It is described as a freak accident, because as far as automobile wrecks go, for a bus to hit a lamppost that falls on a baby in a stroller, well, it’s just not supposed to happen that way. But that’s how it went, and 8-month-old Angelie Paredes is gone.
But this July 30 ‘freak accident‘ in New Jersey, which took place when a bus jumped a curb because its driver was allegedly on his cell phone, could have been prevented. The driver, who is now charged with ‘death by auto,’ did not have to use his phone while operating a vehicle. The passengers did not have to accept his behavior as a matter-of-fact habit of these discount jitney bus drivers.
Dear baby Angelie did not need to die.
Consider the statistics:
According to the United States Department of Transportation, distracted driving (which is caused by any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving) claimed the lives of 3,331 lives in 2011. A whopping 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.
Volunteers on the Upper West Side taking donations.
First off, Mary Kate Burke updated her efforts in the Rockaways. Read that here.
Secondly, there is a paypal account (here) set up through the Knights of Columbus Council 443 that will aid their efforts. As temperatures drop (it is COLD tonight in New York City) think of the goods donating to this account will help buy.
It’s nice to see individuals stepping up. My neighbor, a New York City schoolteacher, is collected donations in our building and drove them to Staten Island with a friend. She’ll return this Saturday. And local soapmakers Daniel and Zaida Grunes of Manor House Soaps donated about 30 pounds of their yummy product to George Washington High School in northern Manhattan, where a temporary shelter was set up.
I went to the Upper West Side yesterday (Nov. 4) to drop off at a collection point organized by the Contemporary Roman Catholics and local restaurants, Firehouse and Nonna. It was PACKED. There were more volunteers than sorting space and Upper West Siders showing up with giant bags of clothing, towels, toiletries, work gloves, etc. It was nice to see that the FEMA truck being packed up was headed to the Rockaways. Truck filled earlier went to the hard hit areas of the Coney Island, Long Beach, South Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey.
And because this is New York City, many restaurants, bars, bands and DJs are getting into the action.
“The Restaurant Group,” which consists of Upper West Side eateries Fire House, Nonna, A.G. Kitchen and Il Cibreo, are offering free dessert to those who bring a donation.
One of the best things I read today was this report about how many of the folks who organized Occupy Wall Street are behind Occupy Sandy. They’re even looking to expand to New Jersey. They have also set up a “wedding registry” on Amazon.com, so it’s very easy to help them!
Occupy Sandy, an off-shoot of Occupy Wall Street, has undoubtedly been a leader in spreading the word about local volunteer and donation efforts online, and thereby spurring real, tangible responses. Though certainly not a well-oiled machine by any means — seamless organization is hardly expected, anyway, in a movement that sprang up so quickly — the group’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have posted up-to-date information about exactly what is needed and where. And while the Red Cross doesn’t take donations of individual household items and certain bare necessities, these very same needs have become Occupy Sandy’s primary focus.
I’ll admit I’m a bit obsessed with the Gaslight Anthem, but this New York Times magazine profile on the band by Lizzy Goodman is just too good not to share…
[Brian] Fallon is an only child, born and raised in Red Bank not far from where he lives now. His mother works for a local hospital, and his stepfather worked in a factory. The family rules were simple: go to church, work hard, don’t swear.
Recently [Fallon] said in an interview with a German music magazine that he believes in creationism. People “started freaking out, saying I don’t believe in dinosaurs and I’m such a fool,” he said. “But you say you’re a religious person, and it’s on, bonfire is lit. I thought we’re supposed to live in a tolerant society.”
What distresses Fallon the most is that people assume he’s intolerant. Fallon’s wife, Hollie, is a Jewish girl from the Bronx, and he is a vocal supporter of gay rights and women’s rights. “Bruce has this expression he says all the time: ‘Nobody wins unless everybody wins,’ and I really think that’s true,” Fallon says. “When I was working construction or in a gas station listening to Bruce Springsteen songs, I felt like I’d won, too.”
“Would you miss me if I was gone and the simple things we lost? Would you ever wait on me to say Oh that I’d just die if you ever took your love away…”
Lead singer Brian Fallon performed an acoustic set and answered fan questions via Livestream on album release day.
When asked if there will ever be an album like the Bruce Springsteen-like The 59 Sound, he said:
“We kind of just wrote the next record that sounded good to us. When you achieve success on one record, you just have to ignore the previous record. You have to make each record its own thing. There will not be another 59 Sound-ish album. Repeating albums, I think, is cheating your audience.”
Someone asked about New Jersey pride, which as a child of the Garden State, probably has to do with the fact that we’d like to be more affiliated with Gaslight Anthem and less with Jersey Shore. Fallon had a great response for that, too:
“I’m not proud of being from New Jersey just because I’m from New Jersey; that’s just my home and I love it because it’s my home and my friends live there. It’s got great things, like the beaches and great community vibe, but it’s not what defines you. Most people who have become successful or famous have left where they’re from in order to find themselves. You need to leave the things that influenced you the most or else they’ll become fake, which is the worth thing that could happen.”
True story. I’ll let you know if I find myself in New York City in a future post.
This great SPIN article by David Marchese addresses why Handwritten is considered to be “big” for a band that sells out concerts in the Big Apple within 60 seconds. The best quote from Fallon, in my opinion (he mentions Goyte!):
“We talked to so many producers. And they were all like, ‘You guys have released great records and big bands like you — now you need a big hit single.’ And we were like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I love that Gotye song, but I can’t sit down and write that. I don’t even think he can. A hit single for a rock band is a fluke. It’s an accident. But Brendan called me up and he goes, ‘Listen, I really like your records. I wanna do your next record. This is what I need you to do: Don’t talk to me about singles or radio-play. You need to write songs that mean more to you than anything.’ I was like, ‘Okay, man! Not only do I want to do a record with you, can you adopt me for a little while?’
By the way, the band ended album release day on a perfect note: They played 26 songs for fans at Webster Hall. (I know super fan, my friend Kasey, was happy!) Read a review on their D.C. show (July 23) here.
periMENTAL 