Tension in New York

By Alex P. Vidal

“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.”—George Santayana

TIMES Square is considered to be the Plaza Miranda and Iloilo Freedom Grandstand of New York City.

When political, religious, transport, peasant, labor, women, and student protest rallies occur we normally see large gatherings of warm bodies with their streamers and placards in these prominent public focal points.

Thus, when violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories escalated for the second day on October 8, tension erupted in New York City, particularly in the Times Square, a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan.

This was when people supporting Israel had faced off with pro-Palestine supporters in Times Square during a demonstration, prompting New York officials to bolster security measures and deploy additional police resources across the state.

We will be seeing more of these confrontations when we proceed to Times Square October 9 (US time).

In addition to locating and “working actively” to get New Yorkers in Israel safely back to the U.S., New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised her office is also “focusing on what’s going on here at home,” she said at Temple Israel of Albany over the weekend, as reported by Daily News.

“Immediately we deployed our state police to be activated, to protect not just the usual places—synagogues and yeshivas,” Hochul said.

“Not just in New York City either, in places like this all across New York to have heightened security, but also cultural institutions and museums and places that we view as vulnerable sites.”

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city has resources “on the ground” in Israel to gather intelligence and monitor any potential threat to New Yorkers.

“While there is no credible threat to New York City at this time, our administration is in touch with Jewish leaders across the five boroughs and we have directed the NYPD to deploy additional resources to Jewish communities and houses of worship citywide to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to make sure everyone feels safe,” he said October 8.

Daily News has reported the NYPD will continue to monitor for any further developments or threats to the city, but there was no indication as to where additional resources would be deployed.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators flooded Times Square in a protest Adams deemed “disgusting.”

“New York City has the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, and we stand side by side with Israel every day — but we do so with extra resolve tonight,” he said in a statement. “I reject this. New York City rejects this. Do not use our streets to spread your hate.”

The state’s ramped up security comes after Hamas bombarded the Gaza Strip over the weekend in an unprecedented attack that has left hundreds dead and thousands more wounded.

On October 8, the Israeli government formally declared war and launched counterattacks against Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other countries.

At least three Americans have been killed in the attacks in Israel, CNN reported.

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ALL ABOUT SEXUAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION (PG-13).

—SUPER PENIS. In 1995, Mo Ka Wang, a Chi Kung master in Hong Kong, lifted over 250 pounds of weight two feet off the floor with his erect penis!

—SEXY CHEST? Eighty eight percent of women don’t find a man’s bare chest particularly sexy. (TNS-Emnid/Lisa)

—“YOU ARE MY FANTASY.” Three out of four men fantasize about their work colleagues (Playboy)

—STAY YOUNG TO AVOID TEMPTATION? The older man gets, the more likely he is to have an affair. (TNS/ABC)

—WHILE WE ARE YOUNG, CONTROL OR MINIMIZE IT? The more orgasms you have, the older you get. (British Medical Journal)

— VENUS AND MARS? Visuals are very important for men during sex. Emotions and touch are what count for women (Eli Lilly/lpsos Sante)

— According to the Kama Sutra, a mixture of camel’s milk and honey will keep a man erect night and day.

TO ALL “MACHO” MEN WHO COLLECT GIRLS AS TROPHIES: According to Petra, 67 percent of women don’t want a partner who has already had lots of partners.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)