Aerial video appears to show burials of unclaimed covid-19 victims and others on Hart Island, NY

[Quixote1818]

[Laffy Kat]

1. OMG. That sure looks like it.

[Warpy]

2. They're in boxes for now

At some point, it might be bags in trenches.

DNA is likely being kept on them in case someone is looking for them.

Likely there are Covid dead among them, but there's always been a steady stream of unclaimed bodies of addicts and street people there. It's sad, but it happens. The only difference over the next year or so will be the sheer number of them, but they've always been with us and the ones in NYC have ended here.

[Hulk]

3. And most were the "apple of their eye" when they were born...

Such a tragic ending to a life. Each life so precious....each life with a story, long and often troubled...but always a story of struggle and leaving their mark on earth. Just sad to think it might end like that for someone you love.

[3Hotdogs]

4. It almost did. Kenneth was our friend from Central Park.

Ya had to like him --- example: He supported himself with gigs that he patched together... fixing Apple computers, leading tours around N.Y.C.

One time, he was leading a group of 8th graders from Texas. He was gay and while not flamboyant, he was not conservative in his thoughts, actions and dress. It was to be a 5 day excursion for the kids. It was early in the tour when he heard one of the kids ask the teacher, "Mr..., can't we ask the bus company for another guide? Mr. Ken is embarrassing."

By the third day, It was, "Mr. Ken, can we take our picture with you?"

That was Kenneth.

I miss him.

Anyway, when he died, he left distant cousins who didn't want to or couldn't afford to claim his body. He was destined for the island. We (his Central Park friends) collected money for a burial and a stone.

[marble falls]

5. There'a very good short story there, I'd sure like to read it.

[3Hotdogs]

6. His email handle was Kentaurian

[marble falls]

7. Nice clue, he was a birder, too

http://palemale.com/palemalejr1.html


Notes from Kentaurian:
"On July 3rd, I set up a Nikon spotting scope (fixed eyepiece at 50x magnification) on the 72nd Street transverse near the statue of The Falconer, just west of the center of Central Park. Looking from the road and up the small hill toward the open space over Sheep Meadow, people were amazed that we could see the baby RedTail Hawks so clearly from that distance.

July 4th, I moved further south and up the hill towards Sheep Meadow, setting up where the walkways intersect on the northeast end not far from the "Mineral Springs" snack bar, rest rooms and public phones. Holiday crowds were in the park so many got to see the nest through the scope; chicks being fed, preening, slicing. An adult on top of the Hampshire House chimney was very visable for a long time.

July 10th, Tom McIntyre joined me with his Celestron at the Mineral Springs location. So with two scopes we could watch both the chicks in the nest and an adult often on the "X" of the Essex sign. It was such a nice day there were lots of people in the park for the weekend and many enjoyed looking through the two scopes. Tom left early, I stayed until twilight - on my way out, I stopped by the Oak tree where we often see moths at night this time of year, Nick was there and we saw a number of colorful "Catocala Underwings" - but eager mosquitoes ushered me prematurely homeward.

July 15th, after several days of cloud cover and rain, the chicks were fairly quiet most of the afternoon because of the intense sun and heat - one or more adults sat variously on several letters of the Essex House sign - several moments stick in my mind since I checked the time on the MONY clock located somewhere along Broadway near 56th Street:

At 7:11pm the larger chick faced the park, jumped high and spread its wings - my heart skipped a beat because the highpower magnification and my level line of sight made it seem that the chick might be moving forward into open space (gulp) - at 7:37pm a human head popped out of the window south of the nest, then another, arms waved, smiling, etc - I'm just glad for them that they were not attacked by the nearby hawk adult - at 8:14pm one of the chicks facing west, started leaping and flapping (getting some good action going at last) - satisfied, I then packed up but stopped by the "Magic Oak" and counted at least ten Catocala Moths fluttering around me in the dark, back lit by moon light."

__ Kentaurian __

Monday July 11, 05
All hawks are doing very well. The babies are very tall and are periodically exercising their wings. One of them pecks at food left in the nest but no major self-feeding thus far. Both parents were on the nest around 8:00PM





Friday June 24, 05
Very hot day today. Mom spent most of the afternoon shading the babies with her spread wings. The babies ventured from her shade on several occasions to inspect this and that.


Tuesday June 21, 05
The chicks are growing up fast. Their feet are too big for their bodies and they walk on their (human equiv) knees to get around.


Sunday June 12, 05
Very hot day. Many sections of the park mostly on the east side were blocked off due to a parade on Fifth Ave. Junior's nest viewed mostly from my 57th Street host. The two chicks are very active and can hardly be differentiated. An all white pigeon was fed to them in the afternoon. The babies eat and quickly settle down to sleep about every 45 minutes. They sleep like human children—flat out with their head on the same level of their body. They walk on ‘all fours’.


Saturday June 11, 05
The baby which ventured out to the edge of the nest is back in the middle and eating like a little piglet. Today Mom had to cover them up during the few heavy afternoon downpours.


Thursday June 9, 2005
I'm going to stop watching out for that third egg hatching. The two chicks are doing very well, so I'm not going to keep writing that the third egg did not hatch. Let's just wish these two little stinkers the best, and I'll continue to try and acquire the best photographs of them that I can.
Today there were numerous visits from Jr. The two chicks are sleeping a lot and has to be nudged on occasion to be fed by Mom.


Also at https://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2005/02/gates-debate-goes-on.html

I found a reference to kentaurian in Czech Republic, too.


You have to write this story.

[3Hotdogs]

8. All right, I'll add to your post.

So imagine the scene where he set up the scopes.

The scopes were also one of his gigs. He got paid by Swarovski to take two scopes into the park and let people look through them. If anyone bought a scope through one of the N.Y.C. dealers, he got a commission. Meanwhile, he got free use of scopes.

It was on a hill, overlooking the hawk building and the Essex House on Central Park South. And it was a hot June day. Chicks were on the ledge of the nest building, Sun beating down on them and their beaks were open wide, panting from the heat.

On the Essex House, two letter were not lit, the first E and S on Essex. Sex was illuminated.

So Kenneth was on the hill enticing people to look at the chicks. He had one scope focused on the chicks and the second, focused on the three lit sex letters.

"Right here, come look, its free. Hot chicks and sex."

[marble falls]

9. I'd loved to have known him. Man, someone's (he says looking directly at you) gotto ...

write that book!

[3Hotdogs]

10. I guess it would be a longer story about the characters of the Central Park

Hawk Bench.

Some funny. Some sad. Some still around. Many gone. It would include Mary Tyler Moore.

Conrad who said he played chess with Einstein -- said Einstein cheated. Said he knew Steinbeck and gave a couple of golf lessons to Jackie K. Onassis. These stories are probably true or had some truth to them as he grew up on a shore town on Long Island where he brother became mayor His brother had an obit. in the N.Y. Times.
---
Bill. He came from the mid-west and went to acting school. He had classic mid-west good looks. Blond, tall. He did voice acting, voice overs and narrations of documentaries.

He could read "first take" without pre-reading a script or document. So one time he was hired to read a document. He was given money to take a train from Penn St. to Dover or Denville, N.J. There, he was driven to Picatinny Arsenal where he was blindfolded and driven to a building. He was given a document to sign with threats if he ever disclosed what he read.

Bill did other voices for Piels Beer, N.Y. Lottery "All you need is a dollar and a dream" and such.

Anyway, back to the acting school. One fella in the school was becoming frustrated and depressed because he could never get a job. He was short, a bit overweight and losing hair. "Who is ever gonna hire me for anything?"

Bill said he had a better chance than anyone. Look around you. Everyone here looks kinda like me with fairly good looks and so forth. You are unique.

That was Danny DeVito.

[marble falls]

11. Get it down.