Category: state of New York

Y is for York

New York State was once the territory of the Iroquois nation. It was later settled by the Dutch.

In 1663 the Duke of York purchased the grant of Long Island and other islands on the New England coast made in 1635 to the Earl of Stirling. The following year, the Duke equipped an armed expedition, which took possession of New Amsterdam, which was thenceforth called Province of New York, after him.[1][2] This conquest was confirmed by the treaty of Breda, in July 1667. In July 1673, a Dutch fleet recaptured New York and held it until it was restored to the English by the treaty of Westminster in February, 1674.

But which Duke of York are we talking about? From this chronology, it appears to be James Stuart, who later became James II of England (and James VII of Scotland). While Duke of York, he was also Duke of Albany in Scotland.

The current Duke of York is Prince Andrew, the second son of the British monarch, Elizabeth II. Since he has no sons (horrors!), the most likely candidate for the position will be Prince Harry, assuming Charles ascends the throne someday.

As for York, England itself, it is located northeast of Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool:

The Shambles is oldest street in York, it mentioned “in the Doomsday Book under its Latin name – In Macello. The word Shambles derives from the Medieval word Shamel (various spellings), meaning bench or booth. Also referred to as Flesshammel, which means to do with flesh – it was the street of the butchers. In 1872 the number of butchers was recorded as 26. This figure dwindled over the years until the last butcher standing was Dewhurst at number 27 the Shambles.”

York Minster Gothic Cathedral in York

“Situated in the heart of the city, York Minster is the largest Gothic Cathedral in northern Europe. As is the way with many christian buildings, it was built in the shape of a cross, and faces East, towards Jerusalem. The name “Minster” is derived from the Latin Monastarium, which means ‘Place of Learning’.”

Here are some places in the United States named York; not a complete list:

York County, PA.

York County, SC.

York (city), PA.

East York, PA CDP. A CDP is a Census Designated Place, a location that is unincorporated but well-defined.

York County, ME.

York County, PA.

York County, VA.

West New York, NJ.

Which brings us to my home state of New York:

New York (State). There are 62 counties in New York State.

New York (City). Five of those counties comprise New York City. In NYC, there are also something called boroughs; these are coterminous with the county boundaries.

New York County, NY is a/k/a the borough of Manhattan. Kings County is the borough of Brooklyn, Richmond County is the borough Staten Island. Bronx and Queens each have the same name as a county as it does as a borough.


ABC Wednesday

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Dead Man Walking


As the Sheriff of Wall Street slinks into the sunset, New Yorkers are left with Disbelief. Disappointment. Disgust.

When I first heard the story, I thought, somehow, that Governor Spitzer was involved in the indictment of a prostitution ring. He was, but not at all in the way I could possibly have imagined.

If it were a case of a guy falling off the fidelity wagon, the average politician might very well survive that. But when it’s Eliot Spitzer, the self-proclaimed paragon of virtue, busily fighting corruption as NYS Attorney General; when it’s “it’ll be different” when he’s governor from “Day One”; when he’s well-known for chastising the moral compass of subordinates, it becomes difficult to shake a prostitution charge, and at the Mayflower Hotel in DC, of all places. Especially when it appears that there was an ongoing relationship with this prostitution ring going back to last July, not just a one-time fling on the day before Valentine’s Day (how sweet) with money being laundered to hide his identity.

If the hypocrite isn’t already gone this morning, he will be soon, if only because he no longer has the moral authority to govern. Yesterday, at his press conference, so short that it was shown in its entirety on the local news stations, he said in his apology that it was a private matter, and while he does have much explaining to do to his wife (one of his chief legal advisers!) and his three daughters, aged 13 to 17, he has much to explain to the rest of us.

I got this from a conservative website: “This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multi-tiered management structure… It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.” — Governor [then Attorney General] Eliot Spitzer (D-NY), on the 2004 break-up of a Staten Island prostitution ring

Is it strange to think that a man with daughters would be less likely to be involved with a prostitute five or six older than his oldest daughter? Perhaps. Undoubtedly, it’s sexist to be surprised that a man would cheat on his quite attractive, as well as extremely intelligent, wife.

The fallout of this is that the next governor of New York, David Patterson, will be black and legally blind. Son of the NYC-based politician Basil Patterson, who ran for Lieutenant Governor back in 1970 (Arthur Goldberg and Basil lost to Nelson Rockefeller/and Malcolm Wilson), David will be a more conciliatory figure than Eliot Spitzer, who described himself a a “f***ing steamroller”. Whether we’ll have an on-time budget – it’s due by April 1 – is up in the air.

I voted for Eliot Spitzer for governor in 2006 to try to change the dysfunctionality of Albany. That he wasn’t able to do that in Year One, with distractions such as Troopergate and licenses for illegal aliens, was merely disappointing. With this revelation, I feel betrayed. And much to my surprise, angry.

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Buy Dave’s Comic Books

“I am helping Dave Cockrum’s widow sell Dave’s personal collection of comics–from his X-Men file copies to his Silver Age and Golden Age books. Dave was an important creator, a wonderful man, and his widow can use the money… Would you help me spread the word?” — Clifford Meth. Well, since I have met Dave and Paty Cockrum once or twice, as explained here, absolutely, I will. Go here.
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I was reading about a group called Empire State Troopers, who were featured on the cover of Metroland, the local news/arts weekly. I’m not familiar with the group, but the members, from Saratoga Springs and the Buffalo area, commissioned a friend of theirs to come up with this declaration:
“We are the Empire State because we alone have all the makings of a great empire. Coal. Grain. Timber. Iron. Granite and Slate. Livestock. Game. Fresh Water. Our per-acre agricultural output far exceeds that of any other state. We are too far inland to be hurt by hurricanes, yet too coastal and hilly to see tornadoes of any significance. Long after the world’s oil is gone, and the deserts once again are parched, we will still have our canals, our rivers and our lakes. This is our birthright, and from all this—from the hardcore squats of mid-1990s Buffalo to the North Country metal parties in July, from the explosives, the grease fires, the dog fights and homemade tattoos—Empire State Troopers make their rock.” The part about the topography IS particularly why I do like being where I am.
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Someone asked me last week: If twice something is double, three is triple, four is quadruple, etc., what is it for nine and ten? I had no idea. “Nonuple and decuple?” I guessed. Turns out I was right, and those terms are known as tuples; that I did not know .
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I think the thing that bothered me most about Chris Matthews’ remarks about Hillary Clinton was how utterly wrong his bluster was. She went to 62 of 62 New York State counties and convinced conservative Republican men and women that she could bring home the bacon to her state.
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JEOPARDY! fans: The Online Test is back! These tests are for adults 18 and over only to qualify for the regional auditions. Eligible adults must register before taking the test.
TEST DATES & TIMES
EAST COAST Tuesday, January 29th at 8PM EST
CENTRAL/MOUNTAIN Wednesday, January 30th at 8PM CST/7PM MST
PACIFIC COAST (Including Alaska and Hawaii) Thursday, January 31st at 8PM PST
Registration will close at 7:30PST on Thursday, January 31st. Visit jeopardy.com now to register, take the online test tutorial, and read through all instructions and information.

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