.
Advocacy groups working toward increasing financial literacy in immigrant populations see the value in being part of an informal savings group like sociedades, but are careful to also acknowledge their limitations.
"It's a tool," said Catherine Barnett, vice president of Project Enterprise, a non-profit that administers small business loans to immigrants. "It's filling a gap. It's not the total gap, but it's a start."
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Money, Southern Bronx0 Comments
The green roof that keeps on giving
Posted on 04 November 2010. Tags: Alfred E. Smith, green roof, sedum, Sustainable South Bronx
Sedum, a plant commonly used in green roof projects, waiting to be placed outside. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
A small group of alumni and current students from Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical High School in the South Bronx came to school on a Saturday two weeks ago to watch as hundreds of trays of green sedum were loaded onto a low roof of the school.
The event marked the completion of the first city-approved green roof project at a public school in New York City. It is meant to teach students at the vocational school a hands-on approach to building an eco-friendly environment, while also providing cheaper, cleaner environments for Smith.
"It's really exciting," said Melany Javier, 17, a 2010 graduate from the architecture program who was valedictorian of her class and member of the Science Club. "This became our baby and it's finally being born."
In the blustery wind, for nine hours on Oct. 16, The Green Roof team from Sustainable South Bronx, the local environmental nonprofit that is managing the project, laid 1,400 square feet of sedum, a type of cactus known for absorbing water and reflecting sunlight. Sedum acts as a natural insulator, keeping roofs up to 32 percent cooler in the summer and retaining heat in the winter, and saving up to 30 percent on energy costs, said Smith's science teacher Nathaniel Wight.
Just hours into the installation, a giddy Wight picked an insect off his shirt he had never seen before, proof that a new eco-system has been created.
The project is not just meant to add a touch of color to the otherwise pebbled roof; it will be the focus of a rich curriculum aimed at helping students apply their skills and knowledge to a sustainable project.
The Smith students' work can be traced back three years ago with their school's building trades program. The carpentry classes began building wooden planters for students to grow fruits and vegetables from their native countries. That project will begin to bear fruit as part of a fresh food initiative in the spring. Architecture students laid out potential designs of the space, and science students studied the eco-system it would create.
"It's like a real life engineering problem," Wight said while directing alumni and current students there to help out. "It's hard enough to make it something you can use in the classroom, but not so difficult that you need calculus and stuff."
The City Gardens Club and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation funded the $40,000 project, and Sustainable South Bronx will stay on in a support role for the next two years as everything develops.
The green roof completed. Photo provided by Nathaniel Wight
The arrival of the sedum was the first step of many, and the green roof is expected to provide an ongoing platform for learning. Smith students will pitch in to plan and build a rain water harvesting system. Art students will work out initial design issues, math students will calculate the boundaries and figure out how much rainwater will need to be captured, and drafting students will use computer programs to create blueprints.
Before next spring, plumbing students will implement the design and build the rain water harvesting system that will sustain the sedum and vegetables being grown. Students will learn how to compost, and then the compost from school cafeteria leftovers will fertilize the garden. The fresh produce from the harvest will be used to prepare healthier school lunches.
The green roof project serves as a bright spot for a school very much in flux. Smith's building trade programs are in the process of being phased out by the Department of Education, causing uncertainty. The city said it plans to replace those programs with another building trade program, but the final decision will not be known until next January.
In the meantime, Wight and other teachers will continue to use the roof to educate the students of Smith about ecological sustainability, conservation, and healthy eating.
Two weeks later, the students were back on the roof planting garlic bulbs.
"Green roofs are the wave of the future," said Colleen Lott, project foreman from Sustainable South Bronx who lives nearby Smith. "And to have a live roof on the top of a school in the South Bronx is exciting."
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Education, Multimedia, Southern Bronx1 Comment
Trying to stop the killing
Posted on 31 October 2010. Tags: Andrew Jackson Public Houses, anti-violence youth rally, Danny Barber, South Bronx, teen violence
Danny Barber waiting outside the Melrose Public Houses for more youth to arrive for his anti-violence rally. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
Danny Barber is a big man to be pounding the pavement around the public housing projects in the South Bronx where he grew up.
Weighing in at a self-described 320 pounds, the 41-year-old Bronx community organizer worked the grounds of five public houses one warm September afternoon, drumming up interest in a youth event.
For the last eight years, the tenant president said he has ignored his high blood pressure and heart condition in order to help make the Melrose houses safer for kids. On this day, he was rallying residents to attend a youth anti-violence event he helped organize along with seven other local tenant association presidents and a Queens non-profit called Life Camp, Inc.
But lately, his frustration over the neighborhood's rising rate of violence has given way to despair. Six shootings erupted around the Jackson houses in one-month over the summer, he noted. And on September 10, the day before the anti-violence rally, a 24-year-old was murdered three blocks from his complex in broad daylight.
"I would like to be able to care about, once again, where I live," said Barber, as he juggled multiple cell phone lines with the grace of a veteran secretary. "Just to see all the killing stop."
The spike in gun violence coincided with a decline in his tenants' involvement in the community—causing Barber to lose some faith in his neighborhood. At times, he said, he thinks about walking away, but has decided instead to dedicate his time to organizing events like the youth rally.
Organizers hoped to bring at least 20 kids from each of the eight local housing developments to attend anti-violence and team-building workshops, encouraged by performances by local artists and prize giveaways such as laptops and iPods. Instead of the anticipated 160 youth, by 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, only 15 kids and some of their parents climbed on the bus reserved for three of the complexes. About 50 kids altogether came to participate in the morning's workshops.
Barber placed blame for the low turnout on the recent violence, and in particular, on the murder just the day before. "The series of events leading up the rally had an effect on the turnout," he said. "People are scared to leave their building. They're scared to participate in activities."
Even so, Barber found a silver lining, claiming the smaller group allowed for a richer experience, with the most faithful children, teenagers and parents in attendance.
"Danny Barber is like a mentor to me. That's my father," said Brandon Hernandez, 21, who has lived in the Jackson houses for a decade. "He inspired me to go back to school and do the right thing," Hernandez' father bounced in and out of prison when he was growing up. "He likes to see kids better themselves," he said, "and progress."
Barber began helping people in need at a young age. At age 7, Danny attended programs at the Salvation Army, where he remembers bringing beef soup and ravioli to the prostitutes of Hunts Point and singing in a choir that toured the United States and Canada. He credited his time at the Salvation Army with defining his giving nature.
After high school, he started losing his way, passing up college scholarships.
Barber spreading the word about the rally to community members. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
"I chose not to go because I chose to be a knuckle head and hang out with people on corners and do wrong things in my life," Barber said. "But I still worked. Through everything I still held a job."
For the next 18 years, Barber worked at the Salvation Army, beginning as a janitor at the age of 15 and working his way up to assistant to the managing director, where he helped oversee a $150,000 yearly budget.
On November 18, 1998, Barber's life changed suddenly when he suffered a minor heart attack. His doctor determined that he couldn't work, and he started collecting about $1,000 a month in disability benefits.
Barber prides himself on using his power to be a pest to the numerous elected officials and governmental workers on behalf of his residents. He educates residents about their rights, and said his biggest hope is that those he helps pay it forward.
His activism in the area has one community organization, Nos Quedamos, chasing him to sit on its board of directors.
"We want Danny on our board, because he has a pulse on the community," said Sandra Quilico, Nos Quedamos's chief operating officer. "He knows everything that's going on and can bring to our attention issues of the community that need focusing on."
After a year of saying no, Barber finally filed an application. He said he chose to because it will increase his involvement in the area and act as a way to restore some faith in his community.
"I get discouraged, but I'm not going nowhere," Barber said. "This is where I am meant to be."
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Housing, Southern Bronx1 Comment
Attorneys for hate crime suspects ask for more time
Posted on 15 October 2010. Tags: Bronx, Bronx Supreme Court, hate crime, latin king goonies
Ten of 11 defendants connected to the anti-gay hate crime attacks appeared in Bronx Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Amara Grautski
Defense attorneys representing 10 of the 11 alleged gang members connected to anti-gay hate crimes requested more time with their clients while appearing in Bronx Supreme Court Thursday afternoon.
Lawyers said more time with the defendants, thought to be part of a gang called the Latin King Goonies, would help familiarize them with the facts of the case before pretrial hearings resume next week. Jason Foy, who represents suspect David Rivera, said he had only met his client moments before appearing in front of the judge.
"Sometimes everything isn't clear when an arrest is made like this," said John O'Connell, the defense attorney for Bryan Almonte. "Maybe someone isn't as guilty as it appears in the paperwork."
According to O'Connell, Almonte, 16, suffers from diabetes and epilepsy. He said because of this, his client is the only suspect being held in protective custody.
Almonte and Rivera were two of the young men, ranging in age from 16 to 26, arrested after allegedly brutalizing two 17-year-old boys and a 30-year-old man, whom they presumed to be gay. The initial attacks took place in the early evening of Oct. 3 at 1910 Osborne Place in Morris Heights. Later that night, some of the suspects robbed and assaulted the eldest victim's brother in his apartment. Charges against the defendants include abduction, unlawful imprisonment and assault, as hate crimes.
The 11th suspect, Luis Garcia, was not apprehended by the New York City Hate Crime Task Force and Special Victims detectives until Thursday at 5 p.m. from his Bronx apartment on Hennessey Place.
Although the defendants haven't been indicted, news of the crimes has provoked outrage among community members, as well as city and state officials.
"These suspects had employed terrible wolf pack odds," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a press conference last Friday. "Odds which reveal them as predators whose crimes were as cowardly as they were despicable."
But defense lawyers tried to combat generalizations about the defendants.
"Not every one of the defendants is going to be indicted," said Benjamin Heinrich, counsel for Ruddy Vargas. "Ruddy is as appalled as everybody else."
Defense attorneys won't have a chance to make their case until as early as Oct. 21, when eight of the defendants return to court. Until then, Sanders Denis, the lawyer representing Ildefonso Mendez, hopes the media will let the court system play out before making assumptions.
"Stop making him a monster," Denis said of Mendez to reporters outside the courtroom. "There is a system of justice; he is presumed innocent."
Melrose residents shaken by police shooting
Posted on 03 October 2010.
Bullet hole in the rear window of a car parked in front of King Deli, where the police shooting occurred. Photo: Nick Pandolfo
Melrose residents were shaken by a 4 a.m. shooting in front of King Deli early Saturday morning, when police opened fire on a man who turned out to be an off-duty New York City corrections officer.
"I ain't going outside today," said D. Satterwhite, 55, who said she was out walking her dog, when she nearly walked into the line of fire. "I'm scared."
Police said plainclothes officers from two Anti-crime units stopped Victor Hernandez, 35, a corrections officer on Riker's Island, after he was spotted walking along Third Avenue carrying a 9-millimeter gun by his side. Police believe he had just emerged from a nightclub on 161st Street. Hernandez allegedly raised his gun at officers after they asked him to drop his weapon, causing them to open fire, striking him in the left arm, police said.
Hernandez is charged with reckless endangerment and menacing and was taken to Lincoln Hospital where he was listed in stable condition, police said.
It all unfolded in front of King Deli at 3214 Third Avenue, where surveillance cameras captured the whole incident on tape.
Satterwhite said she was heading north on Third Avenue to buy a pack of Newports at the Deli, when her dog Hip-Hop began pulling her in the other direction.
When she looked up, she saw a man raise his gun. At that moment, she ducked into a building entryway, covered her head, and a number of shots rang out.
"If I didn't pay attention to Hip-Hop, I would have walked into the gun fire," said Satterwhite, who did not want to give her full name because she feared for her safety.
"Hip-Hop saved my life."
An employee of the deli, who arrived for work at 6 a.m. said he watched the tapes "over and over." The tapes showed a man raising his gun at officers and the officers firing back.
"It was the first time I saw real action, It was crazy," said Willie, 30, who would not give his last name. He added that police set up 36 bullet markers in front of the deli. The actual number of shots fired has not been released.
A stray bullet struck the rear window of a parked Mercedes Benz sports utility vehicle belonging to Bamba Mamadou, 42, a resident of a building just south of the shooting.
Mamadou said he heard the shots, and when he came out in the morning to drive his car to work, the police wouldn't let him. He took a taxi to his job as a truck driver instead.
Another resident Manuel Gonzales, 60, said he moved away from his apartment window as soon as heard the shots — and for good reason. He said his cousin was killed five years ago while looking out the window during a shooting.
"When I came back to the window," Gonzales said, "there was a gang of police crowding around. I was afraid."
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Crime1 Comment
Stickball will never die
Stickball in the South Bronx from Nick Pandolfo on Vimeo.
Posted in Bronx Neighborhoods, Multimedia, Southern Bronx, Sports0 Comments


text:
Q: How to use BackGroundWorker in class file? My program.cs calls the mdi parent frmMain. frmMain then opens different child forms based on user action.
All the processing logic is written in BusinessLogic.cs. frmMain at load calls the methods of BusinessLogic.cs to initially populate the data. The child forms too call BusinessLogic to fetch data and process it. I'd like to do all this through a BackGroundWorker ie the frmMain calls the (say) StartBGWorker() method of BusinessLogic.cs and this method creates a backgroundworker for this specific call, calls the Do_work event, does the fetching & processing and closes when done.
I'm at a loss about how to create the instance and the events for backgroundworker. So how exactly do I use backgroundworker in a class file?
Edit: Maybe my logic is wrong and I should add a BGW to each form that calls BusinessLogig.cs. Then whenever I call a method of BusinessLogic I can do so through backgroundworker. Would this be a better implementation?
Edit2: Feel a bit idiotic about my doubt now that I found a way. I just created a public static method with the initialize code of BGW in BusinessLogic. Now whenever I need to do processing I first call this method from my forms.
I'd like to know if my implementation of BGW is standard or is there any way to improve the design.

A: Include:
using System.ComponentModel;

Define it in your class:
private BackgroundWorker BackgroundWorker = new BackgroundWorker();

Initialize it:
BackgroundWorker.WorkerSupportsCancellation = false;
BackgroundWorker.WorkerReportsProgress = true;
BackgroundWorker.DoWork += BackgroundWorker_DoWork;
BackgroundWorker.ProgressChanged += BackgroundWorker_ProgressChanged;
BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerCompleted += new RunWorkerCompletedEventHandler( BackgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted );

To start it:
BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync();

The usage is exactly the same as you know from Windows Forms.

A: You should have a look at the Parallel Task Library. There you can start,link and sync asynchronous operations.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd537609.aspx
You could also inject an object with an delegate, event,  Actio which can be triggered from within the new task to report the progress
for example
You Implement an entity like this
  public class TaskData
    {
        private Action<int> Callback { get; private set; }

        public TaskData(Action<int> callbackAction)
        {
            this.Callback = callbackAction;

        }

        public void TriggerCallBack(int percentageComplete)
        {
            Action<int> handler = Callback;

            if (handler != null)
            {
                handler(percentageComplete);
            }
        }
    }

Than you create a Task with this entity as parameter
TaskData data = new TaskData((percentage)=> Console.WriteLine(percentage + "% completed"));

            Task myTask = new Task(new Action<object>((para)=>
            {
                ((TaskData)para).TriggerCallBack(4);
            }

            ),data);

            myTask.Start();

            Console.ReadLine();

PS: The code is just a quick and dirty hack. feel free to improve it :-)

A: Please don't use System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker, create your own threads instead and implement events if you want to report progress. I had so much bugs with it that I can freely say that it should never ever be used.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. These gearboxes normally attach to the strip using a couple of bolts, so removing and replacing them is a relatively easy job to do please visit our how to section for more information if you need more help, or just technical confirmation before placing your order you can. As the name implies a slamlock automatically locks and secures as the door is closed, requiring the use of the legitimate.
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text:
Family law: December 2015
By Robert Glade-Wright - Dec 01, 2015 4:27 pm AEDT
Hearne [2015] FamCAFC 178
Osferatu [2015] FamCAFC 177
Janssen [2015] FamCAFC 168
Mackrell [2015] FCCA 1996
Property – No error in treatment of wife's redundancy entitlement as an initial contribution
In Hearne [2015] FamCAFC 178 (16 September 2015) the Full Court (Strickland, Ryan & Austin JJ) dismissed the husband's appeal in which he argued that Judge Harman at first instance mischaracterised the wife's redundancy entitlement as an initial contribution where she had no right to the redundancy when the relationship began. Strickland J (with whom Ryan J agreed) said (at [97]):
'There is no doubt that when a trial judge comes to identify the property of the parties, accumulated service cannot be treated as an item of property, but, that is not what the trial judge is doing here. He is assessing the initial contributions of the parties which can comprise items of property such as real estate or chattels or bank accounts, but which are not limited to items such as that. Relevant contributions can equally be the bringing of benefits by a party to the relationship, and those benefits need not be crystallised as at the commencement of cohabitation. Thus, it was quite open to his Honour here, and indeed it has been a common occurrence throughout the entire operation of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) for accumulated service, which ultimately leads to a redundancy payment, to be taken into account as an initial contribution of a party. The only rider to this is that "double dipping" cannot occur… by also taking into account the pre-cohabitation service when assessing the receipt of the actual redundancy payment subsequently.'
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Mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations: recent challenges to Public Health Orders
by The Law Society's Employment Law Committee 01.12.21 - 12 min read
'Hot law': Law Society briefing paper identifies trends in climate change litigation
by Andrew Small 01.12.21 - 8 min read
Climate of Change in the Courtrooms
by Dr Laura Schuijers 01.12.21 - 7 min read

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This photo was taken by Bing Osterman Photography. I had no idea that Bing and my kids had planned this and I honestly cried when I opened the wrapping paper. Each of the kids wrote on their hand one word they feel describes our family. In difficult times I will look at this picture and remember why I do what I do.
My mat, my space, my time. I realize now that I have to occasionally be "selfish" and take time for myself to attend a class. More important than keeping me physically strong, it keeps me mentally strong.
Sometimes it's just driving in the car.
Or snuggled up under blankets on a rainy afternoon.
I live six hours away from the nearest beach. Too far. The smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves calms me like nothing else can.


text:
Phil Mickelson, Max Homa get hot at Fortinet Championship
NAPA, Calif. – Walking from the ninth tee to No. 10 at Silverado Resort & Spa's North Course, Phil Mickelson wheeled toward fellow playing competitor Max Homa and said, "Let's get on a little heater on the back."
To that point, Homa had traded three birdies with two bogeys and Mickelson two birdies and a bogey as they both turned in pedestrian front-nine scores of 1-under 35. But the pep talk worked.
Mickelson strung together five birdies in a row after a sloppy bogey at No. 12 and Homa went one better with six birdies in all, including the final three holes. It added up to 67 for Mickelson and 65 for Homa as they charged up the leaderboard at the Fortinet Championship in the third round.
"Max, playing as well as he did shooting 6 under on the back, made my round feel not as great, but it was still fun," Mickelson said.
Lefty was even for the day after blocking a 4-foot putt left of the hole. But it didn't deter him. He capped his five-birdie stretch with a 24-foot birdie putt at No. 17.
Photos: Fortinet Championship 2021 at Silverado Resort and Spa
"I just felt like I had been putting really well all week and I just needed to settle down and let one go in, not force it," said Mickelson, who improved to 10-under 206 through 54 holes. "I needed to get a couple of fairways hit because so much easier from the fairways getting to these pins. I just rolled a couple in, so it was nice."
Mickelson has been using a longer arm-lock model this week and has found it mostly to his liking. He ranks fifth through three rounds in Strokes Gained: Putting.
"It's how I putted as a kid. Like I always had a lot of forward press and all it's doing now is getting in the same position as a kid, but it's getting to that same position every time," explained Mickelson. "I'm not overpressing, I'm not underpressing, so my launch characteristics when I get on the Quintic system is very consistent and that's what I'm looking for."
Mickelson's hot run on the back nine lifted him into the top 10 (T-7) heading into the final round and lurking just three strokes behind leader Mito Pereira of Chile, who was still on the course at 13 under through 13 holes.
"I'm in a position where a good round tomorrow will do some good, and it's fun to have a little later tee time and to feel some of the nerves and so forth," Mickelson said. "I know I'm going to have to shoot probably 7, 8, 9 under par to have a chance, but either way it's fun having that chance."
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Girish KasaravaLLi Sir is Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Winner of 13 National Awards. He had recently hosted a show of his short film at TERIFLIX for esteemed members of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Karnataka. In this video he shares his experience at TERIFLIX.
"The people at TERIFLIX pay close attention to minute details of film projection to make sure that a film is showcased in the best possible way."


text:
High Court Rules Officers Immune on 4th Amendment Claims for Shooting Mentally Ill Woman in 2008
Kathrine Holder Kimberley Reynolds SFPD Teresa Sheehan by Bay City News | May 18, 2015 1:25 pm	| in News | 1
Two San Francisco police officers are immune from liability for entering a mentally ill woman's room in a group home in 2008 and shooting her five times, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today.
In the 6-2 decision released this morning, the high court granted the two officers qualified immunity on claims they violated the Fourth Amendment when they entered the room, but declined to rule on whether the officers failed to provide reasonable accommodations for the woman's disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The woman, Teresa Sheehan, survived the Aug. 7, 2008, shooting and filed a federal civil rights suit the next year. The suit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it, finding that the ADA applies to arrests.
Sheehan was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and lived in a group home in San Francisco's Mission District at the time. The officers responded when a social worker became concerned that Sheehan, then 56, had stopped taking her medication, changing her clothes or eating, according to the Supreme Court ruling.
When the social worker knocked on her door and didn't receive an answer, he used his key to enter. Sheehan sprang out of bed yelling, "Get out of here! You don't have a warrant! I have a knife, and I'll kill you if I have to."
San Francisco police Sgt. Kimberly Reynolds and Officer Kathrine Holder responded to the group home and knocked on the door, telling Sheehan they were there to help her. The officers entered the room when she didn't answer, and she threatened them with a 5-inch kitchen knife, according to the ruling.
The officers retreated, shut the door and called for backup. But, worried Sheehan may gather more weapons or escape out a back window, they re-entered the room. Sheehan charged them with the knife. The officers used pepper spray in attempt to subdue her, but she kept coming and they shot her multiple times.
A majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito states that the actions of the two officers in entering the room and later using lethal force was reasonable under the circumstances. The ruling leaves open the question of whether there was a Fourth Amendment violation in the officers entering the room a second time, but found that the officers' failure to accommodate her illness did not violate clearly established law.
But the question of whether the protections against discrimination for people with mental illnesses provided by the ADA applies to arrests remains open.
The court decided that such individuals may in fact be due special considerations in police contact, and acknowledged there was disagreement in Circuit courts on this issue, but declined to rule on it because the case was inadequately argued by San Francisco.
A dissenting opinion by Justices Antonin Scalia and Elena Kagan accuses the city of not properly arguing that case by design. They argue the court would not have taken the case without the ADA aspect, but instead ruled only on the Fourth Amendment claims — an aspect of the case the high court would not have taken up on its own merits.
But the ruling appears to allow Sheehan to take her case back to a lower court for a trial on the claim that the officers violated the ADA by not adequately taking her illness into account.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is the brother of Charles Breyer, recused himself from participating in the case.
Scott Morris, Bay City News


August 11-12 Morning Glory Fine Art Fair , Milwaukee, WI. On the grounds of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.
19th Annual Twin Cities Arts & Crafts 20th Century Design Show and Sale, St. Paul, MN, St. Paul State Fair Grounds, Progress Center.
February: National Arts and Crafts Conference, Asheville NC, Grove Park Inn (NEW BOOTH LOCATION) Pratt Clay Studio is in the hallway opposite the Hoover Room!


text:
Track – #writephoto
"This way."
"Are you sure?" Merle was pointing down a dry stream bed with his walking staff. Or perhaps "up the stream bed", since the direction went against the flow of water. The path looked torturous and I couldn't imagine anyone trying their luck there, least of all Brad.
"I've been doing this since before you were born."
"I don't know, Steve. I guess we have to trust him," Val said.
I nodded and let Merle lead us into the gulch.
It was more difficult than I imagined. Though mostly dry, there was still some water and a few deep pools, but it was the boulders and the downed trees that were the worst.
I paused after scrambling over a log about 30 minutes in.
"This is next to impossible," I said.
"If he took an easy path, they would have found him by now," Merle said. He shrugged. "If he really wanted to be found he should have just sat it out."
"From what we heard, he had a little too much to drink," Val said. "He most likely wondered around aimlessly before deciding to find a fast track back. Wouldn't following a stream bed make more sense than walking in circles in the woods?"
"Ah-yep, I guess it might. Though he did seem to take the wrong direction. Going downstream not only would have been easier, it would have brought him right to the road in no time at all. You sure he wants to be found?"
"Don't see why he wouldn't," I said. "As far as I know he doesn't have the skills or material to survive for long on his own."
Val glanced at me, worry in her eye. I hoped that if Merle saw it that he thought she was worried about Brad. I knew that she was worried that the old tracker wasn't buying our story.
Brad had been camping with his friend Mike in the deep wilderness. Mike woke up one morning to find that Brad had vanished. Valarie and I were staying at a little hotel in a nearby town. When Mike came to us, we immediately went to the law.
Brad is my older brother. He's not the smartest fellow on Earth. Far from it. We had purposefully timed our vacation to be close.
With a local Deputy in tow, Mike brought us out to the campsite. He said they had been drinking. He believed Brad had gone out to relieve himself, but he wasn't sure. There were no signs that he'd returned to the camp after Mike left on his run into town.
A search party was formed, but they come up with nothing.
I told the sheriff that I was willing to give up and stretch their resources any farther.
That's when we were approached by Merle.
He guaranteed he could find anybody. For a price.
The sheriff agreed that Merle was our only hope of finding Brad. He told us we need to get started right away before the trail was cold. We felt that we had no choice.
A few hours later we came to a place where Brad had obviously stopped for a while. There was a small firepit, which means he took matches. There was also signs that he had food.
"He must 'ave stay here a spell," Merle said. "Looks like he left this morning."
"You sure?" I asked.
"Yep. As I've said a thousand times, I've been tracking since before you were in diapers."
"So we're getting close."
"Yep. He was much more prepared than you thought. Good news, no?"
"Yeah," Val said. "Good news." I could tell that her smile was fake.
A little later we hit a major hiking trail.
"He went this way," Merle said.
"You sure? Unless I got totally turned around I thought that way was back towards town. Where does this go?"
"Well, your brother might have gotten turned around, though I doubt it. This goes to the top of Mount Krestlin and then continues on to a trailhead just outside of Smithsville. That's about 20 miles on."
I shrugged. Mount Krestlin was too small and far out to be a major hiking destination and Smithsville was just a dot on the map to me. We were about as deep into the wilderness as it was possible to be, an area that saw very few visitors.
"Well, I guess we have no choice but to go on," I said.
We followed Merle on the track up towards the small mountain.
We were getting close to the summit when Merle stopped.
"Looks like he left the trail here."
"What? Why?"
Merle shrugged. "Can't rightly say. It is getting late. Perhaps he wanted to find a place to camp for the night. He left and didn't come back."
After ten minutes of scrambling over boulders we came out at the top of a high cliff.
"Looks like the end of the track," Merle said.
There was a noise behind us.
Brad came out from behind a large boulder. He had a gun. We turned to Merle. He was holding his heavy walking staff like a baseball bat.
"So my brave brother Steve has come to the rescue," Brad said. "I know what you think of me, but in my opinion, you're the stupid one. That's why Mom and Dad wrote you out of the will and left everything to me."
"No, it isn't what you think," I said.
He laughed. "You are an evil bastard, Steve, and Val is no better. I knew what you had planned ever since you talked me into going camping with that hit-man friend of yours, Michael. Lost in the woods. Right. My dead body to be found days, perhaps weeks or months, later. You'd get everything then, wouldn't you? You'd finally be able to pay for that lifestyle Valarie created for you and perhaps get out of some of that debt you put yourself in to do it."
"No, it isn't like that, not at all," I said.
"I told you it was a stupid idea," Val said.
Brad laughed again. "You guys could never get your story straight, could you? Well, you couldn't then either, so I planned ahead. I've done a lot of hiking with Merle here and he decided to help. Sure, he'll be rewarded. Why not?"
"Why you freaking bastard," Val said, taking a step towards Brad.
Merle swung his staff, hitting Val in the chest. This threw her off balance. She took a few awkward steps before tripping and going over the cliff. She didn't scream. I guessed it was because she had the wind knocked out of her by Merle's blow. I did hear some noises as she struck the rocks at the bottom. It was along way down.
"You know, sheriff," Merle said. "Those two city slickers got mad at me when I tried to get them on the right track. They screamed and headed out in the wrong direction. Don't rightly know where they went."
"But you're the best tracker in the area," I said. "How would he believe that you couldn't find us?"
"Don't you worry about me, he'll believe it. We're good friends, don;t you know? I'll do just fine."
"Enough talk," Brad said. "This ends now."
Merle took the staff and pushed me towards the edge.
I closed my eyes. I know I will feel Merle's staff any second now….
Written for Sue Vincent's #writephoto challenge.
Yeah, the end took me by surprise too ;)
This entry was posted in Fiction and tagged #writephoto, Short Fiction, short story on August 2, 2018 by trentpmcd.
← You Need to Meet Gramps First Quick Word on The Halley Branch →
18 thoughts on "Track – #writephoto"
Pingback: Photo prompt round-up – Track #writephoto | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
Pingback: Track ~ Trent P. McDonald #writephoto | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
Marilyn Armstrong August 3, 2018 at 8:49 pm
Yep, I decided to do something pleasant with Sue's photo… not. ;)
NorCal Zen August 3, 2018 at 7:09 pm
…and I could not see this coming :) Great story Trent. I like your imagination.
trentpmcd Post author August 3, 2018 at 8:31 pm
Thanks. A little darker than usual, but I hope fun none the less.
NorCal Zen August 3, 2018 at 11:30 pm
ellenbest24 August 3, 2018 at 12:39 pm
Um, I think I will have a cake and a nice cup of tea, do not feel much like walking now. *gulp*
lol, yeah, sometimes I let my dark side out for a walk…
ellenbest24 August 3, 2018 at 1:14 pm
Walk … you were making me run. 🤣😂
Run away, far away, just not deeper into the wilderness (or up Mount Krestlin) ;)
😂😃😄
Pingback: Re-Cap/Re-Count of Thursday August 02, 2018 – Jottings and Writings
Sue Vincent August 3, 2018 at 2:32 am
Not going walking on your trails, Trent ;)
No, this was not a pleasant little hike ;)
Apparently not…
James Pyles August 2, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Yikes! That's pretty dark for you.
yeah, but I do go dark on occasion. I'm not sure what pushed me this direction this time.


text:
Q: Unbalanced Parenthesis Error with re.Compile I am porting an older Python code to Python 3. The code worked in Python 2.7. The following line is creating an unbalanced parenthesis error:
pp = re.compile('\\\([^\\<\/td\ *\>\([^\<]*)\<\/td\ *\>\[^\<]*\<\/td\ *\>\([^\<]*)\<\/td\ *\>\([^\<]*)\<\/td\ *\>\([^\<]*)\<\/td\ *\>\<\/tr\ *\>')

I have no idea how to fix this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated how to break this down and figure it out.

A: Your expression is almost unreadable, and most of the \ backslashes are actually meaningless. Those that do have meaning though are the \[, \( and \) combinations, most of which look like they should not be there at all.
For example. the part \[^\<] is broken, as the escaped \[ makes the ] bracket unbalanced.
Removing all the backslashes makes the pattern compile:
>>> re.compile('([^</td *>([^<]*)</td *>[^<]*</td *>([^<]*)</td *>([^<]*)</td *>([^<]*)</td *></tr *>')
<_sre.SRE_Pattern object at 0x7f8c61c76d50>

Not that the pattern makes any more sense in that case, as there is a [^ there at the start signifying a opening character class, but the characters that follow it suggest that that was not the intent there, the \[ we saw early might be part of that class then but then you'd be matching anything that is not in the set {'<', '/', 't', 'd', ' ', '*', '(', '[', '^', '<'}, which is probably not what you wanted either.
In short, the whole expression is severely broken, and won't work in the current form in any Python version.
It also looks like you are trying to parse HTML with a regular expression. That is not going to work very well. Use a proper HTML parser instead, BeautifulSoup for example would make the task of extracting table cell data much simpler.


text:
15 national parks that'll remind you how beautiful the world really is.
Happy 100th birthday, National Park Service.
Parker Molloy
Nature is awesome, right?
Fresh air, picturesque sights, local flora and fauna — it's all pretty great, but we don't give nearly enough credit to the people who keep it that way. Pardon the pun, but nature just doesn't come, uh, naturally.
100 years ago, the U.S. National Park Service was formed and tasked with conserving "America the Beautiful." They've been doing a pretty bang-up job of it ever since.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.
In honor of the agency's 100th anniversary, here's a list of 15 national parks (and a national seashore) you'll want to add to your bucket list.
1. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Warm weather? Check (it's Hawaii, after all). Beaches? Check. THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS TWO ACTIVE VOLCANOES? Check.
Image by jshyun/Flickr.
2. Glacier National Park
Here's one you may want to check out sooner rather than later. Why? Well, the park used to be home to somewhere around 150 glaciers! Now? There are just 25. In the future, there may be none. To paraphrase "Total Recall," get your ass to Montana.
Image by Andrew Kalat/Flickr.
3. Channel Islands National Park
This park is made up of five of the eight Channel Islands off the California coast. Why just five of eight? Well, you know how in high school, there'd be kids who were like, "You can't sit with us!" at lunch and then you'd silently cry in the bathroom and eat your lunch alone in the auditorium? (OK, those last few parts are probably just me...) It's my guess that it's something like that, but I'm probably wrong. But in addition to that, there are beautiful beaches, stunning rock formations, and warm weather.
Image by David Wan/Flickr.
4. Everglades National Park
If you're ever in the mood to see an alligator up close (but hopefully not too close), Everglades National Park is a great place to do it. The swampy Florida ecosystem is unique, and not exactly what you'd find in Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, or wherever it is you, dear reader, are from.
Image by Diana Robinson/Flickr.
5. Zion National Park
Combining forests with epic rock formations, Zion National Park is a must-see stop should you be traveling through southern Utah.
Image by Zion National Park/Flickr.
6. Cape Cod National Seashore
What makes this eastern Massachusetts seascape so special? Well, it happens to be home to Marconi Station (if you happened to read that as "macaroni station," you are not alone), the site of the first two-way transatlantic radio transmission, and that's just way cool. It's known for its bike trails along with its views of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Image by Jasperdo/Flickr.
7. North Cascades National Park
I'm going to be honest: I put this on the list simply because it's home to the Picket mountain range. What's so interesting about that, you ask? The names of the mountains within: Mount Fury, Mount Challenger, Poltergeist Pinnacle, Mount Terror, Ghost Peak, and Phantom Peak! POLTERGEIST FREAKIN' PINNACLE? That sounds like a badass roller coaster, and now I want to ride.
Image by Rachel Samanyi/Flickr.
8. Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National Park in Alaska is home to Denali (obviously), the highest mountain in North America. It's also home to a little bit of everything else: forests, glaciers, rock formations, mountains. Plus, it's absolutely gorgeous.
Image by Denali National Park/Flickr.
9. Grand Canyon National Park
It's the Grand freakin' Canyon. NEXT!
Image by Grand Canyon National Park/Flickr.
10. Arches National Park
As its name would suggest, Arches National Park is home to a number of arch-shaped rock formations. The coolest thing, though, is probably Balanced Rock, a formation that includes an upper portion "balancing" on the lower. If you visit, please do not throw rocks at Balanced Rock in hopes of toppling it. Resist the urge!
Image by Arches National Park/Flickr (cropped).
11. Yosemite National Park
If you're a fan of giant sequoia trees, this is the park for you. In addition to some glorious rock formations, there are three groves of ancient sequoia trees in Yosemite. With its high granite cliffs, the park provides some of the most amazing views you'll see anywhere on Earth.
Image by Matt Savener/Upworthy.
12. Yellowstone National Park
This is the O.G. of national parks, going way back to 1872. It's home to some kickass geysers (what up, Old Faithful), hot springs, incredible wildlife, and so much more. You've heard of it ... now get with it and visit!
Image by Yellowstone National Park/Flickr.
13. Acadia National Park
Here's one very special reason to visit Acadia: the sunrise. Cadillac Mountain is located within the Maine park, and it's the first place in the United States where you can see the sun rise each morning. How awesome is that?
Image by TravelUSA/Flickr.
14. Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles is a newbie to the National Park System (it was added in 2013), but it still brings the heat when it comes to dishing out that national park goodness. Mountains? Got 'em. Trees? Yep. What makes it special, though? Well, it's home to the success story of the almost-extinct but slowly recovering California condors. Victory!
Image by Stanislav Sedov/Flickr.
15. Joshua Tree National Park
This desert national park is found in Southern California. Named after the Joshua tree (no, not the U2 album), it's a pretty cool change of pace from your usual national park experience.
Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.
So happy birthday, National Park Service! You're looking good for a centenarian! Here's to your continued success!
Interested in visiting a nearby national park? Check out the list of free days at parks around the country.
Two couples move in together with their kids to create one big, loving 'polyfamory'
They are using their unique family arrangement to help people better understand polyamory.
Instagram/Polyfamory
The Hartless and Rodgers families post together
Polyamory, a lifestyle where people have multiple romantic or sexual partners, is more prevalent in America than most people think. According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, one in nine Americans have been in a polyamorous relationship, and one in six say they would like to try one.
However popular the idea is, polyamory is misunderstood by a large swath of the public and is often seen as deviant. However, those who practice it view polyamory as a healthy lifestyle with several benefits.
Taya Hartless, 28, and Alysia Rogers, 34, along with their husbands Sean, 46, and Tyler, 35, are in a polyamorous relationship and have no problem sharing their lifestyle with the public on social media. Even though they risk stigmatization for being open about their non-traditional relationships, they are sharing it with the world to make it a safer place for "poly" folks like themselves.
It all began in 2019 when the Oregon couples met in an attempt to add some spice to their sex lives. "None of us had been polyamorous before, but we all just met and fell in love," Taya said, according to the Mirror. "We didn't even know what polyamory was, until we started getting feelings for each other," Alysia told Today.
"From the first night we met, we all wanted to just see more of each other. It wasn't easy—there was a lot of hesitations around having feelings," Taya said. "Sean was the first to point it out—he said 'we can't deny this is happening'. We agreed to talk it out to see what the future would look like.
The couple lived two hours from each other, so in February 2020, right before the whole world changed, they moved in together along with Tyler And Alysia's two children, 7 and 8. "The Quad" as they call themselves came together to create what they call a "polyfamory."
Although neither Sean and Tyler nor Alysia and Taya are dating one another, they see each other as close partners. The women have their own rooms which the men rotate in and out of each night.
The couples had a direct way of explaining their relationship to their kids. "We told them: 'You know mom has a boyfriend and dad had a girlfriend and we're going to move in together, and we're all going to be a big family and they're going to help parent you, so we're going to need you to treat them like you treat us— like parents,'" Tyler explained.
Since moving in together, both women have had a baby but no one knows for sure who the fathers are. "We did not regulate the biology," Alysia said. But it doesn't matter because all four adults share parenting responsibilities.
"At the end of the day, we're just like any other monogamous family—there's just four of us," Tyler says. "Being a parent is so much more than just biology, and that's what we're about."
Taya agrees and says that those who focus on the intimate details of their relationship miss the bigger picture.
"People get so focused on who the biological father of each child is that they don't consider the benefits of having more loving adults in the child's life to guide and nurture them," she told Upworthy. "People imagine all the crazy sex we might be having and forget that we're just people like anyone else. We are a lot more like 'traditional' families than we are different. There's just more of us."
Taya believes that other poly families who feel stigmatized shouldn't let it get to them.
"My advice would be to live as authentically as they are able and to remember that the opinions of others often have more to do with that person than with you," she told Upworthy.
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard open up about being attracted to other people - and why that's OK ›
Gay throuple makes history as the first polyamorous family to list ... ›
Massachusetts city officially recognizes polyamory as part of a new ... ›
Seeing the baby raise his little hand moved the father to tears.
@fritojohnson89/TikTok
Little Remington listening to his father sing.
An incredible moment captured between a father and his newborn son has brought viewers to tears.
The viral video shows Daniel Johnson singing the worship song "Hallelujah Here Below" by Elevation Worship as he cradles his preemie son, Remington Hayze, in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Miraculously, as soon as Johnson begins singing a chorus of "hallelujahs," Remington's tiny hand raises as though he were carried away by the music. Seeing this, Johnson is instantly overcome with emotion and can't finish the song.
The video's caption explains that little Remington was born four months early and given a 21% chance of survival. He turned 2 1/2 months old the day the video was posted.
Daniel's wife Emily, who filmed the video, shared with Good Morning America that since being born prematurely at 22 weeks, Remington has received a "variety of treatments for his underdeveloped organs, including steroids for his lungs and shots for his eyes."
Thanks to the NICU workers at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, Texas, Remington's condition has vastly improved over the past couple of months. He is currently being weaned off of a CPAP machine and no longer needs any medications.
This positive news reflects a recent study from Stanford Medicine, which showed a significant increase in survival rates for preemies born at Remington's age (22 weeks) who underwent active treatment. For those born at 23 weeks, the survival rate was as high as 55%.
Still, this must be a harrowing experience for any parent going through it, even with the help of dedicated professionals. So for the Johnsons, seeing their son respond to his father's voice in such a pure way felt like a saving grace.
"It's been an emotional ride and…the video definitely showed how I felt because he's a miracle baby in every sense of the word," Daniel told GMA.
Watch the amazing moment below:
@fritojohnson89 Remington Hayze Johnson. Proof that God is faithful. Born 4 months early and given a 21% chance of survival. Today we are 2 1/2 months old giving God all the praise He deserves. #worship#nicu#nicubaby#dadsinging#elevationworship♬ original sound - Daniel Johnson
Congrats to the Johnson family and their miracle baby. And thank you for sharing this beautiful story with the world.
Mom sets up hair salon inside hospital to pamper parents of NICU ... ›
Doctor shares her new favorite hobby: Hyping up NICU babies ›
A NICU nurse was so loving to their baby, the parents asked her to be godmother ›
Dad and daughter relationships, as explained by 10 paintings.
The amazing bond between dads and daughters.
Doyin Richards
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
I have plenty of space.
It's hard to truly describe the amazing bond between dads and their daughters.
Being a dad is an amazing job no matter the gender of the tiny humans we're raising. But there's something unique about the bond between fathers and daughters.
Most dads know what it's like to struggle with braiding hair, but we also know that bonding time provides immense value to our daughters. In fact, studies have shown that women with actively involved fathers are more confident and more successful in school and business.
You know how a picture is worth a thousand words? I'll just let these images sum up the daddy-daughter bond.
A 37-year-old Ukrainian artist affectionately known as Soosh, recently created some ridiculously heartwarming illustrations of the bond between a dad and his daughter, and put them on her Instagram feed. Sadly, her father wasn't involved in her life when she was a kid. But she wants to be sure her 9-year-old son doesn't follow in those footsteps.
"Part of the education for my kiddo who I want to grow up to be a good man is to understand what it's like to be one," Soosh told Upworthy.
There are so many different ways that fathers demonstrate their love for their little girls, and Soosh pretty much nails all of them.
Get ready to run the full gamut of the feels.
1. Dads can do it all. Including hair.
I've got this.
2. They also make pretty great game opponents.
Sharing life strategy.
3. And the Hula-Hoop skills? Legendary.
Tight fitting hula-hoop.
4. Dads know there's always time for a tea party regardless of the mountain of work in front of them.
Dad makes time.
5. And their puppeteer skills totally belong on Broadway.
Let's play.
6. Dads help us see the world from different views.
Good shoulders.
7. So much so that we never want them to leave.
More dad time please.
8. They can make us feel protected, valued, and loved.
Always the protector.
9. Especially when there are monsters hiding in places they shouldn't.
Dad is superman.
Never a big enough bed.
Seeing the daddy-daughter bond as art perfectly shows how beautiful fatherhood can be.
Cute dad-daughter duo gives the most adorable answer when ... ›
50-something-year-old dad impresses the masses with an adorable dad-daughter dance battle - Upworthy ›
Dad and daughter have epic dance battle - Upworthy ›
Hearing Kondo say, 'My home is messy,' is sparking joy for moms everywhere.
Marie Kondo/YouTube
Marie Kondo playing with her daughters.
Marie Kondo's book, "The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up," has repeatedly made huge waves around the world since it came out in 2010. From eliminating anything that didn't "spark joy" from your house to folding clothes into tiny rectangles and storing them vertically, the KonMari method of maintaining an organized home hit the mark for millions of people. The success of her book even led to two Netflix series.
It also sparked backlash from parents who insisted that keeping a tidy home with children was not so simple. It's one thing to get rid of an old sweater that no longer brings you joy. It's entirely another to toss an old, empty cereal box that sparks zero joy for you, but that your 2-year-old is inexplicably attached to.
To be fair, Kondo never forced her way into anyone's home and made them organize it her way. But also to be fair, she didn't have kids when she wrote her best-selling book on keeping a tidy home. The reality is that keeping a home organized and tidy with children living in it is a whole other ballgame, as Kondo has discovered now that she has three kids of her own.
"My home is messy," she admitted in a recent webinar, according to The Washington Post, "but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life."
Despite the Schadenfreude many parents may feel at Kondo's confession that kids change things, her reasoning for letting things go is actually right in line with her philosophy of embracing joy.
"Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times," she said. "I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home."
Kondo has offered tips for tidying with kids at home since she became a mom, and they're pretty solid. But as any parent can attest, some children are naturally neater than others, and how many kids you have makes a big difference as well.
Kondo gave birth to her third child in 2021, so she's currently in the adorable hell that is toddlerland. Research has also found that parents of three kids are the most stressed, so if Kondo has found a way to enjoy time with her kids and create more balance in her life by letting go of her tidiness standards, more power to her.
Her new book, "Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life," focuses on designing your living space so it works for you. "Kurashi" loosely translates to "way of life" or "the ideal way of spending our time," and Kondo says it's about seeing the world through the lens of what matters most.
"I believe that when we consciously cherish something precious, we deepen our relationship with it," she shares on her website. "This, in turn, deepens our bonds with other things in our lives, bringing out the best in them and in ourselves."
Applying that philosophy to family, Kondo's "giving up" on tidying all the time makes perfect sense. If spending quality time with your children sparks more joy than keeping your belongings organized just so, then that's what you should do.
Kudos to Kondo for publicly acknowledging that having kids has altered how her home looks and for validating what so many parents have felt in the face of unrealistic expectations of tidiness. She could have kept up a front of always being on top of organization and having a perpetually tidy home, but she didn't. Here's to her willingness to share the reality, here's to embracing joy in the fleeting time we have with our children, and here's to letting go of the rules that might interfere with that, even if it means humbly admitting defeat in the face of our kids' messes.
Therapist with ADHD explains how she 'learned to clean as a messy person' ›
Tidying up can do more than 'spark joy.' It can help your kids be academic rockstars. ›
Is cleaning up really good for your mind and body? We asked an expert. ›
Actress Julia Fox shares a tour of her cluttered NYC apartment, and it's a relatable mess
"Hopefully, somebody watches this and thinks, 'Well, OK, maybe I'm not doing so bad.'"
@juliafox/TikTok
Julia Fox taking viewers on a tour of her apartment in New York.
To live in a perfectly curated, always tidy, Marie Kondo-worthy home might be a lovely fantasy. But for many, dare I say most of us, that is simply not a reality. There just aren't enough hours in the day or helpful hands in the house to keep it from getting messy multiple times a week. Square that by a million if the home has small kiddos in it. And if there's only one parent to clean up after those small kiddos? Forget about it.
That's why people are letting out a huge sigh of relief after getting a video tour of Julia Fox's New York apartment in all its glorious disarray.
The actress and model is often seen wearing bold, high-end fashion pieces at glamorous events like the Met Gala,
but her home is anything but glamorous.
In a three-minute clip posted to her TikTok, Fox first shows off the completely unmade bed in her bedroom, which is technically the living room.
Fox, a single mom, explains that her actual bedroom was converted into a playroom for her son Valentino. The makeshift playroom is filled with a flurry of toys, plus a rogue clothing rack that Fox knows she "really needs to get rid of."
Stars…they really are just like us.
@juliafox
Come with me on a very underwhelming apartment tour! also to clarify I have only ONE mouse and he's cute 🥰
♬ original sound - Julia fox
Fox then takes us down a long and very cluttered hallway, through the kitchen filled with shoeboxes (a common sight in New York apartments, apparently), and into Valentino's actual room, which is by far the cleanest room in the house. Of course, that's only because Valentino is almost never in there and wants to hang out in mom's room.
And that's it. That's the entire apartment. No frills. Just a small apartment with the charming chaos of parenthood.
"For me personally, I just don't like excessive displays of wealth, [it] makes me feel icky. Especially people that have really big houses. It's just really wasteful when there are so many homeless people in this country, and I'm not really like that," Fox says in her video. "I know I'm gonna get roasted, but hopefully, somebody watches this and thinks, 'Well, OK, maybe I'm not doing so bad.'"
Clearly, people did watch. The TikTok has racked up 8 million views in only two days, with thousands of viewers sharing how the "underwhelming apartment tour" was a breath of fresh air.
"I am legit flabbergasted that Julia Fox lives just like me. It doesn't seem right," commented one person.
"Me and Julia Fox both have wood platform beds with no headboard," added another.
While Fox was met with some criticism, the overwhelming consensus was praise for both her transparency and down-to-earth parenting style.
"Love how much of your space is dedicated to your son," applauded one commenter.
Another wrote, "You're a mother that obviously prioritizes your child & it is a beautiful apartment. Love you are showing that success looks different for every person."
Life can be messy sometimes. That remains true whether you're a privileged celebrity or just an average person trying to get by. So maybe we can all cut ourselves some slack for letting things pile up from time to time. Odds are, there's still plenty about a home to appreciate, even when it does look like a hurricane ran through it.
12 hilariously relatable comics about life as a new mom. ›
How do blind people cook? This "Masterchef" winner leans into her senses.
Erin Canty
Image pulled from YouTube video.
Christine Ha competes on "Masterchef."
There is one question chef Christine Ha fields more than any other.
But it's got nothing to do with being a "Masterchef" champion, New York Times bestselling author, and acclaimed TV host and cooking instructor.
The question: "How do you cook while blind?"
Ha has a rare autoimmune disease that attacked her spinal cord and optic nerve. She started losing her vision in 2004 while she was in her 20s.
Ha compares her vision loss to "looking at a very foggy mirror after a hot shower." After her diagnosis, she worried she'd have to give up cooking. It was an interest she was just beginning to explore and one she had a serious talent and passion for. Instead of shying away from the kitchen, Ha decided to learn to navigate her new reality.
"It's like any other challenge in life; you just face it head on and hope for the best," she said in one of her recent videos.
Ha started losing her vision in 2004.
A seasoned chef, Ha leans into her other senses to bring her culinary creations to life.
In a video for her YouTube channel, Ha wears a GoPro camera while expertly preparing a mouthwatering meal of steamed whole snapper with black bean sauce and blistered green beans. She describes it as a "typical weeknight meal," the very thought of which separates home cooks from Masterchefs.
Watch Christine Ha make a delicious dinner ... just maybe not while you're hungry.
Ha is patient, taking her time to feel, smell, prep, and cut ingredients.
She sometimes uses adaptive tools, but much of her cooking is done by touch. She deftly guides her knife to accomplish intricate cuts.
Just like a sous chef in a professional kitchen, sometimes Ha's partner lends a quick hand.
Ha uses cooking, food, and telling her story to connect and communicate with people around her.
Preparing and sharing meals is a great way to unite people and celebrate what makes each of us unique. Plus, you get to eat tasty food with your favorite people. And if it's Gordon Ramsay approved, it's that much sweeter.
Watch and learn a little more about Christine Ha in the video below:
✪ In this exclusive Goalcast Original, the first blind contestant and winner of MasterChef, Christine Ha, opens up about how she lost her sight and her mothe...


Great teachers help create great students. Research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement, so it is critical to pay close attention to how we train and support both new and experienced educators. Effective Teachers and Leaders (Title II-A) assist LEA's in this endeavor.


In All Honesty, How Much Money Would Change Your Life?
A recent survey revealed a much lower number than you're probably thinking.
On this #InternationalWomensDay I would encourage you to find a good group of gal pals.
When traveling, the journey can be just as important as the destination.
Looks like I'll be planning a trip to Texas because I've got to see this.


With regard to the material itself, it seems they have a specific interest in Eastern Europe and former USSR countries.
They also have a specific interest in countries, parties and politicians that appear to be on the right side of the political map. This includes, for example, files connected to Donald Trump and the Lega Nord party and its leader, Matteo Salvini, from Italy.


While the war was raging in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson assured the American citizens that they will not be drawn into this European conflict! German immigrants all across the country were facing persecution for Germany's involvement in the war. Pastors were being called away from their churches to serve as Army Chaplains in the battle zones, leaving a shortage of Pastors here at home. Needless to say, this was an unsettling time.
On March 9, 1913, Reverend James A. Boehm began his pastorate.
On April 1, 1913 , Rev. Kosman left. Note the slight pastoral overlap during March. In this period, German speaking services were abolished.
On February 11, 1917, Rev. Boehm resigned.
On July 15, 1917 Reverend Robert A. Bausch began his pastorate and remained as the pastor at St. Paul's for the next six and a half years.
Shortly after Armistice Day (November 11, 1918), this commemorative group photo was taken of Reverend Robert A. Bausch with his congregation.
Click here to see an exploded view of the photo!
If you look near the center, you will notice the "Dough Boys" in uniform standing around the doorway with Reverend Robert A. Bausch (the reverend is the one wearing the parson's hat!).
If you look near the far right, you will see a shiny new 1917 series model "T" Ford!
If you look near the far left, you can see the parsonage next to the church as it looked in 1918. The parsonage was built just 14 years earlier in 1904.


...This house is 2 years old. The 2 roomsare fitted with air con. The house is about 60 sq m and the lot size is about 150 sq m. Owner moving.
...Email Add/YM: fou_----------@yahoo.com We conduct free tripping and house viewing daily. Contact our sales team now for an appointment.


SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) –The Diocese of San Jose announced Thursday evening that it will start releasing the names of priests implicated in the sexual abuse scandal consuming the Catholic church.
The response reform includes talking to clerical sexual abuse victims and releasing names and the statuses of priests who abused minors in the San Jose area.
The diocese also plans to use a former FBI executive assistant's firm to do an independent review of sexual abuse records and how the church handled them.
KPIX 5 spoke with John Salberg, one of the victims of sexual abuse who will see his abuser's name on the diocese's list.
Salberg is one of 12 victims molested by the late Reverend Joseph Pritchard of Saint Martin of Tours in San Jose. The abuses happened in the 1970s.
Salberg said that when he reported the abuse to church leaders as an adult, they turned a blind eye.
"They weren't writing anything down. I mean, they weren't recording anything, and it kind of blew my mind," he said.
For victims such as Salberg, believing the church will follow through with their word isn't easy.
Despite his past, John remains a Catholic today. Although he stands by his religion, he can't say the same about those leading his church.
The bishop said more names could be released after the diocese completes the independent review.
KPIX 5 reached out to the Oakland and San Francisco dioceses, but at the time of publication, they have not decided if they will release any names.


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McDonald's didn't put much effort into creating their "new" Chicken McNugget sauces, because they're mostly the same dipping sauces from their Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips line. Since they're not putting much effort into their sauces, I'm not going to put much effort into this review of their sauces.
How much work am I going to put into reviewing these sauces? Significantly less than what I put into playing this McNuggets dipping sauce memory game that McDonald's is using to promote the sauces on their website.
By the way, my high score was 712 points.
For starters, to show how little effort I'm going to put into this review, I'm just going to list all the "new" flavors, but not take the time to put them in alphabetical order: Spicy Buffalo, Honey Mustard, Sweet Chili, and Creamy Ranch. Then, I'm just going to link to my Sweet Chili sauce review from last year and then not mention Sweet Chili anymore.
I'm also going to link to my my Chicken Selects review from 2004 which included my thoughts on the Spicy Buffalo sauce. Although, the sauce might've changed over the years, so I will say the "new" Spicy Buffalo sauce was tasty, spicy, and orange. It tasted like other buffalo sauces I've had, but it had a bit more kick than my beloved Hot Mustard Sauce and it was definitely my favorite of the four "new" flavors.
Geez, that was more effort than I wanted to exert for the Spicy Buffalo Sauce. I'll do better with the last two sauces.
Honey Mustard tasted like a sweet weak dijon mustard and Creamy Ranch tasted like the salad dressing you'd find in the middle of a barely-touched vegetable platter at a barbeque.
How's that for little effort?
Overall, McDonald's "new" Chicken McNuggets Sauces range from decent to good, but none of them can compete with my beloved Hot Mustard Sauce. Besides that, it's hard to get excited about sauces that we could've dipped our McNuggets into for years if we either asked nicely, paid 10 to 20 cents, or flirted with the right cashier for the McDonald's Chicken Selects sauces.
Pros: More sauces for you to choose from. Spicy Buffalo had good flavor and a decent kick. Hot Mustard Sauce. Flirting with McDonald's employees to get Chicken Selects sauces.
Cons: McDonald's didn't put much effort into the "new" sauces. Sweet Chili sauce is still mediocre. Honey Mustard tasted like a sweet weak dijon mustard. McDonald's calling these sauces "new." Not putting much effort into this review.
These seem very pointless. How about something spicy, or something with ginger.
Honey will always be my go to followed by hot Mustard and Sweet and Sour.
also, dislike all the disposable single-serving plastic packaging that will end up inside the stomachs of unknowing albatrosses who mistake it for food and die, or else become part of yet another giant island of floating plastic garbage in the sea. on the other hand, i guess the faster all that happens, the faster a selfish uncaring mankind destroys the planet and finds its rightful fate in total extinction. either way, i shall not support mcdonald's OR its crappy sauces.
How else are the supposed to server single-serve dipping sauces?
Into your bare hands. Just a big dispenser pump. And for the antibacterial freaks, one that works hands free.
I like that idea. You might be onto something there!
Although harmful for the environment, those single serve packages are quite possibly remarkably more hygenic than not having single serve packages.
I bet if you ask them for a hotcake syrup packet in place of a mcnugget sauce they'll give you one – customer satisfaction.
I've always asked for the Spicy Buffalo sauce ever since they came out with the Chicken Selects… Then one day, they were like "We don't have that kind anymore" and I fell out of love with Chicken McNuggets because I couldn't any longer have the one sauce I loved (although I found out this wasn't true).
But the buffalo sauce is different. Like it has more of the milk in it this time, but it has the same taste, just a little bit creamier. I've fallen in love with McNuggets again now that I can have my favorite sauce.
But I still laugh that they tried to pass these off as new.
Why they dont hv this in Singapore!
But you guys have delivery McDonalds. I think that would just make Singapore way too awesome.
I read somewhere that McDonald's is taking the chicken selects off the menu this year…rebranding the sauces for nuggets is probably a part of this move…I guess they're going with the slow fade.
Smug, self righteous people love to wag their finger at anybody who patronizes McD's or Walmart.
First of all, I'd like to say I have been a fan of McDonalds for many years. I enjoy their french fries and nuggets the most. Recently, I've noticed the french fries and nuggets I have been ordering have not been up to par. I then figured out it was the "new" ranch sauce that was making my food taste awful. This "new" ranch tastes like someone sprinkled that powdery stuff they put in latex gloves in it. I am thoroughly disgusted and disappointed in McDonalds for doing this. I am currently on a road trip and will not be eating at McDonalds because of this catastrophe.
I've been getting a side of ranch dressing for my chicken nuggets and fries for years. stupid mcdonalds.
Until they changed their sauces, I used to "treat" myself to McNuggets and fries from McDonald's on an occassional basis. I have LOVED the Hot Mustard sauce since it came out. I would pass over chicken strips and "nuggets" at competition fast food places (that are actually much better) just to have the Hot Mustard sauce. Now McD's is just like any other fast food joint! Jeez, I can get better Honey Mustard and Buffalo Sauce at the grocery store. So while I'm there, I'll just get some chicken too! They got rid of the Hot Mustard "due to lack of interest? That's what kept it around for 25 years, huh? Instead of me biting a McDonald's treat, they can just "bite me".
Why did you discontinue the spicy mustard. This was very dissapointing to find out that this sauce is no longer available. I do not like the other sauces and wish that you will bring back the spicy mustard sauce. My husband feels the same way.
Everyone loves Buffalo sauce. Your husband just won't admit it…and that's not very nice at all.
Well it is just ranch sauce and it is what it is nothing much else.
Unless you expect it to be bloody magical and have Extra cracked pepper and gold flakes in it. Its fast food not a dinner at chez Pierre's.
Please bring back the SPICY MUSTARD SAUCE!!!!!!!!!!!