My fellow content creators,
Life is strange. I began my first blog about 14 years ago, and I continue to maintain an online presence. After years of creating and maintaining blogs, creating two YouTube channels, actively participating in online forums, and shamelessly promoting myself, I began to wonder if my efforts would ever gain a true audience or if they would ever gain any appreciable notice. I considered quitting many times, but then came 2020. This year put wind into my sails again, and it did so in a big way. Thus far, I am seeing lots of positive feedback to my work, and I am the humble recipient of two blogging awards. Folks, to paraphrase Den's human self in Heavy Metal: The Movie: "Wow, fourteen years of nothin', then twice in one year!"
On my mind today is a unique piece of lost New York City history. Presenting the Singer Building, a 47-story office building and tower designed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style and completed in 1908. Formerly located at 149 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, it stood at a height of 674 feet (205.4 meters) from its base to the top of its flagpole, making the Singer Building the tallest building in the world at the time. The structure's exterior was made of brick, stone, terracotta, and glass (for windows), and its squat lower portion sat below its ornate and comparatively thin tower.
As its name might imply, the Singer Building was the headquarters of the world-famous Singer Corporation, then known as the Singer Manufacturing Company. Despite functioning as a mere office space for the sewing machine giant, the building's height and striking design quickly made it an iconic part of the New York City skyline. It remained one of the city's crown jewels despite the construction of successively taller buildings, and it was treasured by members of the New York's architectural and photographic communities. However, although the building was a valued part of New York City, officials never granted landmark status to it. That oversight opened the door to the building's destruction.
The issues of fake news and fact-checking are on my mind today. We are plagued by memes, articles, and other information sources that are laden with false messages, slanted news, and biased opinions on a daily basis. Instead of leveraging our high intelligence, we surrender to our need for affirmation and our desire to group with others under the umbrella of common belief even if the unifying belief is incorrect. Actual statements and events are increasingly presented in ways designed to appease or incense citizens from one end of the political spectrum to the other, yet beneath it all, buried under mountains of partisan manure, is truth.
The above is my justification for this article. This is a test, a dare, a challenge. It is truth wrapped in lies and twisted by slanted opinion. Your task, dear reader, is to tell me what is true, what is slant, and what is false within the following text. Use this to further refine your skills in separating truth from fiction and divining fact from opinion. In a nod to the classic Star Trek episode “I, Mudd,” I now declare that all you will read in this article from this point forward will be a lie, and that’s the truth. |
AuthorI love to write! I'm a Technical Writer by day and a blogger by night. On My Mind Today is my creation, and for me it is a true labor of love. Whether the subject is a current issue or a historical matter, I'll try to address it here. I look forward to writing quality content, and I'm open to topic suggestions. I value your feedback! Archives
January 2022
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