The Message Is Becoming Increasingly Clear!

 

These Sentiments Are Valid And MUST Be Heard!

NYC 'Little Italy' To Be Back On Map, But . . .

The Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), the anti-defamation and positive image arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), today recognizes the decision by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) to include Manhattan’s historic Little Italy neighborhood on its Immigrant Enclaves map following strong advocacy and concern expressed by Italian American communities and organizations.

“We are grateful that Mayor Mamdani and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs listened to the concerns of the Italian American community and corrected the omission of Little Italy from the Immigrant Enclaves map,” said CSJ President John A. Fratta. “Little Italy is a historic and enduring symbol of the Italian immigrant experience in New York City, and its inclusion ensures that the contributions of generations of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans are properly recognized.”

“However, we remain disappointed that this correction came only after significant pushback and that other historic and thriving Italian American communities continue to be excluded from the map,” Fratta continued. “Neighborhoods such as Arthur Avenue in the Bronx represent vibrant Italian American enclaves with deep cultural, economic, and historical significance. These communities continue to preserve Italian heritage, support local businesses, and contribute immensely to the diverse fabric of New York City.”

The CSJ believes that maps and public representations of New York City’s immigrant communities should accurately reflect the full scope of the neighborhoods that have been shaped by generations of immigrants. Recognizing one community while overlooking others diminishes the important role these enclaves have played in building and enriching the city.

“The Italian American community appreciates the Mayor’s willingness to address this concern, but our work is not complete,” Fratta said. “We encourage Mayor Mamdani and MOIA to continue engaging with community leaders and to ensure that all significant immigrant enclaves—including those that represent the Italian American experience—receive appropriate recognition.”

The CSJ remains committed to advocating for accurate representation of Italian American history, culture, and contributions, and will continue working with community organizations and government leaders to promote a more complete and inclusive understanding of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities.

Little Italy To Mamdani: 'Te Ne Pentirai!'

From The Free Press:

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his map of New York City’s “immigrant enclaves.” Except, he forgot a few spots.

Little Italy—one of the oldest immigrant communities in New York City—didn’t make the cut.

Here’s what the Italian-Americans whose families have been a part of Little Italy's history had to say about it.

Israel: New York's 'First Lady' Is Absolutely WRONG!

 

Italian Americans Blast Mamdani Heritage Erasure

 

Pay Attention, America -- And Be Forewarned!

Imagine if, in the aftermath of 9/11, someone told you within 25 years someone like this would be getting elected in NYC — would you have believed it? Well, New York City recently elected Aber Kwas to their State Senate. This is her blaming 9/11 on America because of our “system of capitalism, racism, white supremacy and islamophobia.”

Imagine if, in the aftermath of 9/11, someone told you within 25 years someone like this would be getting elected in NYC — would you have believed it? https://t.co/c1dXK0YjK0

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 27, 2026

The Poison Enveloping The Democrat Party!

From journalist, columnist and TV personality Charlie Gasparino, via Facebook:

Living in Manhattan, I know a lot of old-school NY Dems and not a day goes by that they express how theyre horrified by what is happening to their party.

My advice: Look inward.

It began with you and people you love and elected like Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo, etc., the so-called moderate party leadership that for years appeased the leftist loons who occupied Zuccotti Park, or unqualified clowns like AOC, or de Blasio. You and your "leaders" never really tried to hold the line against the leftists in the state legislature. And now the lunatics are controlling the proverbial insane asylum.

We have increasing fiscal and social chaos. Mamdani's budget is not balanced and will never be. It will require more tax increases. He's never going to stop demonizing Israel, or come to appreciate free markets as Jamie Dimon hopes, because he is who he is. With that, homelessness and urinating on the street has become a right, along with rioting after basketball games. It's not just Mamdani.

You have Brad Lander touting Marxism; a comptroller, the so-called fiscal watchdog named Mark Levine who is placating the left and not signaling the disaster that brewing on the city's books. Remember that when you piss and moan about Trump; your lives are being destroyed not by his mean tweets but right here in NY by politicians you empowered. Y

ou have become piggy banks for an expanded welfare state and useful idiots to promote cultural Marxism at the private schools you think will help your kids get into Columbia to further their indoctrination.

Good job.

From former Congressman Peter King, via Facebook:

Anti-Semitism is infecting America to an extent not seen since the days of Hitler and Naziism in the 1930's and '40's, particularly in New York.

Today a Brooklyn coffee shop disgracefully refunded Congressman Dan Goldman's coffee tab because it did not want to do business with a supporter of Israel which it accused of genocide.

There are many issues that I disagree with Dan Goldman on but it is absolutely indefensible to deny service to anyone based on anti-Semitism. What is more shameful is the attitude of Democratic leaders like Mayor Mamdani who support Goldman's primary opponent and enable anti-Semitism with their irresponsible rhetoric!

The List Of 2026 Tony Award Winners

Here are the winners from last evening's Tony Awards:

Best Musical: Schmigadoon! Best Play: Liberation Best Revival of a Musical: Ragtime Best Revival of a Play: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Joshua Henry, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Caissie Levy, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: John Lithgow, Giant Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Lesley Manville, Oedipus Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Direction of a Musical: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Best Direction of a Play: Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Technical categories continued here.

Tony Telecast: Salacious; Tony Awards: Sublime!

Last night's Tony Awards telecast will stand as probably the trashiest Tony show in the history -- and that's a very long time.

The raunchiest parts revolved around the segments dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture show and The Jellicle Ball. When you throw in the barely-clothed performer known as "Pink" as the host, well -- salacious can only begin  describe it all. In fact, even some of the commercials were questionable and loaded with double entendres. 

But, having said that, the awards themselves were conveyed upon the most traditional, wide audience nominees. The grand and glorious American saga musical Ragtime defeated the smutty Jellicle Ball and The Rocky Horror Picture Show for best revival of a musical -- an upset that most experts weren't expecting. The classic Death of a Salesman won best revival of a play. Let's face it: you can't find a more certified,  blue-chip American drama than Salesman. Best musical honors were bestowed upon Schmigadoon,  a unabashed, tongue-in-cheek homage to the big old-fashioned American musical. And while the best drama winner Liberation delves into the socio-political aspects of the women's movement, it uses the traditional format of a memory play and even incorporates an Our Town style narrator. 

So, as much as Broadway attempted to shock last night, the evening's real winners played to Broadway's well-known strengths: serious, thought-provoking drama; sweeping, epic themes and sheer entertainment with talented casts, amazing vocalists and dazzling choreography. 

Ragtime provides us with the best example of Broadway's return to what Broadway does best. The show succeeds because it's blessed with a very strong storyline -- one that everyone in the audience can grasp, incorporating characters that people can identify with. What's more, the music and lyrics are soaring and melodic. It's clearly the most robust, full-throated show on Broadway right now. And, to top it all off, Ragtime is a genuine heart-tugger. It's right up there with Carousel and Show Boat for its emotional impact.

We saw the original production of Ragtime in 1996. It's sheer grandeur blew us away then and, if anything, age has only made the show more meaningful and seemingly more magnificent. 

Yes, the Tony Awards telecast left a lot to be desired. But the awards themselves gave us new hope for a Broadway that is journeying back to its roots and doing so with pride and penache!

Avanti!

Looks Like A 'Not-To-Be-Missed' Event!

A Message To Mamdani On Israel Day In NYC

A message from NY State Assemblyman Ari Brown at today's Israel Day Parade in Manhattan:

A Loving, Moving, Poignant, Inspiring Story!

President Trump has announced that 9/11 hero Welles Crowther will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Known as “The Man in the Red Bandana,” Crowther repeatedly ran back into the South Tower on 9/11 to help others escape, saving as many as 18 lives before losing his own. Allison Crowther said her son’s legacy continues to endure nearly 25 years later: “Welles’ light still shines brightly.”

Sondheim's Life: Struggles, Demons, Triumphs

The brilliant Broadway composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, was every bit as difficult, complicated, and sometimes frustrating as the puzzles that he collected and so enjoyed over his lifetime.  

Sondheim's many quirks, squabbles, grudges, demons, peaks and valleys  are richly detailed in the new biography, Stephen Sondheim, Art Isn't Easy, by Daniel Okrent, for the Jewish Lives series from Yale University Press.

Here are some of the things we learn in this biography which illuminates the life, struggles and triumphs of Sondheim in a way heretofore unavailable:

•  The author tells us that for all intents and purposes, Sondheim was an alcoholic. He drank almost every day of his life. Yes, there were periods when he went  off the bottle, but invariably he returned to his previous ways.  He enjoyed almost every kind of alcoholic beverage, including scotch, vodka, bourbon, martinis, champagne, wine  or whatever would do the trick and he resisted any efforts to get him into a program such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
•  Like many great artists, Sondheim was also a perfectionist who obsessed over his work and, even after he completed a composition, was often less than satisfied with it. He was known to return to previously "finished" works to correct what he still perceived as mistakes or oversights. And no, whatever natural talent he had didn't make the pursuit of his art any easier. Thus, the subtitle Art Isn't Easy.
• Sondheim was also a notorious procrastinator, either because he found it difficult to face a looming task or because he worked best under pressure. This often presented a difficult dilemma for his collaborators and the many others who depended on his output in the high-pressured theatrical world of Broadway.  Still, when the pressure was on, more often than not, he delivered mightily. But oh, the waiting!
• They called Sondheim a genius, and he certainly was significantly above average in intelligence. In school, he skipped both kindergarten and seventh grade and entered college at 16. In first grade he read aloud from the New York Times. But, like many high IQ people, he could be awkward in social situations and found such settings difficult. He was an enigma, difficult to get to know and not what you would call a "people person." 
• Yes, some might characterize him as a "tortured genius" as he also sometimes obsessed over small slights or things that were said or written about him and he was known to hold grudges, sometimes letting things fester for years or even decades. But, he could just as easily blow up, let off steam and then put his anger aside and act as if all was well again.  Friends learned to deal with his sometimes volatile behavior and treasured their relationships with him nonetheless.
• Drugs were another part of Sondheim's life, though apparently not to the point where he became an addict. The musical Sunday in the Park With George was written largely with the help of marijuana at a time when weed was not legal and Into The Woods was reportedly helped along with cocaine and even ecstasy. 
• Sondheim suffered two heart attacks, one just beyond the middle of his life and one a bit later and he did clean up his act a bit after each one, incorporating an exercise regimen and sticking with wine instead a variety of liquors. But, in both instances, he returned to his old ways and, incredibly, managed to live to the age of 91 -- still very alert, cogent, and still working on a new musical (Here We Are) at the time of his death. 
• Though he avoided sentimentality in all his shows, Sondheim himself proved to be a sentimentalist at times. He was deeply  moved by the mere mention of the word "teacher" because he felt that teachers had the greatest impact on his life and on the life of others. And though, he was an insular person, Sondheim was known to cry easily. In fact, he cried, whenever he played the song Someone In a Tree which was deeply personal to him.

In this book, the author gives us a Sondheim, who is characterized by three overwhelming traits -- alienation, ambivalence and revenge. 

The product of a fractured marriage (and a resulting deep personal animus toward his mother) Sondheim, according to Okrent, was motivated by a feeling of vengeance, and this unfortunately carried over into many of his dealings with others. Throughout his life, he also felt a deep sense of separateness and an inability to connect with others. On top of all that was a persistent ambivalence, which carried over into the lyrics of many of his songs. This ambivalence added to the mystique of Sondheim and was depicted in the tales disconnected prople, particularly in an urban setting. And this, of course, is most dramatically expressed in the musical Company.

Alienation. Ambivalence Revenge. These three run through some of Sondheim's greatest works. 

Alienation crops up in characters who often appear to be mere observers of the world around them rather than active participants and it is a frequent trait of artists who spend the bulk of their time observing and creating, often necessarily shutting themselves off from others. Think Sunday In The Park With George and Merrily We Roll Along. Ambivalence finds a home in a secular world devoid of moral underpinnings, guidelines or even any semblance of a road map. Think Company and Follies. Revenge often grows from past traumatic events, sometimes even criminal. Think Sweeney Todd.

As gruesome as Sweeney Todd was, the strong propulsion of revenge that characterized his macabre tale was something that Sondheim could understand. Asked once about the difference between himself and Sweeney, Sondheim didn't flinch. "I tuned it into art," he answered.

Though Sondheim may have passed on nearly five years ago, we remain abundantly grateful for the art he created which lives on among all of us. Or, as George Bernard Shaw once said: "You can lose a man like that by your own death, but not by his". 

The Truth About Rudy Giuliani's Illness

One Of Broadway's Most Elegant Secrets!

The Shubert Duplex Apartment is a historic residential space located above the Shubert Theatre at 225 W 44th St, built in 1913 for Lee Shubert to "live above the shop". It served as a private, elegant residence atop the theater, which is now a New York City landmark. Accordingly, the apartment (which is part of the Shubert headquarters) is largely intact and much of it is preserved. The photos below were recently posted on facebook by a theater insider who had rare access to the legendary space.

Are These The Cleverist Broadway Lyrics Ever?

If driving fast cars you like

If low bars you like

If old hymns you like

If bare limbs you like

If Mae West you like

Or me undressed you like

Why, nobody will oppose

When ev'ry night the set that's smart is

Intruding at nudist parties

In studios

Anything goes 

-Cole Porter for Anything Goes, 1934

Yes, these lyrics were written 92 years ago!

Sheen To Be Beatified In Septrember!

Wonderful news about this blessed man's cause for sainthood!

The late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen of New York will be beatified on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

After his heroic virtue was recognized, Fulton Sheen was declared Venerable in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2019, Pope Francis then authorized a decree recognizing a miracle through his intercession, clearing the path for his beatification.

The future Blessed Fulton Sheen was known for his dynamic preaching, especially on television and radio. He made Catholic teachings clear and meaningful to millions of Americans in their everyday lives and his TV show was a runaway hit.

Fulton J. Sheen served as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1951 to 1969, and was then appointed the Titular Archbishop of Newport.

Born into an Irish family in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895, Archbishop Sheen discovered his call to the priesthood at the age of 24 and was ordained a priest in 1919.

He pursued higher studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington (US), the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

In 1930, he began participating in the Sunday radio program entitled “The Catholic Hour," which reached an estimated four million listeners at the height of its popularity.

In 1951, he began hosting a weekly television series, “Life is Worth Living," on matters of faith that attracted some 30 million viewers. He was a scholar who made the theology of the Catholic Church come alive for ordinary Americans.

He died in New York at the age of 84, on December 9, 1979.

More And More, This Appears To Be True!

 

NYC: It's Getting REALLY Scary, Folks!

In New York City's Gracie Mansion, the official home with the mayor. At home with Mayor Mamdani and his friends . . . PS: This is NO AI. It's real!

NY City Hall under Mamdani. Not AI. pic.twitter.com/JEWfnB4co2

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 12, 2026