No horsing around

TV shows and movies can be revoltingly lazy when it comes to reaching for cliches.

How many times have you seen the image of a couple so hot for each other that they run an arm across the top of the nearest table or desk so they can climb up and go at it? I often wish we'd get the next scene, where the disshelved exec starts trying to reconstruct the files now strewn everywhere or one of the now-sated duo inspects glassware to see if it's hopelessly chipped.

Likewise, if you're making a romantic comedy date movies and it's set in New York, sooner or later you're going to have to put your Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan characters in a horsedrawn carriage through Central Park. Maybe Louis Armstrong plays in the background? Even my favorite smutfest Sex and the City succumbed to the image's allure.

What could be more romantic than a horsedrawn carriage ride through Central Park, the clip-clop-clip-clop of hoofbeats marking a leisurely cadence as the lights twinkle on Tavern on the Green?

How about walking through the park on your own two feet? Asking a cabbie to take the long way around the park? Staying home and renting a movie? Anything at all??

Horses are noble, intelligent creatures who don't deserve the life they get when they pull tourists along the concrete of one of the loudest, most traffic-congested cities in the world.
When I look at the city's horses, I don't see romance. I see that they're often fighting at a bit that's too tight in their mouths, and when they aren't giving a ride, they don't get a break. They stand on Central Park South with no trough of cool water nearby or a soft pile of hay to lay down, often tugging at their bits, shaking their heads aheads the blinkers and other gear they wear all day and night. Would you like to do manual labor for a nine-hour shift with a piece of cold metal laying across your tongue, and never getting to sit down?

This isn't just my bunny-hugger view of the world, though:

http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/2006/september/a-life-and-death-wit.html
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_horsehistory
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/campaign/sport/omnibus.htm
http://www.satyamag.com/aug94/jordan.html
http://www.equineadvocates.com/carriage.html
http://www.all-creatures.org/nyca/ch-why.html

The American Society for the the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has primary responsibility for enforcing cruelty laws in New York. Its web site says: In 1989, we overcame vigorous opposition to get Local Law 89 passed to better protect New York City’s carriage horses. This legislation restricted the horses to Central Park during the day. Unfortunately, it was designed to expire, and many of the gains were reversed in 1994 with the passage of the current law.


What can you do?

• When you see a carriage, look for abuse like horses working when it's hotter than 90 or below 18, or evidence that the cinch around the horse's belly is causing sores. If you see anything that causes you concern, contact the American Society for the the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. enforcement@aspca.org or (212) 876-7700, ext. 4450.
• If you aren't sure what's allowable, check out the city's horse licensing regulations
  
• Donate to the ASPCA's Equine Fund
• Contact New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and tell him that you strongly support the effort to ban the horse-drawn carriage industry in NYC.

  Friends of Animals, encouraging the letter writing campaign, say: People from all over the country and the world are encouraged to contact Mayor Bloomberg, since horse carriages are considered a tourism draw. NYC officials need to hear from potential tourists who are outraged that this exploitative industry exists in NYC, and caters to tourists.

If you were planning on romancing your sweetie with a carriage ride, here are some alternatives:
http://www.nyctourist.com/topten_romantic.htm
http://newyork.citysearch.com/roundup/40714
http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-New-York-City-Restaurants/dp/0963440330

Because cruelty is never romantic.
Actually, that's a different movie cliche, and a different blog post.

Willing to be lucky

When we were trying to get ourselves to New York, John read a story by E.B. White that has a great line about how "No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky."

We adopted that phrase as part of the job search process, that we're willing to be lucky. John, of course, is the luckiest person I've ever met so this was mainly a reminder for me that sometimes things don't need to be logical or happen in a linear fashion. Just step off the cliff and expect that the bridge will be under you.

If you want to read an excerpt, log in to your amazon account and go here.

The Museum of the City of New York just had an exhibit based on this premise of Willing to Be Lucky and it was a fantastic reminder that people make it in New York not just because they're talented or hard working -- the place is lousy with people with both those attributes -- but because they are in the right place at the right time. Or they did something a little illogical and trusted it would work out.

(A story about the exhibit in the Times)

One of my favorite stories featured at the show was this fat, homely immigrant woman who came to New York and just decided she was going to throw the most fabulous parties that anyone who's anyone is going to beg to get on the guest list.

She's my new idol. I'm not a Trump or a Rockefeller but I'm willing to be lucky enough to throw the kind of Manhattan parties that will be legendary for how fun they are. Maybe you'll see Ed Koch or Tom Wolfe there. Maybe it'll be Scarlet or Fergie. Who knows?

I'm working up to that by organizing monthly networking dinners for Michigan grads working in the media. This month it was a dinner featuring a VP at News Corp. Next month it's the CFO of HBO. If I can get the former head of Time Warner Books to be my email pen pal while we plan an alumni dinner, that seems a step in the right direction.

Maybe by the end of this year you'll see us in a pic on the society page of the Times. I'm willing to be lucky.

I heart George Clooney

JT's out of town visiting a friend, and my date tonight is George Clooney.
(sadly, on TV, but that will have to do)

To use a friend's phrase, George is H-O-T.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2894849&page=1

How rich are you?

Living in Manhattan can make you feel pretty poor pretty quickly -- who are these people who pay $1.2 million for a 1 bedroom apartment?

I like this web site as a reminder that on a global scale, we're pretty danged lucky.

Fill in your salary -- it's a little vague about whether it's asking for individual or household, so it might be a little off depending -- and it'll remind you that generally speaking, Americans live a cushy life.

I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 35,732,201 richest person on earth! How rich are you? >>