Sunday, July 29, 2012

New Yorkers of Mystery

There are lots and lots of different types of people in NYC -- this is an understatement, to say the least. There are 8.2 million people in this city so there are 8.2 million different reasons why people live here.

But what are the reasons? What is it that most New Yorkers want?

For the vast majority, it's the same thing. We want to make a good living, have a nice home, have good relationships with friends, family, and significant others, and enjoy living in this, the greatest city in the world. Some of our fellow New Yorkers are motivated by more nefarious reasons -- greed, power, world domination, whatever -- but, really, New Yorkers are the same as people anywhere else: we just want a good life, whatever that means for each of us.

And yet ... there are certain New Yorkers whose motivations are, in a word, a lil' wacky. 

To whit: Moira Johnston. I don't know if this dame is just a nut or a true blue activist but her "activism" is certainly interesting. She is as "bare breast" activist, walking around this town topless, trying to draw attention (boy, does she ever) that women have the right to walk around town bra-less. Yes, that's right -- since men can walk the streets without a shirt on, the courts have determined that women can too. Obviously this makes men in NYC quite happy and, I'm sure, they hope that other women in this town will follow her lead.

Then there's this guy: James Roberts Williams. He's a man of mystery, the opposite of someone trying to attract attention but someone who is trying to wield influence. Living in a relatively poor section of Queens, Williams is one of the single biggest donors to politicians in NYC. He gives huge amounts to the state and national GOP and also gives money to big NYC Democrats. What does he do? That's not clear. He seems to have interests in real estate businesses but how he makes his money is not well understood. Hopefully we'll find out more about this guy and what his agenda is. To be continued. 

So there you have it: two very different New Yorkers, two distinct individuals, motivated to live in this town for very different reasons. This is the city that never sleeps -- and never makes you stop wondering about its people.


1 comment:

  1. gotopless.org30 July, 2012 12:39

    Thank you for featuring the courageous activism of Moira Johnston.
    GoTopless Day is Aug 26 because everywhere in the US and the world, women should be allowed to experience this NYC woman's topless freedom in their town. See our GoTopless map for GoTopless events around the world that day http://gotopless.org/gotopless-day

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