NASA Now Able to Observe Black Hole Birthing Stars

Okay, once again, I have perhaps focused too much on bad news on a weekend, when I normally try to keep things a bit lighter.

So here is a post about astronomy, and some of the incredible wonders that science and technology are allowing us to discover, almost seemingly on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

For The First Time, NASA Witnesses Black Hole Giving Birth To Stars

https://siamtoo.com/8065/

John Oliver Examines Impending Water Crisis in the West

Yesterday, there were a couple of blog entries posted here about climate change.

Today, there is a somewhat similar theme: the seemingly inevitable water crisis that the western United States is already facing, and which appears to be growing more severe over time. 

When you go out West, it really is beautiful. Man, I remember the first time that I saw San Francisco back in February of 1996, I was ready to move out there. A little over one year later, when my girlfriend and I went to Washington state (mostly, but not exclusively, in the Seattle area), I was blown away, and ready to move out there instead. Since then, I have seen much of the West, from Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia to the border with Mexico in Arizona, from Yellowstone to Yosemite to the Grand Canyon and the mighty Rockies of Colorado. I would be lying to you if I pretended not to have given some serious thought about what it might be like to move out there during and after each of these trips. Indeed, there are some pristine landscapes and natural splendor.

However, there are problems. Urban sprawl, and all of the problems that come with it, including massive traffic jams, pollution and days with particularly bad air quality, skyrocketing prices of homes, and so on and so forth have become commonplace. San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles all rank among the most expensive cities in the country, if not possibly the world. Crime is on the rise, and in some cases, already running rampant. 

More than all of this, however, there is an impending water crisis. There are still a whole bunch of people moving westward all of the time, and the existing water resources simply cannot keep up. This is particularly true because many of these places are deserts. Maybe the image hides that, but yes, most of sunny California is, in fact, the desert. You might never know that while driving through tree-lined streets in the cities, and seeing beautiful gardens and palm trees everywhere. Ditto with cities in Arizona. Some parts of Phoenix hardly look like a desert at all, save for the brown and clearly arid mountains surrounding the city. Denver and the area looks quite green, and perhaps the snows of the nearby Rockies help. But even then, Colorado is a semi-arid place, almost a desert in some ways. In other words, water can be very scarce. 

Add to the already huge populations that would exhaust the water resources already the tendency among Americans to be willfully irresponsible with previous natural resources, and you have the making of a catastrophe. The beautiful, pristine green lawns scattered throughout metropolitan Los Angeles or Phoenix or Las Vegas are not natural, and take a lot of water. So does keeping your car shiny and new looking. It is all coming to a head, and my guess is not in the distant future, either.

We already have seen a major metropolitan area of the world face a near water catastrophe. Cape Town reached that point a few years ago, but the situation was alleviated, last minute. But my guess is that the situation in Cape Town will be revisited eventually in the not so distant future elsewhere. And the western United States will likely be one of those regions where some serious decisions and compromises will have to be made at some point. There is no other way. Our current way of life there is simply unsustainable.

Take a look at the video above, and you will likely learn a bit more about how serious this situation is, and how ridiculously more difficult and painful we are collectively making this situation. Frankly, it feels like an impending disaster just waiting to happen. 

Kate Bush Turns 64 Today

Right now, Kate Bush is enjoying a kind of resurgence in popularity, as her most famous and iconic song, 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' has risen right back to the top of the music charts. She first released it in the 1980's, and enjoyed some success with it. That, however, was long ago.

Suddenly, though, it is being heard all over the radio waves. Not surprising, since it was used to great effect in Stranger Things Season 4, which is obviously enormously popular. So now, the song is reaching new audiences and a whole new generation to be able to appreciate it. And it really is a great song.

Well, today is Kate Bush's birthday. She turned 64 today. So I just wanted to recognize that and, for what it's worth, send her the best birthday wishes. I am sure she will see this within minutes of my posting it, and will then respond accordingly. 

Climate Change Deniers at Broadcast Booths in Britain

Earlier today, I posted something about a guy who was tired of climate change deniers continually bringing up the heat waves experiences in Britain during June of 1976 to minimize the possibilities that what we are seeing is indeed as unusual as scientists warned us for decades now. People like that will quickly try and minimize and claims that this is indeed the result of the excesses of climate change that scientists have been talking about.

Well, here is a short video clip showing precisely this kind of thinking, and climate change denial. It shows the ridiculous attitude of trying to minimize any "alarmist" suggestions of global warming, and to just be happy and not worry about things so much. Thus, it seemed a perfect encapsulation of the approach that so many take - and want to take - to get people to stop worrying, and stop reminding us of the global warming "theory." Also, it serves as a perfect reminder that not all climate change deniers are American, although they seem to be particularly loud and prominent in the United States.

One Guy Shows Chart To Counter Those Who Claim Climate Change is Overhyped

Recently, I have been posting quite a bit on the seemingly endless heatwaves spread all across the northern hemisphere of our plant this summer. But there is a reason for this. It seems that climate change deniers - and there are far too many of those, frankly - jump on the opportunity to label an unseasonably cool day as proof that climate change is a hoax. But then, summer after summer, they seem to fall silent when ridiculously long and intense heat waves produce record hot temperatures that surpass records established just in recent years, which suggests that, indeed, temperatures seem to be rising worldwide. 

In Britain, where they have experienced some of those new record hot temperatures and conditions, it became popular for some to suggest that, in fact, June of 1976 also saw unusually hot conditions and heat waves. This was meant to minimize the threat that the intense heat waves that we are living through are not depressing indicators of climate change, but rather, just a natural phase. These kinds of things just happen every now and then, you know? Just shrug and stop trying to alarm people by suggesting that this kind of heat is unusual, or perhaps not fully natural.

So one guy, who got tired of hearing these detractors, decided to show a chart comparing the month of June 1976 with present realities. And if anything, this chart is somehow even more alarming than the scorching heat waves and stunning wildfires raging across Europe, which climate deniers are busy explaining away as just some kind of regular cycle, some kind of normal realities, when they quite clearly seem to be anything but. Here is what he posted, including the chart:

Will Norman @willnorman 

People keep telling me that because the UK had a heatwave in 1976, climate change is overhyped.   

So here’s the global heat anomaly maps from June 1976 and June 2022.

https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/maps/

https://twitter.com/willnorman/status/1548547271725240323

https://twitter.com/willnorman/status/1548547271725240323/photo/1

Movie Review: Joe Hill's Black Phone

Joe Hill is beginning to build an impressive resume with his written works and move adaptations of the same. The latest big movie from a Joe Hill work is Black Phone. It is a story that I read years ago, and admittedly only had vague recollections of. The trailers looked good, but too often, that can be misleading. So I waned to see for myself.

However, there were a few things that I wanted to see happen before I really thought about watching it. My son is a big horror fan, but he needed to finish up the final marking period in what has proven to be a rather difficult academic year. Also, it felt like a good idea to reread this story in particular, if not 20th Century Ghosts. 

The last time that I had my son up in Hillsborough with me, we got to finally do bth. We read the story together, and then we watched the movie.

So, how was it? 

Well, first thoughts without any spoilers is that it was not bad. It was intriguing, keeping you entertained throughout. Not sure how to say too much about it without spoiling it, but I liked it, and so did my son. That is not to say that it went right to the top of my personal favorite horror movies, or even in the top ten or anything. But it was good, yes. Also, it was very different than the book. Perhaps it needed to be, since the actual short story is...well, short. 

So now, without going on for too long about it, I will begin to review it with a little more details which, of course, means spoilers. That said, if you have not yet watched this movie and intent to, or are thinking about it and do not want it spoiled, be warned that from here on out, there are spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

SPOILER ALERT

Okay. So yes, this is very, very different than the short story. There are a whole lot more characters, and a whole lot more people that the kid talks to on the phone. That is the first major difference between the book and the movie. There are a whole lot more kids, and they all give the new kid, Finney Shaw, both warnings to heed, as well as advice on how to finally get the best of "The Grabber."

There are times when the kids seem downright threatening. One of them is filled with rage and screams so loudly, that Finney Shaw feels overwhelmed and almost helpless. It seems that the kid is yelling at Shaw, telling him that he is worthless and a hopeless case, and might as well get ready for his short, stupid, worthless life to come to an end But by the end f the movie, we see that the kid is saying all of this to The Grabber, to the killer, which I thought was a nice touch. 

Of course, since this is a Hollywood movie, we know that it will end with the kid making his escape, outsmarting the killer, and all of that. And that is indeed what he manages to do in the movie. So that is predictable enough. Still, there is intrigue, as try to figure out what is going on, and how the kid will make his escape. There are some red herrings, and again, quite a few changes from the book. Ultimately, though, this really is a pretty solid horror movie, especially for 2022. It relies more on building on the unsettling feeling than relying more on gore or on jump scares. Personally, that is my preference, and I feel that they did a good job in that regard.

Recommended overall. 

Will DOJ Actually Finally Go After Donald Trump?

If anyone in recent American history - and perhaps all of American history - has had the luck of the devil, it would be Donald Trump. He had pretty much made a career out of bad behavior, screwing people over every time that it suits his purposes, and largely getting away with it, time and time again. It helped him build his business empire to ridiculous proportions, and even helped launch a political career despite a complete absence of experience or actually qualifications, built largely on a huge gamble of spreading the hatred, which clearly is very much in vogue in the United States today.

Not only has he gotten away with this for a very, very long time, Trump continues to get away with it. He got away with saying things of mind-numbing stupidity and ignorance, literally since his first speech announcing his candidacy in the 2016 presidential race. Past presidents have perhaps managed to overcome enormous scandals and controversies, and some seemed to take this as a lesson on how to get away with bad behavior in the future. But Trump went in with every intention of conducting himself and the country with reckless bad behavior, and to then walk and talk with a swagger at his own invulnerability. Nobody, but nobody, has ever made such a point of pushing the envelope and finding ways to get away with not merely bad, but even criminal behavior quite like Trump.

So after seeing this, you can understand how some people - myself admittedly being one of them - got very tired and discouraged watching all of this over and over again. It cemented the sense that this nation, and the democratic institutions and practices that have weather the storm for centuries now, have essentially broken down and stopped functioning properly. For too long, we have allowed our leaders to get away with bad behavior, finding excuses for their bad behavior and naked power grabs. It seemed that Watergate, far from being an example of American democracy working and bringing down an arrogant would be tyrant, instead made Americans lose their stomach for holding leaders accountable. And when leaders, from Reagan to Clinton to Bush Jr. and especially to Trump, took exactly the lessons from this that we can expect, that they should test how much they can get away with. By the time of Bush Jr., who's administration survived numerous corporate scandals and even waging an unjust and illegal war based on lies, it was growing to ridiculous levels. Yet, Bush looked downright tame, almost like an amateur, when compared with Trump and his team. Trump seemed to systematically, and right in broad daylight, undermine as much of the Constitution and American democracy that he could. The more he did it, and the stronger his base of support grew, cheering more and more with every bad behavior. It was exactly the opposite direction of where the country should be going. 

After that, and four long years that somehow felt a whole lot longer, many of us are exasperated by now. If I absolutely had to put money on it, I would bet that Trump will get away with everything still. Yes, even his criminal role in what to me was nothing short of an attempted coup on January 6th. In fact, I suspect that he may be rewarded this worst of all of his behaviors yet with another term in office. And this time, if he gets in again, Bill Maher may prove to be right, because this time, we truly might never get rid of him. At least not until what remains of our obviously now very fragile democracy is long gone and buried. 

Now, this is one thing that I would love to be wrong about. Increasingly, I feel that the United States is almost tragically drifting towards totalitarianism and a perhaps a new, uniquely American form of fascism, and turning it's back on what remains of our democracy. However, that is hopefully excessively pessimistic. Sometimes,  you need someone who still has some positive faith. Lately, obviously, I have been listening quite a bit to Glenn Kirshcner, a former high-ranking and high-profile prosecutor who has every faith that the Department of Justice will do the right thing and go after, and he believes indict, Trump. He believes that the case against King Con Don is open and shut. That is it just a matter of time.

God, I hope he is right. For the sake of the nation, and perhaps even the world, saving the United States from the greatest threat to it's democracy and to a possible outbreak of a civil war, not to mention constant regression. Let us hope that, for once regarding Donald Trump, justice actually is served. Then, as Kirschner likes to say, justice will truly matter. 

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Here is yet another blog entry that I meant to publish last year, but somehow never quite got around to doing. That was when I actually finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

Let me just say, first of all, that Cormac McCarthy is a fantastic author. I have now read four or five of his works, and am working on another one, Blood Meridian. Hopefully, there will be a book review of that one soon enough here. The Road is very well written, with short, direct sentences that are typical of McCarthy's writing style. I have heard it described almost as Biblical in style, and someone else compared it to Moby Dick. In the video above, Clifford Lee Sargent compares the writing style, particularly the short and direct sentences, to Hemingway. He also compares it to Faulkner at another point, particularly in how the woman (the wife of the man, the mother of the boy) talks about suicide. All of that seems like a fair comparison. 

So yes, this is well-written. Another example of McCarthy being a very talented writer. I really enjoyed all of the books of his that I have read, and am working on others. Again, I am currently working on Blood Meridian, but I hope to read Suttree and some other works of his in the not so distant future. Plus, as I posted not too long ago, McCarthy is coming out with a couple of books later this year, so that should be interesting. Obviously, I will hope to read those works as they are published, and would also hope to follow that up with reviews here. Stay tuned for more in that regard.

Anyway, back to The Road. I posted the Better Than Food video review, because after watching it, it seemed like I pretty much agree with everything that he said. I tend to rather enjoy depressing books and even movies. And Cormac McCarthy definitely tends to write some depressing books, with no small amount of violence and dark intentions packed within them. 

That said, The Road is probably the most depressing book that I have ever read. Like Sargent, on this book review video clips on Better Than Food suggests, this is a very dark book. Also like him, it is not a book that I necessarily would want to read again. It does make you appreciate certain things that we otherwise might take for granted, like the current abundance of food and relative comfort and all of that. Even the movie is similarly bleak and depressing. I saw the movie for the first time many years ago, so I definitely had an idea of what the book was about. Then after finishing the book, I decided to watch the movie again. And you know what? It was even more depressing, somehow, after watching it a second time, especially after having just finished the book. Probably not likely to either reread the book or watch this movie again, either.

Still, it is a good book. Well-written, and one of the most famous of McCarthy's works for good reason. If you are a fan of his, which by now I think I am, it is a must read. If you like reading for the power of the words, especially the simplicity of the sentences and words being used, you probably want to read this book just for it's style. He does some very impressive things in this book, and it is very powerful. You really almost feel like you are in the shoes of the two main characters, the boy and the man. Yet somehow, it is an easy read, one where you will not get confused or lost at any point. It is a straightforward story from beginning to end. So I can definitely recommend it on that end. However, I need again to warn anyone interested, that this is a very dark and depressing book (and movie), and my tolerance for that kind of stuff is actually usually pretty strong. But I actually struggled a bit with this one, just because of how bleak it felt, and how dark and colorless the world McCarthy creates in this book was. That is actually a credit to him and his writing, of course. Still, if you do read this, just be warned that this is not exactly a fun read, although you likely will get some good things out of it nevertheless. 

Former Senator & Comedian Al Franken Reacts to Trump Outtakes Video From January 7th

Former SNL comedian and Minnesota Senator Al Franken has reacted to the ridiculous Trump outtakes from January 7th, the day after the pro-Trump attempted coup and assault on the Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

He also discusses the ridiculous and absurd situation with Senator Josh Hawley running cowardly from the unruly crowd that he himself supported, then turning around and trying to sell mugs about how macho and many he is. 

It is an interesting interview, and seemed worth sharing here. I have mixed feelings on Franken, although generally, I usually find him amusing - he definitely has a great sense of humor - and more often than not, he is also quite intelligent. 

Enjoy!

Book Review: The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough

  

This was a book that I just happened upon during a recent visit to the library. Not sure why my eyes were drawn to it, or why I pulled it from the shelf and began to peruse it. But that is what happened, and yes, I went ahead and took the book and checked it out.

You know what? I'm glad that I did. 

Pinborough writes a brutally honest book. It is a short read, true. In fact, some particularly fast readers (which does not include me, admittedly) could probably even read this from cover to cover in one sitting, if they really want to. Yet, it is absolutely packed with everything that you could really want in a book. There are laughs and heartbreaks. There is beauty. And yes, as the title of the book suggests, there is death. More excruciatingly, there is the slow process of dying, and watching somebody close to you with away, in what too often turns out to be a surprisingly slow process.

There are characters in this book, and despite the shortness in length, the characters feel real and true. You almost feel like you really get to know each of them, but especially the narrator and her father, as well as her sister, Penny, and one of her three brothers, Dave. They are all flawed, and all very human. Staying true to this, you feel the tensions that seem to polarize them in ways both explosive and far more subtle. You also learn the backstory of painful lessons and deep regret over past experiences and inactions, and trying to come to terms with them.

Again, a short read, but one well worth the effort. Highly recommended!

A Recent Visit to New York's Lincoln Center

The Lincoln Center is a beautiful performance arts center right in the middle of downtown Manhattan, right in the heart of New York City.

It had been a long time since I had been there. Besides that, I have only been there a handful of times. Once, I believe, I went there as a kid. Maybe it was with my family for a show (likely a classical music concert). Once in the late 90's, as I recall, with my then girlfriend (now ex-wife) and my father to see French folk musician Alan Stivell. More recently, still well over a decade now, to see Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. That was likely either late in 2008 or early in 2009. 

Now here my son and I were in the city again, with tickets to see Notre Dame de Paris at the beautiful Lincoln Center. The show was only in New York City on a limited engagement. About two weeks or so. Perhaps not even that long. It would only be in town for a short time, and I definitely wanted to get us tickets to see it, having heard about it first when it first was introduced and got popular back in the late 90's in France, and again in Canada shortly thereafter. Never saw it in either country back then, but this time, being so close and not requiring a special trip or vacation, I jumped on the opportunity.

Before going, my son and I visited New York City landmarks, especially in Central Park. Later, after the show, we went back to Central Park a little bit (the other side of it) through Columbus Circle, then went down to see St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, then wrapped up this particular visit to the city with an exterior visit of the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, right behind it. We had shish kebob, roasted peanuts, and hot dogs, foods that I do not usually get, but which have become a special treat for the two of us when we visit the Big Apple.

The pictures below are of the Lincoln Center itself. My son was paying his first visit here, and he was impressed by how fancy the place is. Indeed, it is a very beautiful venue, and I have enjoyed every visit I have made here (again, they are rare, but always enjoyable). Took some pictures this time around, and thought that they would be worth sharing here.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Mick Jagger!

Today is the birthday of Michael Philip  (Mick) Jagger,  the frontman for the legendary rock band,  the Rolling Stones!

He was born on this day in 1943, while the war against Nazi Germany was still raging.

Jagger is 79 years old today.

Happy Birthday to Mick Jagger, Born July 26, 1943 July 26, 2022 Albumism Staff:

https://albumism.com/celebrations/happy-birthday-mick-jagger?fbclid=IwAR1gqm5dbdEb90vFbuKqtW3nEPWdAy7QkvlRDi-dYvAsyiaX4ioKedkwOws

New York Giants Return to Vintage Look of the 1980’s & 1990’s

 

🏈🏈🏈🏈

     

Often times, sports franchises make alterations to their uniforms that, frankly, do not seem like an improvement. For example, the Bills changed their uniforms after the 2002 season, and simply put, it was not an improvement at all. The Buccaneers changed their uniforms from the so-called “popsickle” orange uniforms that they wore through the 1996 season, and then changed it to something much closer to what they have now. Some people like it, but I personally find it boring. They stood out before with bright uniforms that reminded you that they were from sunny Florida. Now, they look like any other team.              

Indeed, I could go on and on. Do the Rams have a uniform that looks as good as it did in the 1980’s and 90’s? Simply put, no. Ditto with the Eagles, who scrapped green with that….well, I’m not even entirely sure what version of green that is. But it is not especially attractive and, again, makes them stand out less than they used to. The Vikings do not look as good as they used to. Neither do the Dolphins.              

Admittedly, I am not a big fan of those super tight uniforms that the NFL teams have now. I guess that it was designed to prevent players from being able to grab the jerseys? Maybe. But it just does not look as good, at least in my opinion.              

Well, some teams are at least returning to some of the older uniforms. That includes the Atlanta Falcons, who are returning to red helmets. That was a better look, and I personally am glad that they will be back with those.              

And the one that I am really excited about is the return of the vintage Giants uniforms of the 1980’s and 1990’s. That was an era when the G-Men were highly competitive, winning two Super Bowls and making a ton of playoff appearances, especially from 1981 – 1990. That is not to say that the Giants will suddenly enjoy more success. But at least they will be nicer to look at on the field of play.              

Pat the Patriot will be returning, as the Pats go back to those more traditional uniforms of the same 1980’s and early 1990’s. I personally always liked this look with the white helmets and red jerseys.              

Now admittedly, some of the new helmets are boring. The Giants are my favorite team, so maybe that explains why this news made me happy. But the Jets going with the same helmets, only in black? Boring and unoriginal, frankly. Everyone and their uncle seems to want to change their helmets to either black or white. The Jets did not do anything original here, but the Panthers did the same thing, as did the Eagles. And the Bengals, who have arguably the nicest and most unique helmets, changed to white helmets with black stripes. Interesting, but not as nice as their orange helmets, to be sure.              

The Houston Texans now have new red helmets. They are not throwbacks, but all new. Similar enough, true, to their old ones, just with  different color scheme. Still, I like them, actually, and think that they are a step up from the frankly boring, very dark blue helmets that they have had since the inception of the organization, and which does not make them stand out in any significant way. How many teams have either black or very dark blue helmet? By this point, it simply lacks originality. So applause to them on changing it to red. This gives them a more distinctive look, if you ask me.

CFL Update for July 26, 2022

 

Okay, so it is time for another update with the Canadian Football League (CFL) after week 7.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the last remaining undefeated team and defending Gray Cup champs, managed to remain unbeaten after holding off the Edmonton Elks, 24-10.

In other action, the British Columbia Lions stayed hot by beating Hamilton, 17 - 12. 

Montreal did just enough to get past the last winless team, edging Ottawa 40 - 33. The Redblacks are still seeking their first win of the season, even though we are closing in on August.

Finally, in a game that was postponed, Toronto won the rematch against Saskatchewan, 30 - 23. They now are solidly ahead in the East, while the Roughriders fall farther behind Winnipeg in the West.

Next week, the Alouettes visit Hamilton, the Lions go on the road to face Saskatchewan, and the undefeated Blue Bombers go to Calgary in a rematch of that fantastic game between the two elite teams in the league from a few weeks ago. Finally, Ottawa will seek their first win of the season when they go across Ontario to face the Argonauts in Toronto.

30th Anniversary of the ‘Singles’ Soundtrack That Helped Kick Off Grunge Revolution in Music in the 90's

 

Meant to post this last month, when this incredible soundtrack album actually turned 30 years old. Somehow, it slipped my mind.

Better late than never, right?

This was one of my favorite cd's for many years, and it still always takes me back to the nineties, reminding me specifically of how I felt when I personally went from a redneck New Jersey high school to a college, where the kids (and yes, they were kids, even though they seemed older and far more worldly than I was at the time) seemed a hell of a lot more sophisticated and knowledgeable about the world and how it worked. The music scene back in the early nineties was simply fantastic! I still miss those days.

The movie itself? It's not bad, actually. But not quite as good as the soundtrack, admittedly. Watching it, you can certainly see why the so-called "Seattle music scene" spread in popularity to reach across the country and even around much of the world. 

The ‘Singles’ Soundtrack Turns 30 | Anniversary Retrospective June 26, 2022 Brian Grosz:

https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-30-years-of-the-singles-soundtrack?fbclid=IwAR0CePZDo1TNH-hOEgZsXU0k69A_EKE-YxmxTYqkFbV92PezfdRnH_Az00I

Other Pictures of New York City From Our Recent Visit

Here are some of the other pictures of the recent trip to New York City (Manhattan, specifically) that my son and I went on recently. We walked from Lincoln Center to Central Park, all the way to Cleopatra's Needle (Central Park pictures were already posted), to the Natural History Museum and Hayden Planetarium, back to the Lincoln Center, to Columbus Circle, back into Central Park a little bit, the Grand Army Plaza, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, and Bryant Park (right behind the library). 

Fun trip! Here are those pictures:

Grand Amry Plaza - Just Outside of Central Park

Golden State of William Tecumseh Sherman

St Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center

Columbus Circle

Statues of Historic Latin American Leaders

José de San Martín Statue

José Julián Martí Statue

Simón Bolívar Statue

For more information on these statues:

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/982

Natural Museum of History (Exterior Only) and Hayden Planetarium

Walking the Streets of Manhattan

New York Public Library and Bryant Park

Manhattan Skyline From Jersey Side