September 22, 2026 - This year I welcomed Autumn with my friend Clell at the 100th anniversary of the Feast of San Gennaro. The weather was perfect, the city was bustling with the UN General assembly members not far away, Trump in town, and students out of school because of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Gridlock alert so we traveled by express bus. Below are a few pics of Clell and I as we walked through the streets of Little Italy. We shared food, laughs and stories. The streets are lined with outdoor cafes, rides, music, and other attractions. At night, and on the weekend, there is ongoing live entertainment and parades.

This is a cigar store Indian (or tobacco Indian), is a traditional type of three-dimensional advertising figure used to attract customers to tobacco shops. Dating back to the 17th century in Europe and becoming immensely popular in the United States during the 19th century, these figures were placed outside storefronts to serve as visual markers. Because much of the population was illiterate or spoke different languages, businesses relied on recognizable visual icons to indicate what they sold - similar to how a striped pole represents a barber shop or a mortar and pestle represents an apothecary. Since Native Americans introduced tobacco to Europeans, figures depicting them in traditional dress became the universal symbol for tobacco retailers.

Happy Birthday to the Crystalinks readers born in Libra.

United Nations General Assembly Annual Meeting ~ Wikipedia

Highlights of Trump's Speech

The "boys" are back in town. They come for business, to network, to see the city, and to party. Is the fate of the world in the hands of these people and their personal agendas for money, power and control? When you strip away the polished public relations and global banners, that is the exact question that lingers over New York City during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.

For seven days, the world's ultimate power players - presidents, prime ministers, tech titans, and billionaires - gather in an insulated luxury bubble. While their public speeches preach unity and humanitarian progress, their private, high-security meetings in five-star hotel lobbies are driven by a far older currency - leverage, survival, and dominance.

The uncomfortable truth is that global policies on climate, finance, and warfare are often dictated by an elite class deeply focused on consolidating their own authority. They hold the levers of global governance, yet remain entirely shielded from the real-world fallout of their choices - ultimately, leaving the future to the personal ambitions of a select few creates an incredibly fragile world. The ultimate test of multilateral diplomacy is whether global systems can survive when they are run by individuals who mistake their own thirst for control for the greater good.

What do you think they're saying about Trump behind his back? Do they worry about his erratic behavior? Are they placating him? Are they counting the days until he's out of office? Are they looking forward to Trump destroying democracy as we know it? Do they trust him based on his propensity to lie and tell people what they want to hear? Years ago they laughed at him when he spoke at the UNGA. Do they consider him a joke, now to be taken more seriously?