NY Post "Subway Death Cover" Should Not Have Been Published

My first thought upon seeing the cover of the NY Post on December 4 was "whoa". I peered deeper at the image trying to get a look at the face of the train operator, physically empathizing for what Ki Suk Han must've been feeling, wishing it were merely a scene from a movie in which at the last second the man would hoist himself up on the tracks narrowly missing his real fate.


And I was disturbed that the NY Post chose to publish that image on it's cover (not to mention it's choice of headline). R. Umar Abbasi, freelance photographer, took the photo. I heard the story on WCBS 880 yesterday before I saw the image -- onlookers screamed and ran from the scene as the photographer tried to use his camera flash to warn the train operator. I can see the logic behind his decision -- a split second panic-driven decision perhaps (Malcolm Gladwell explains this well in blink). But what remains is that photo ended up on the cover of the NY Post.

Presidential Election 2012 - Voting in Brooklyn, NYC

Brooklyn voters wait in line at the polls

I arrived at P.S. 6, on Snyder Avenue in Brooklyn, at about 2pm on November 6, 2012. The above photo is what I was met with. The line was about 2 blocks long. Thankfully it was moving swiftly. But the closer I got to the front of the line, the less we moved. I heard from a few people who made their way past us after voting that things were not orderly on the inside. Certain district tables were completely empty while others were backed up.

Voters wait at poll site PS 6, Brooklyn, NY, Election day 2012

Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Mania (VIDEO)

I've never given a fuck about celebrity sex tapes. It's 2 (or more) people we're used to seeing on camera doing something else on camera. But this latest leaked sex tape sucked me in. Hulk Hogan. I grew up on that guy. I was never big on saying my prayers, but I did eat my vitamins and dreamt of being a better valet than Miss Elizabeth (RIP).


So yup, I clicked the link and hit play when I found a site that had some of the footage. Was it really The Hulkster? Yeah, without a doubt. It's only about a minute and a half long, spliced together so don't soil yourself. A.J. Daulerio of Gawker gives a very entertaining play-by-play of the entire 30 minute encounter. It would've been outstanding to watch Hulkamania run wild on her but they elected to have her on top -- I mean the man is almost 60 and has had back, knee and hip surgery. I did lean in closer to see Hogan's pipe -- nothing out of the ordinary. The male star complains about having eaten too much before the "hook-up". I wonder if Hogan let out any sex belches.

A Random Moment with Damali Abrams

Damali Abrams, interdisciplinary artist

We met at the opening reception of her exhibit at A.I.R. Gallery in DUMBO. In person she was quiet and humble, on the video screens we viewed 365 of her characters. Summer of 2011, I watched a video she exhibited addressing the hot button issue at that time - unattractive Black women destined for lifelong singlehood - at an event at Bluestockings book store organized by her sister, Abiola Abrams. On July 18, Columbus Circle was under the deluge of a summer thunderstorm storm so we took refuge in the Time Warner Center for this interview.

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My name is Damali Abrams. I’m an interdisciplinary artist but I work mostly right now in video and performance but I also do collage and mixed media.

How long have you been involved in the arts?

Well, I’ve pretty much been involved in the arts all my life; I studied dance growing up, I’ve written poetry since I was a little girl and then I started getting into more visual art as I got older.