Fortress Of Freedom Board

[Maurice Ali]

This was one of the most productive days in New York - but not as productive as the speech and advocacy to the Secretary Gen. and Deputy Secretary Gen. adventure in 2023.



Anyway I visited our new office on Broadway and it is the real deal! Plus they even had a vacant small office to rent - and the rent is cheap! I did everything I wanted to do to there - took a ton of photos and left. I then went up to BH Photo but I forgot they are closed on Saturday. Nothing urgent to get there anyway so that is it for them.



Next I went to Central Park and checked out the Band Shell and then the Summerfest Stage area. However they were having an early Octoberfest event there and I couldn’t get in for some photos and I would have to pay to get in - so I got out!



Next was the United Nations and getting those special event tickets for the Summit of the Future. Funnily the check points and barricades were already up on 2nd St. and luckily I had my UN grounds pass in my Ridge Wallet so that worked. I wasn’t going in there today as it was late but played it safe just carrying it with the credit cards. I got my special passes and hoofed in out and back to the hotel to rest.



While there I got nervous about passing up the opportunity to see the Summerfest Stage in action. So I bought a ticket online and took the subway over there - and man was it worth it! First of all I got to talk to everyone working there and organizing the event. It’s not the Central Park Conservatory but the City Works Department I have to deal with - that is sort of like dealing with the City of Toronto, so we shall see how that goes. Next, I found out that the audio tent and lighting are included in the package to rent the stage. I counted the port-o-potties needed as Octoberfest is the “gold standard” for port-o-potty use.



I took pictures of everything! Now - strangely - you have to buy tokens to buy beer and the minimum is a pitcher of beer. I was dry and yearning for some real German lager - so - I looked for a table with a full pitcher and everyone gone to the stage area. There was this guy my age left at the table and I asked if I could just buy a glass of beer for a few bucks. He didn’t want me to pay to drink at his table but had this look of “A brown guy actually wants to drink alcohol? - this I got to see!” so he fills a large cup to the brim and hands it to me and I took a large swill as I was thirsty. He just grinned and I thanked him and wandered around sipping rather good lager.



As an aside I counted three non-white guys at this event: Me and a black guy really swilling it down and one Asian guy probably dragged there by his German girlfriend. I have to say I was welcomed by everyone! I told the guy who gave me a beer about my past and German being my first language, and he knew about Winnipeg! Anyway, I was comfortable with the Germans and they were comfortable with me - really strange all that!



Then back to the hotel to recuperate as that was a death march of sorts even though I took the subways all over. The 6 and 4 train. Then Penn Station and the C train to Central Park and so on - even a bus back to Grand Central!



For tomorrow if the craziness of check points and street closures with Army clad folk of all agencies hanging around everywhere. I did not get my interactive slot so it is just the General Assembly Hall stuff that most relish. Actually, we will be in the balcony and not the actual floor. I was on the GAH floor for days (mostly behind the State of Palestine) back in 2015. So been there and done that! I won’t cry if I end up in the overflow room where I can come and go more easily - we shall see.



This is your update. Pictures in the coming days as I’m just too tired…..



Oh, I have one of my favourite old films linked below (Mr. President’s speech is epic!).




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/twVaEpqXR2I?si=2hlsr154A_ULy5MW

[Maurice Ali]

I got into the Interactive session on Sunday as the plenary in the General Assembly Hall was full. Strangely the list of speakers was like that in the GAH!




Three pages of this!



Anyway, today may be worse as many come in for the debate which starts tomorrow. The speakers are impressive and the second interactive session has Zelenskyy of the Ukraine and John Podesta of the States in their to speak - that one will probably be overflow time for me - plus I have a plane to catch.








So the plan is to do what I registered to do and see how that pans out.



This trip was intense as I had so much to do and I’ll go more into it when I get back to Toronto tonight.



Oh, and I went to Coney Island later on Sunday!



Crap: It’s my 66 birthday today! I almost forgot! But I’m still technically 64 till at least noon! Who am I kidding - I’m 65 now…..



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/z0bBZGgdfUw?si=6NERIICF9WF0rQa5

[Maurice Ali]

Home…..



You may be surprised to know how little turning 65 meant to me on that day. The exact moment passed and I did not even realize it in remotest part of my brain.







What was on my mind was this: That the only person able to try what I am doing at the UN is a guy like me. Some brown guy - but born and raised like white people, and with a real chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind. You wonder why something so simple to change if more people were like me - can’t change - but they are not so like me so it becomes almost impossible to change. And the people most in a position to change it won’t - because that would erode their privileged position even though everyone chants that everyone is equal.



I’ll get off that rant - but - that was what was on my mind. Realize that when I go to the UN, I go alone and when I leave - I walk to my hotel alone. That is a huge advantage but how many would do that? There are armies of folk there in Manhattan and they always walk in groups or packs - but the dude that comes with real change and real social development for the good of all has to battle it alone. Man vs. Society…..



Anyway, what that means is if I can not do it while alive or able, it will die with me sort of like how it died in 1991 but for different reasons - when they tried to get that third house at the United Nations. The greatest failure of humans are their limited life spans.



So now it is: Operation Bob Rae!




Me on my 65th birthday - some lines on that face!



I’ll do the real recap starting tomorrow.



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/bxYhJpILIQE?si=a5OuqiauUT0fVBTk

[Maurice Ali]

I’m up again but will hit the sack after I post this.


The trip was a success. The UN stuff happened without a hitch even though I thought I wouldn’t get into the interactive session I was registered for and had applied to speak.


It was getting impossible to get anywhere as the Biden caravan from 2nd Avenue to north of 6/America was totally closed for this guy just to get to his hotel.  At least two cops told me so. Then Justin Trudeau was in with Stephen Colbert for an interview right next to where we have a new virtual office a block away on Broadway. I guess he is using the UN to deflect from the confidence motion this week. He actually has been in and out of the United Nations the same three days I was there. Anyway the trip to Toronto was a subway and buss affair but saved me 100 bucks Can.    




The Soundstage in action this past weekend!


The Central Park music festival was truly successful and I now have direction!



Our office on Broadway is for real and we can even get a private office if need be!


More on all of this in the next few days but I need some rest.




A famous painting in the flesh yesterday at the MOMA!



I went to the Museum of Modern Art and for the first time noticed I could get the cheaper ticket as I was 65 now! So the ticket machine warned me I could have to show proof - nobody batted an eye which made me wonder if I was overpaying all along. I told on older lady there about this and she must have been a member as she got concerned and said you don’t look 65 so that is concerning. But maybe she was just stroking me - I don’t want anyone to get in trouble.





Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

I guess I’ve caught up on sleep.....




Checkpoint on Second Ave!



Getting to the UN during General Assembly is a security nightmare! First you have to get past the checkpoints on 2nd Avenue. You see the United Nations Police and show him your papers, and if successful you keep walking toward 1st Avenue.




Checkpoint on 1st Ave!



At 1st Avenue you have another checkpoint where they look at your papers. It was here that I rubbed shoulders with a VIP. Looks like and HRH woman and people were snapping photos and I missed my opportunity to do the same – but one thing I love about the UN is the randomness of bumping into famous people! Then after 1st Avenue you walk over to the 47th Street entrance and show your papers again. Then you walk up to the improvised security check point and go through metal detectors. Then you leave there and go to the Secretariat Building and outside get your Secondary Pass. For me it was the Interactive Sessions and after I got that I walked to the ramp to the third floor and the Trusteeship Chambers. At the door you have to show your papers again and then walk up some more stairs and then show your papers again to the security staff.







Then you get to the chambers where there may be another guard you have to show your papers to. Once inside you are stuck there, but if you need to go to the bathroom for a piss you have to go to this bathroom like fifty feet away and coming back you have to pass through a metal detector and x-ray for metal objects and all that to get back to the chambers where you show your papers again to the security at the door.....






Every time I go to the United Nations during General Assembly I evolve. Two years ago was the awakening. Last year just cemented things, but this year pointed to possible ways of action.


Remember, that the United Nations is a group of nations. Because of its constitution some nations have more than others. I heard this again and again from smaller impoverished nations. They have less – but they do have membership and thus they have more than I do.....







Note that in the interactive sessions that member states were limited to three minutes and their microphones were cut off. Normally some “Chair” of the proceeding would not have the moxi to cut off a President’s or Prime Minister’s microphone – but because many Chairs are themselves Presidents and Prime Ministers – it happened more often than not! Having said all that you may not know that you can still hear the speakers speak after the microphones get turned off. I’m not sure if you know this listening in on the web cast.....




Leaving the United Nations!



So if I want to further my ambitions at the UN, the best way forward is to work with these smaller nations and get my ideas noticed officially. Note that at my session, some small nations were still working on electricity for all their population, they may get less respect than other larger nations, but they have membership status and as such could have immense power over the Worldwide Vote and things like that – and with some other ideas I have.



I have ambitions but not the usual you think of. I’m not interested in showing myself up over others. I’m truly more interested in decreasing human suffering by megatons! Why? Because I can!



I have opportunity at the United Nations!




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

An interesting day on Wednesday…..




As you may remember, I spent my three days in New York going to the UN - but after that I would go to Central Park and check out their band shell and Soundstage.







At the band shell site it looks like you could hold a small musical event there, but - everything would have to be brought in. So that venue was a no-go!



The Soundstage is a Go!







I had to pay a ticket to get into an Octoberfest in September but it was worth it! Why in September? The answer comes a bit later. Anyway there is a huge stage for any size event and permanent bleachers to sit down as well as a large pit area. They also have permanent confection area to drink and eat. Around the back are port-o-potties. The lighting and sound are part of the rental package. I’m not sure about security being included though.







Going there in person during an event answers all questions. One was that it is not the Conservatory of Central Park, but instead, the City Works Department that I would have to deal with. Once I knew that it was easy to see how to approach them to rent the venue on Canada Day.




Wide-angle shot of the surrounding stands!



The idea would be to hold a Canada Day music festival bringing Canadian talent down to the States for exposure to Americans as a Canada Day celebration just before their July 4 Independence Day.




So the idea made sense. Both FOF Records and FOFSTOCK are registered corporations with the IRS to do business in the USA. And now I even have an office with a small closet office space for rent I can use cheaply.




All of a sudden it occurred to me that all the important parts that make up a music festival in Central Park are in place - I could actually do this! So much of the day was spent bugging musicians I knew as a sounding board for my arguments for and against it. In the end I decided to “go for it” and see what happens.




I filled out the online form - held my breath - and…..








I wouldn’t let me apply until later, supposedly after October 5, 2024! But I did pull the trigger and I went for it. I’ll just have to wait a week or a couple of weeks to apply. This Central Park play was originally just a fantasy - but all the little things like getting EIN numbers to operate in the States along with even getting an office in Manhattan (getting that was a chore but it got done) - and - all of a sudden the impossible became possible! I was even counting port-o-potties - only an event organizer and producer would care about that…..




So like up here in Canada, we have to wait. It wouldn’t surprise me if Soundstage actually was cheaper than YDS in the end - we just have to see. That USA / New York play could also work in negotiating in Toronto. The Toronto Municipality always considers itself the Canadian equivalent of New York. Knowing I’m likely to play in New York would stick in their craw, and they may treat us right to get us to stay. That is just business and we have 10 months to go.




This is “loco” - I must truly be insane! And that’s what happened on Wednesday. The rest of the week will be relaxation and working around the houses. I’ve had enough excitement for one week…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/JSKpsKMTxA8?si=l59BylhT8ReoTMw9

[Maurice Ali]

I can post twice in a day if I want to!







What you see above is my sustainable development pin on I bought at the UN. It’s not the usual flat one with the painted spokes. this one is acrylic and has much more bling.



I was watching Bill Gates on the Late Show where he was there for the UN stuff and it looks like he was roc’kin the blingy pin like mine on TV. I could be wrong, but it sure looks like it and it catches your eye which is the point. Also, that suit/shirt/tie really rocked! Man was that a classy ensemble he had! Anyway, I’m really at the UN to start up that third “People’s Assembly” via the Worldwide Vote and Positive Mandate for Humanity; and it’s best done “lone word” style until the ideas and philosophy have consolidated a foot hold at the United Nations. Until then they can socially ostracize me all they want as that is my normal way of life - I was meant for this.



I love how the traffic has died at this place. Pushing the old man agenda worked almost too well but got a lot of the mildly interested off the site. I never mention anything about nations as sooner or later you need their help. Trust me - a few months ago when there was a constant 400-600 online at the same time on these forums - these were mostly people looking for dirt and probably to get me kicked out of the UN during my four year review. That hasn’t happened so I’m probably good for another four years.



Remember that status at the UN is only for the furtherance of my ideas and philosophy many have embraced. If I’m not able to give up status to further the agenda, then they own me. That’s why I shy away from socializing there. I may have to do something the others may not like - and so as long as I’m on my own without any other NGOs affiliated - I can do as I please and pay the consequences without dragging others down, or worse having them mute my activities because it would negatively impact them.


Having said all of the above, if I can help out with the sustainable goals as I do my own thing - I will. It will probably come as payback for helping me further my agenda and tit-for-tat probably saying or doing something provocative that a member nation would not want to do themselves. A journalist org with status at the UN has its advantages - that’s all I’ll say. We shall see but if the help is good enough, then getting kicked out of the UN is a card I always need to be able to play.



My affiliation with the United Nations is not my identity, that’s why I do all that other stuff at the same time - my dick is in nobody’s back pocket…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/kqE-n9AAtpQ?si=cAwKbxIB-vt9gz28

[Maurice Ali]

Sad news yesterday as our resident deejay - Deejay Scootz is dead at the age of 53:

[Maurice Ali]

One of the first things I did in New York was to check out that new office we signed up with.




The exterior of the building.




The entrance as the elevators open!



I screwed up and accidentally went to the building on the other side off the street. The entrance was shoddy with a homeless guy hanging out there. Then this woman opened the door and I popped in only to find two floors totally gutted - was I duped? I took photos and got out of there only to find I was at the wrong building! So there it was - the correct address and I came in probably to see the office space to be mag locked and only accessible to current office rentals - but no - the floors were open. The third floor where we are located did have the reception locked up - but the halls for the rental offices were open and I looked around. Copy machine and a small washroom and these tiny offices that you could rent. You could even put your company name on the door. In the front of the elevators you had the desk for courier deliveries - all very typical. Larger offices and common rooms were in the second and fourth floors like shown in the internet images.




Reception



I was actually impressed! The prices were one fifth what I payed in Canada! (actually one third because of the exchange rate). I actually could rent an office for a half a year here if we chose to do FOFSTOCK 2 in New York!




Copy machine and conference room.



I’ll post the photos later as I cleaned out all the photos in my phone and have to upload them on my PC. But live action in music will be my “non AI zone” and stay pure to human generated music which we support this organization.




Look - an unoccupied office!



My vacation is rapidly coming to an end. Strangely I keep evolving at the UN. As I’ve said before - sooner or later I’ll probably be kicked out of the UN as we push our advocacy. You are not effective if you can’t give it all up. So while I was watching John Wick 2 that ending came up and I recognized it as I shot some photos of it walking to the Soundstage. It was the same fountain site used at the ending but the fountain was turned off as the water just made the scene too complicated in sound. I love this ending as Wick gets kicked out of his assassin club because he killed someone in the sanctuary area called The Continental. Now that character deserved to be killed, but he was totally corrupt and used to rules to stay alive; Wick broke the rules and killed him. He meets the Manager of the Continental in Central Park and lets him know he (wick) is “Excommunicado”, even though he and many of his contemporaries supported what he did. And he - the Manager - shows it by having everyone that supports Wick at the fountain stop, and show Wick their faces. Then he tells Wick he has one hour and then every assassin will collect seven million of they are the one to kill him. This is the only time I ever saw Wick truly afraid as he runs out of Central Park fearing for his life.



Me and the UN are not that dramatic, but I do have the ability of allowing 21 of my gang access to New York, Geneva and Nairobi. You would be banned worldwide sort of like Wick and they would also make an example of me. Just a funny moment as I saw it there in the film at a location a few days ago where the ending was shot…..



A late one today as I also had to pickup a used Macbook Air super cheap. It looks almost new but I’m not into Macbooks - but this was so cheap I bought it and will fool around with it and then put it into circulation for the staff.




Later…..





https://youtu.be/mSl1wdzvXEY?si=c0_uQM05q-nqPeph

[Maurice Ali]

Saturday night!



I didn’t forget you few faithful that still come here! The big news is that I got a really cheap MacBook M1 Air with 100% battery and looking almost new. Not a mark on the screen and no wear on the keys or any of that - and really cheap!




My M1 Mackbook Air!



I had iPhones and AirPods and Apple Watches and iPads - but never a Mac. Actually not true as I had an old iMac from like 20 years ago. But the cheap Mac came up on Kijiji and the seller was near bye so we met and I check it out just to make sure it wasn’t stollen and now I have a Mac!




Ainsley working on an iMac back in the day!



Not any hint of post purchase dissonance because I forgot what I wanted a mac awhile back. That was because I could not convert and submit my Worldwide Vote app for iOS without using Xcode on a Mac and submitting it on a Mac. I have the developer account and now I have the program and hardware to go through with it!




My M1 Macbook Air!



It will get even cheaper as I’ll toss all that US money and left over taxi cab cash I still have at the purchase, so it doesn’t impact a thing going on now. Xcode is a huge app and download. After downloading the regular Xcode app - to code for iOS 18 needed an extra 10 gigs in downloads! But it is done and I can play along with Apple’s proprietary game in app development. Technically you could try and sneak things through on a PC - but technically that’s illegal and I don’t want to jeopardize our free developer account as it was so hard to get anyway. Everyone in New York seems to rock iPhones so this has to get done and may as well be now.




As for the movie tonight. I’ll offer up a movie that is truly so bad that it’s not in the regular universe of bad movies. This movie was edited on DaVinci Resolve (I saw a screen shot of nodal editing) which is now the most powerful and desirable editor but really does have a steep learning curve. But the editing was so bad that Blackmagic that owns Resolve would ask for their licence back from the producer and editor of this film - if they watched it! It is truly the worst I have ever seen!




Enjoy and Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/KCb8lXYf7oA?si=WGUU-rsKjExpW35U

[Maurice Ali]

My quickie review of the M1 MacBook Air…..



The good news is that I can more than use Xcode on a MacBook Air. I’m pretty sure even the ram hungry simulator will work, but this is not necessary as this Macbook can run iOS apps natively so you just run the app itself. This also means it can run iOS apps I have on my phone. So we will see if Microsoft office can go on there. And maybe my FTP client. it I don’t want to clog it up - it’s an Xcode machine first!




Lenovo Yoga



This MacBook is not my go to laptop. That still goes to the Lenovo Yoga that converts to a touch screen iPad sort of thing. The big drawback on the MacBook is no touch screen even though I only have it in the Yoga. It (the Yoga) has what the MacBook needs - more ports. It has USBC with Thunderbolt 3. Two USBA ports and a HDMI port. A dedicated power port and Lan port and a micro SD port where I expand the laptop from the half terabyte SSD. It also has 16 gigs of ram and i5 processor good for Windows 11.




Yoga turns into an iPad!



Where the Macbook shines is its processor but mostly the battery and battery life. This laptop can run forever! I will pick this over the Yoga if I’m out and about for a long time. This is the laptop you pick when you do FOFSTOCK 2 live. Yes I had power range anxiety at FOFSTOCK when Don Brasseur couldn’t make a disc for Deejay Scootz to use as backing tracks for his songs. I had to get one of my directors to go buy some CDs and I had to convert and burn the CD. It worked but a laptop with some major endurance beats a better laptop that ran out of power in the wild.




You can see my old IBM Thinkpad and CDs on the table!



The Macbook is built like a tank in aluminum and it’s thin but heavy. It’s actually the same weight as the Yoga. But the Yoga is twice as thick with a metal back but carbon fibre impregnated plastic elsewhere. They both cost the same cash when new and about the same time. But now I have two current laptops that are different choices for different uses. But running Xcode is the biggest deal with the Mac!



I’m going to see what phone apps I can use in this thing. Oh yes, one first impression is how similar the MacBook is to the iPhone for apps. Windows is alien to app cellphone compatibility like Google apps. They have their own Microsoft app store but PC apps are for PCs and right now that’s probably a good thing especially for the powerful apps. Those are my quick notable takes here.




Later…..

[Maurice Ali]

Today is a holiday here so it’s back to work tomorrow.



This was a long two week vacation because of all the stuff that happened and got done. The home improvements and then the UN/FOFSTOCK 2 trip and even the laptop stuff got added in to.







With the MacBook I’m already seeing how I can import the Android app into Xcode – I have a few options as the pp is not complicated. As for the M1 Macbook purchase? Strangely I have no issues with it! For once a relatively impulse purchase worked out great – and for a great price as Apple products are always expensive. Setting up my “go-to” apps gets a little bit challenging as I’m a PC guy but its setup and functions. Actually the transition to Mac OS was not as hard as I thought! So I guess my present for my 65th birthday will be the MacBook. For my 60th it was the stainless steel apple Watch, so I may as well be consistent.....


It’s going to get busy in the next few weeks with the music festival stuff. I’m glade I purchased my guitars and tech now as it’s all going to be all music for the time being. I don’t want a ton of people watching this until things get decided. It’s easy for me to change or back out of a bad situation when all eyes are not on you. When things get set then all eyes can help with the hype. I’m comfortable with things as they are now.




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

The end of the vacation.....





So the United Nations trip was OK, nothing spectacular happened but I still grew and developed as an advocate there. The idea of working behind the scenes and having member nations help out “tit-for-tat” was not something I was comfortable with, but I am getting used to the way things happen there.




Look - an unoccupied office!



The office on Broadway is real and it’s a proper office site with three floors and a possible vacant office if we need it at very reasonable prices. Just a few blocks away from The Late Show at The Ed Sullivan Theatre, this office is so cool!






The Central Park Summer Stage venue is a reality and we actually applied – but too early. So we wait. Going there for an event put me in touch with the crew that operated the site and that gave me all the information I needed to make an application a reality.




My M1 Mackbook Air!



On the Worldwide Vote app front: I now have a cheap M1 Mac that can run Xcode! So now I attempt to put our app on the Apple app store as everyone seems to use iPhones in New York and at the United Nations. As an aside I was dragged kicking and screaming into the Mac world as I always thought most that rocked these laptops as rather pretentious – but now I own one – so there goes that criticism.....


Live Nation is putting up a large outdoor concert venue in Downsview in Toronto. The earliest big concert is OASIS on August 24. If possible we may ask Live Nation if we could host our FOFSTOCK 2 event early as a test event if they wish to work out or debug the place before the huge crowds arrive. A bit of a long shot, but they now have their office on Adelaide Street here in downtown Toronto – so it’s worth a try.....



Back to work.



Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

A late one…..







The only thing to note is that we signed up online to host a music festival at YDS/Sankofa Square for Canada Day. I think they are open for 2025 applications and the form did accept it - but - it could get tossed back at us like with the Soundstage in New York.



We shall just see how it goes.



I also settled on the final version of our iOS app for the Worldwide Vote. That version of the app is an APK and now we have to make it into IAP. That will be challenging but we have all the parts together now - so all it is now is hard work.




Later…..

[Maurice Ali]

The funny thing is that I’ve been so busy lately that the trip to New York still hasn’t sunk in yet…..



One thing I was thinking about yesterday is how remote the “movers and shakers” of this world are if you are just “joe average” - but just how accessible they are if you are in my shoes! I’ll give you two examples.




WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala



A few years ago I was pushing for a worldwide vote at the WTO. I got nowhere. I could get to the technical position of having participated in their yearly events and did, but I was shut out of any kind of contact with the new female Nigerian Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. However, She was there at the high table at my session and made a speech. Nowhere in the docket did it mention she would be there - but just like that she was there in a room with me and not watching a screen in some overflow room. Basically she sat beside the Chair who himself is usually a President or Prime Minister (H.E. K P Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal). She also would get up and move between the General Assembly Hall and back as the two rooms are connected and beside each other. But yes, shut out at the WTO AGM - but there with you at the United Nations.




Doreen Bogdan-Martin



The other one was the Doreen Bogdan-Martin: Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Again, not listed in the docket as a speaker but there anyway. My Worldwide Vote idea was critical to have support from her - and there she was! Also, note that I was allowed to apply to speak about that session - at that very session she was at. If the stars had just aligned a bit better I would have pitched it to her in that very room! That is what status gives me the UN. Moreover, while attending that event I found myself literally rubbing shoulders with a woman that just looked like her. People were taking photos of her and she had two UN people with her and I thought I should take a photo - but I was right beside her (like within 12 inches) so it would look bad. Plus I just figured it was another Princess pitching their ideas during General Assembly. At that summit in Switzerland I was invited to, a princess was a headlining thing, but here she was just an other participant. Anyway, I now believe it was in fact Doreen Bogdan-Martin: Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This could only happen in the secure areas of the UN during General Assembly!



You sit down on some comfy bench and the person beside you gets addressed as Ambassador so-and-so. That’s how it is over there and you get used to people others see on TV as they really are - just ordinary people. And ordinary people can be swayed by compelling arguments if you get their ear. Where I was at, it is difficult but not impossible to do - more like problematic but possible.



When I first saw the Secretary General of the United Nations in the flesh was in that same room and I was basically on the floor at that one. At one point he was like just 15 feet was from me. I saw how he walked and talked to his handlers. He became a real person to me at that time - and as such - attainable. That’s when I hatched that plan to get all that material on my ideas to him while I made a speech half a year later at the UN.



Anyway, I was just thinking about that for the first time yesterday. Basically it took a week for me to start recalling that trip in my mind. I even forgot about places I visited like Coney Island - and that trip was impressive!




Goodnight…..