Brian McDonald
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brianstorm.ing
Brian McDonald
@brianstorm.ing
550 followers 770 following 1.3K posts
Artist living in New York City
Ridgewood
🇺🇸🇨🇱🇵🇸
I ride my bike on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrianMcDonald
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brianstorm.ing
After exhibiting "The Mayor is Right", I found a random nail on a building in SoHo, hung the work for all to see, and left it to an unknown fate.
Actor Gerard Butler poses while broadcasting chest with a friend in front of NYC Artist Brian McDonald's "The Mayor is Right" sculpture on the streets of SoHo. A streetscape photograph of Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan that shows a variety of people walking past where NYC Artist Brian McDonald hung up his "The Mayor is Right" sculpture.
October 2, 2025 at 7:19 PM
brianstorm.ing
With all of the talk of NYC Mayor Eric Adams' legacy being a focus of recent news, I can't help but think about my sculpture "The Mayor is Right" which was shown at the National Arts Club in 2024. #fineart #artsky
An artwork created by NYC Artist Brian McDonald that features a resin sculpture of NYC Mayor Eric Adams' face that is made to look more like a white marble-like material. While his face is a 3-dimensional object, it is cut off before his ears and is emerging from a black 16"x16" acrylic panel. The acrylic panel has holographic vinyl lettering attached to it which create a mesmerizing wall of text that show the ideology and practices of Eric Adams as mayor: "DEFUND SCHOOLS PUNISH THE HOMELESS APATHY SOLITARY CONFINEMENT SCAPEGOAT ASYLUM SEEKERS PRIVATIZATION FEARMONGER AUSTERITY ENRICH DEVELOPERS CLOSE LIBRARIES PROFIT OVER PEOPLE EXPAND THE POLICE STATE NYPD ABOVE ALL IGNORE GENOCIDE STOP AND FRISK PRIVATIZATION DEFUND LIBRARIES INCARCERATION INACTION APATHY PUNITIVE POLICIES CRIMINALIZE POVERTY ENRICH DEVELOPERS PROFIT OVER PEOPLE IGNORE CORRUPTION SCAPEGOAT ASYLUM SEEKERS FEARMONGER CORRUPTION CRUSH DISSENT CUT PUBLIC SERVICES EXPAND THE POLICE STATE EMBRACE APARTHEID TECH IGNORE GENOCIDE INACTION PUNISH THE HOMELESS CUT EDUCATION PUNITIVE POLICIES NYPD ABOVE ALL" NYC Artist Brian McDonald's "The Mayor is Right" artwork is photographed resting on a park bench in Gramercy Park which is "the only private park in NYC"
October 2, 2025 at 7:19 PM
brianstorm.ing
Did Cuomo's team, fresh off claiming he is responsible for universal pre-k, get to Google as well? Apparently all the news at the time focused on the wrong guy doing a hunger strike for cab drivers:
A screenshot showing a Google search AI summary that no one asked for that says: "Al Overview: According to City & State New York, Many South Asian voters love Andrew Cuomo for his successful advocacy for debt relief for taxi medallion holders, which included a 15-day hunger strike in 2021. This information is also present in another article by *City & State New York*. However, other news articles from the period describe a hunger strike by excluded workers who were protesting for state aid for immigrants, not Cuomo himself. Therefore, there might be conflicting information or a misunderstanding regarding Cuomo's participation in a hunger strike. It's important to cross-reference multiple sources and consider the context of each claim to determine..." The text fades out before a "Show More" button gives the ability to read more text that doesn't make sense or possess any factual data. Bye bye, love you!
August 8, 2025 at 9:54 PM
brianstorm.ing
Found an old photo of me: 10 year old Brian, newly certified after passing an open book test to perform my first job as an ice hockey referee! It's crazy to think about the amount of anger & abuse was directed at me then, all while dealing with most people never being happy with my job performance 😂
10 year old Brian was so excited he passed the open book test to become a USA hockey certified ice hockey referee that he wanted to pose for a photo of wearing his full uniform at home in his bedroom. He ironed on the USA Hockey 95/96 Official's patch he earned to the chest of the smallest referee jersey his family could find, and he donned a pretty fresh black colored Cooper HH3000 helmet with white ear loops and chin strap. He got into "puck dropping position" where a referee would typically stand at the face off dot before skillfully and quickly distributing the puck to the ice without it bouncing and then moving out of the way of the action without getting hit by anything. This entire scene culminated with Brian, slightly crouched, holding a galvanized rubber hockey puck in his preferred left-handed dropping grip, and demonstrating the importance of protecting the groin area from out of control hockey sticks with his right hand. In that moment, Brian had his brother Michael take a photo of him, which you have now been presented with :)
July 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
brianstorm.ing
In @nytimes.com coverage of @bradlander.bsky.social's arrest, writer @luisferre7.bsky.social, takes the concept of filming ICE arrests & bringing them to public view fast as a means of legal protection in the face of unconstitutional acts without due process, & reduces it to a campaign stunt. Yikes
A New York Times excerpt that reads "His (Brad Lander's) campaign appeared to move quickly to capitalize on his arrest, with his wife, Meg Barnette, posting a video of the episode from Mr. Lander's official campaign account on social media."
June 17, 2025 at 9:11 PM
brianstorm.ing
Constantly reminded of the @nytimes.com's "Big Market for Fighters" headline as we now experience the ever intensifying relentless push to convince New Yorkers to not support the candidates like @bradlander.bsky.social & @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social who are fighting for their constituents RIGHT NOW.
A New York Times Opinion piece from multiple members of the editorial board titled "There's a Big Market for Fighters Now': Four Opinion Writers on the Democratic Party and Andrew Cuomo" from March 6, 2025 Article link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/opinion/andrew-cuomo-mayor-new-york-city.html Two photos merged together. The top photo features NYC Mayoral candidate and state legislator Zohran Mamdani confronting Trump border czar Tom Homan in Albany. The bottom photo shows fellow candidate and current City Comptroller Brad Lander being arrested after standing up against ICE's onslaught in NYC immigration courts.
June 17, 2025 at 5:43 PM
brianstorm.ing
Centrists have to revise history & willfully ignore facts that contradict their narrative to push "Pro-corporate subsidies" rhetoric. Here we see the classic "We could have had 25k jobs from Amazon and we lost out to it!" line. The reality is, Amazon came to NYC anyway despite not getting subsides!
@philsustainability.bsk.social says: "DSA's anti-corporate vibe is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Remember Amazon HQ2? 25k jobs, billions in investment, gone, because of a victory lap no one asked for. Now NYC has vacant offices and lower tax revenue to pay for schools. Businesses aren't Thanos; they're job engines."
June 16, 2025 at 11:14 PM
brianstorm.ing
Andrew Cuomo sounds more like a Trump administration official than the supposed and unearned "fighter" title that he has been championing.
A pixelated stylized image of a "cut out" Andrew Cuomo on the left side that looks like it's on a vintage Nokia cell phone screen. On the right side, there is a quotation of his that showing how he plans on fighting right wing authoritarianism facing the city and country that states: "They're gonna send in ICE to New York. They are going to do things that are illegal and unconstitutional. But, Let's not overreact."
June 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
brianstorm.ing
This bike is not yet released or announced, but I think it will be the closest thing to an ideal bike for me that has ever existed! Praying there is a colorway I like 😬 (photos by Leon Van Bon: www.instagram.com/leon_van_bon) #bikesky #cycling
A gravel racing bike that has yet to be released is being ridden by professional cyclist Marianne Vos as she raced to victory at 3RIDES gravel race in Aachen, Germany. The bike is a white Cervelo frame with aerodynamic features and special world championship livery to respect its operator's status. Photo by Leon Van Bon A closer up view of the gravel racing bike that has yet to be released by Cervelo. Professional cyclist Marianne Vos is again pictured as she races to victory at 3RIDES gravel race in Aachen, Germany. The bike is a white Cervelo frame with a black-lettered logo. Its design features an aerodynamic focus in its tube shapes, and it has special world championship livery with stripes on the fork to respect the bike's rider. Photo by Leon Van Bon
June 11, 2025 at 5:54 AM
brianstorm.ing
This is a regular occurrence when I'm walking with seniors. On Houston st we need the pedestrian island because we can't make it across in a single signal timer. Without me there, this would have been a death trap once the light changed and people shouldn't have to deal with that kind of BS.
A person using a walker to aid them in walking around NYC looks ahead to the car driver who has elected to stop in the crosswalk on Houston st, preventing access to the pedestrian island that is vital to their making it across safely as they can't cross the full street in one signal duration.
June 7, 2025 at 2:34 AM
brianstorm.ing
"A little New York Slice"
2025 Manhattan, New York City
#photography #fineartphotography #architecture #nycphotography
This photograph shows two buildings that neighbor each other on 59th street in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The two buildings have quite a bit of space between them, as they aren't immediate neighbors. Even though there is plenty of space around the buildings, the photograph compresses the depth into a 2-Dimensional plane. The photograph shows the south side of a brown brick building, with a cluster of dark antique pane windows that have stone borders, on the left side of the photo; and the west-facing side (that looks at the brown building) of a tan brick apartment building, with clusters of large rectangular windows reflecting light and air conditioning vents under them, to the right side of the photo. While walking a certain direction and slowly arriving to a specific position on the sidewalk, you create a frame between the buildings that shifts as you move in any direction. The tan building at the upper portion has what looks like an angled extrusion and it makes that frame have a triangular crop at the top part of the "slice" between buildings. Inside the slice is another apartment building with orange-ish brick and a single column cluster of windows. At the top of the building are green tree leaves visible, and the tan building's triangle crop extrusion makes the tree look like a tree "line". At the bottom half of the slice there is a tiled roof of a church visible, and the shape of it mimics the angled extrusion of the tan building. At the bottom left of the photo is the top portion of a tree with green leaves, which frames the visual connection made in the photograph (the two trees only see each other from this frame) as well as how the photograph was made (slowly rocking around while seemingly looking up at nothing on a city street next to a hospital 😂)
June 5, 2025 at 5:59 PM
brianstorm.ing
"Dealing the deck of domiciles"
2025, New York City
#photography #fineartphotography #architecture #nycphotography
A photograph of a large apartment building that has small setback features in its design that is taken at a somewhat extreme angle, where you see what could be hundreds of apartment windows, and the small setbacks make it look like an infinite deck of cards being shuffled in the air. This is where the title, "Dealing the deck of domiciles" comes from. The windows have varying shades of blue and their mosaic orientation creates an abstraction of the cloudy sky they reflect. At the top left of the photograph, a small rectangular bit of the actual sky is seen. A small cluster of windows are dark in appearance as they have a different coating on them.
June 5, 2025 at 5:19 PM
brianstorm.ing
For reference: The original vs latest headline. Happy to see improvement, but it would be nice to see effort put into calling out (rather than enforcing) the use of non-e-bike offenses to justify anti e-bike rhetoric. Why is there such a refusal to learn or explain the differences at this point?
A New York Times Headline screenshot: "New York's Crackdown on E-Bikes Is Unfair Enforcement, Critics Say In what they say is a new safety campaign, the police are issuing summonses that may lead to arrest for cyclists who break the city's traffic laws." Another screenshot of the same New York Times article, this time with an updated headline that reads: "Drivers Who Run Red Lights Get Tickets. E-Bike Riders Get Court Dates. Some worry that New York City's crackdown on unsafe cyclists leaves them facing greater consequences than drivers, even though cars cause more fatalities."
May 25, 2025 at 7:05 PM
brianstorm.ing
Doesn't YouTube Studio's Inspiration tab know that there is a NYPD crackdown on cyclists happening? Why is it trying to get me to commit illegal acts for views?
A YouTube suggestion for me to create a video titled: NYC Cyclists Breaking the Rules: A Commute Through Traffic Mayhem The chaotic reality of cycling in New York City is explored through the... • Very popular topic with your viewers YouTube Studio provides hooks for video ideas: Hooks -Intriguing Question "Ever wondered how NYC cyclists cut through traffic like ninjas? Buckle up as we join a daring commute, revealing the risky tactics and surprising rewards of breaking the rules." -Provocative Statement "NYC cycling: A thrilling adventure or reckless endangerment? Join us on a wild ride through city streets where the lines are blurred, and every pedal stroke is a gamble." -Promise of Action "Get ready for an adrenaline rush as we witness NYC cyclists defying the odds on a traffic-defying commute! Learn the secrets of navigating the urban jungle and see how far they'll go for a faster ride." YouTube Studio's Inspiration tab then gives an outline for the video idea: Outline Welcome to the Jungle: Navigating NYC Streets • The iconic NYC grid: A cyclist's playground, but with hidden dangers. • Show the fast-paced, high-density environment of NYC streets. • Illustrate the constant flow of pedestrians, taxis, buses, and cars. Rules are Made to Be Broken (Maybe?) • Common traffic violations observed among cyclists. • Briefly discuss legal ramifications and safety concerns. • Use footage to showcase the "grey areas" of cycling rules. A Thrilling Ride: The "Gray" Areas • Show examples of cyclists weaving through traffic. • Focus on the adrenaline rush and thrill associated with taking risks. • Highlight the unique perspectives and close calls that come with this style of riding. The Price of Speed: Risks & Rewards • The inherent danger of breaking traffic rules, emphasizing safety concerns. • Showcase examples of accidents and near-misses on the road. • Discuss the importance of awareness and judgment in this risky environment. A Love-Hate Relationship • The convenience and speed of cutting through traffic. • Highlight the benefits of cycling as a fast and efficient mode of transportation. • Conclude by acknowledging the complexity of the NYC cycling experience.
May 18, 2025 at 8:07 PM
brianstorm.ing
Look at this lawless mob wait for the pedestrian signal to change to "walk" before recklessly BLOWING through a red light, nearly murdering multiple pedestrians who were forced to experience unmatched terror!
May 16, 2025 at 1:02 AM
brianstorm.ing
Someone needs to alert the NYPD commissioner that there is a violent gang of criminals flouting the law in broad daylight in Greenwich Village! Why are no squad cars crashing into them and giving them criminal summonses?
May 16, 2025 at 12:56 AM
brianstorm.ing
When you look at the seemingly surprising demographic breakdowns of political ideology of the latest Marist NYC Dem Mayoral poll it really makes me wish I could ask the same people policy positions questions to measure against their described ideology. Data: maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/nyc-ma...
A political ideology breakdown from a Marist poll of likely NYC Democratic primary voters: Very Liberal: 25% Liberal: 33% Moderate: 31% Conservative: 7% Very Conservative 3% https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/nyc-mayors-race-may-2025/
May 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
brianstorm.ing
Come on, you should know better to expect any kind of attention on actual unsafe negligence! I could have had 6 or 7 similar photos in other intersections when taking a quick walk yesterday.
A NYC crosswalk being blocked by cars and a car blocking an intersection after a failed depth perception and timing test. Three different offenses create an unsafe environment for pedestrians yet are seen as allowable acts in the face of a criminal crackdown against cyclists for low level offenses.
May 8, 2025 at 9:28 PM
brianstorm.ing
Mini-thread: A glimpse into NYC's two-tiered justice system & the ignorance framing sentiment around cyclists & car drivers: In celebration of criminalizing low level traffic offenses for cycling, this person goes on to go into detail about a personal run in with a cyclist, but there's a twist:
Screenshot of a Nextdoor post from Brooklyn, NY: "Debra T. Park Slope (12St-5Ave) • 3 days ago • Edited Bikers Now Ticketed for Traffic Violations: THANK YOU! "The policy shift replaces standard traffic tickets for bicyclists with criminal court summonses for violations such as running red lights or failing to stop at stop signs." I cannot tell you how angry I get at bicyclists who feel they are above the law and traffic rules don't apply to them! A major problem is the design of our streets - and I offer no solution. But when a car is making a right turn into a, let's say, McDonald's, it's hard to see a fast-moving cyclist crossing the driveway - even when you slow down. They don't even THINK about the fact that they may literally be driving into traffic! You don't have that problem on streets with no bike lanes because there is no lane to cross when turning. You DO, of course, watch for pedestrians who are moving slower than speeding bicyclists. While turning into a McDonald's one day, I slowed down and a bicyclist RAN INTO ME! My car was dented and mirror knocked off. And, yes, he was hurt. I called 911 and he went by ambulance to the hospital. But when the police came, he said I hit HIM! The police looked and said, "If she had hit you, you'd be laying on the ground halfway across this parking lot." HE got a simple summons. But guess who had to pay to repair the dent and new mirror? I hope this law makes bicyclists more aware and accountable."
May 8, 2025 at 7:15 PM
brianstorm.ing
I forgot to follow up! 😂
A Black Cervelo Soloist road bike that is positioned in front of the same Fort Green Park door and structure that was photographed by Andy (@longlonghandle.bsky.social) from a different perspective.
May 5, 2025 at 9:36 PM
brianstorm.ing
Interesting to see where & how NYTimes contributors weigh in on the NYC mayoral election. In this article, @emmagf.bsky.social chose to act as a Cuomo surrogate, ignoring criticisms of Cuomo in favor of fence sitting & acting as surrogate to Cuomo to provide what his responses would be to criticism.
A New York Times Article discussion featuring a comment by "Stumpy Dowd" that says: "Cuomo doesn't need a 'Campaign Strategy' to win against the current field of competition. His current strategy could be 'Just Show Up' and he would do just fine on election day." Followed by a response by NYT City Hall Bureau Chief Emma Fitzsimmons that reads: "@Stumpy Dowd some voters aren't satisfied with the other candidates in the field, and Cuomo has a substantial lead in the polls. But New Yorkers do expect a certain amount of visibility and want to see candidates discussing the issues. Cuomo is releasing policy plans; he's also avoiding his opponents and local reporters which is a departure from other recent mayors and candidates." From this New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/nyregion/cuomo-mayor-campaign-strategy.html Another comment from the same article that was critical of Andrew Cuomo, from "A Renter" that reads: "Andrew Cuomo presided over significant corruption scandals and has been credibly accused of sexual harassment by multiple women who have worked with him. That alone is disqualifying. Nothing "pragmatic" or "competent" about that. And let's not forget that as Governor, he intentionally positioned NYC and its officials as antagonists in order to consolidate Albany's power over the city. An egregious example of this is his treatment of Andy Byford, who was responsible for much of the modernization efforts (OMNY, signal upgrades) that have improved the performance of the subway. Not to mention his flip-flopping on 2019 rental reform and congestion pricing--both transformative policies for NYC--as a blatant attempt to secure campaign contributions from real estate interests and wealthy suburban enclaves. His reversals are all the more disgraceful given that he previously advocated for these policies. The primary is on June 24. I hope that voters do not rank a man who holds such obvious contempt for the city that he seeks to lead." The comment was followed by a response by Emma Fitzsimmons that chose to ignore substantial claims and decided to focus on a single aspect of the original comment, reading: "@A Renter I covered the tension between Cuomo and Andy Byford as our transit reporter during that period, and many New Yorkers were disappointed when "train daddy" left. Cuomo hired Byford, who was highly respected, and then Byford felt like he wasn't getting the support he needed. Cuomo would argue that he knew best and ended up getting the subway the funding it needed through congestion pricing. His management style is certainly something voters will consider during the race." Another comment from the article comes from "Aint It The Truth" reading "Still think Cuomo would be a excellent mayor. He has my vote." In response to that comment, Emma Fitzsimmons responds with "@Aint It The Truth many voters agree with you. They think he has the most experience in government and believe the city is facing so many pressing challenges and he is the strongest candidate to fix them. I talked to voters on the Upper West Side recently and I was a little surprised by how many voters were willing to give him another chance." Under Emma's comment was a response by "Jo-ann" who picked up on Emma's reinforcement with a response that reads: "@Emma Fitzsimmons Did the campaign send you a check to endorse him, or what?" Original NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/nyregion/cuomo-mayor-campaign-strategy.html
April 24, 2025 at 7:48 PM
brianstorm.ing
It's ironic that her claim that Jewish students' concerns were ignored by colleges when she ignores or refuses to see that exact dynamic affecting Jewish students who are against Israeli occupation/genocide/war and the financial support their schools provide. It's a clear double standard.
An excerpt from the originally mentioned New Yorker Interview with Deborah Lipstadt: "But the Jewish students on campus who have no way to bring their grievances, or, when they bring a grievance find that the university doesn't take it seriously-which has been the case at a number of our most élite universities— they give up on the university. One of the calculations when applying for college now is: Will I feel safe there as a Jew?"
April 23, 2025 at 6:46 PM
brianstorm.ing
Abracadaver was a zombie magician character from the Powerpuff Girls cartoon 😂
A freeze frame from the Powerpuff Girls cartoon showing a character named Abracadaver, a zombie magician. Abracadaver is pointing at his watch to make you look at it to become hypnotized and lost forever!!! Don't do it! NO!!!
April 18, 2025 at 4:26 AM
brianstorm.ing
"A Two-dimensional Memorial for a Three-dimensional Memory"
2025, New York, NY
#photography #streetphotography #architecture #nyc #fineartphotography
The visual composition of this photograph is just about split into two halves: The left side features a brick co-op building built in 1903, and the right side is mostly made up of 1700 Broadway, an office building built in the late 1960s which has a modern dark metal and glass construction. Yellow ceiling lights are visible in the lower levels of the office building, and various curtain configurations in the other windows create a mosaic of sorts. At the upper height there is an architectural setback which gives room for some kind of deck where a tree is growing. While the brick building has five stories of typical apartment windows and a small extrusion to the building that gives one column of north facing windows that are perpendicular to the west facing windows, Near the middle of the frame, the eastern side of the previously mentioned building extrusion is a windowless facet of the building, and the uniform wall of bricks is broken up by a solid white polygonal shape that shows the junction where a building that once connected to the co-op building used to be. After the building was torn down, the areas that were in contact were painted white. This is where the connection to the name of the photograph comes; "A Two-dimensional Memorial for a Three-dimensional Memory" is what the white painted shape represents, even though there are other more subtle signs that show the effects of the relationship that existed between two neighboring buildings. The colors of the bricks become lighter in the lower levels where light, grime, and other wear and tear was less with the departed building's protection. There is also a slight optical illusion in this photograph where the white painted shape meeting the right side office building can trick you into thinking that the two buildings are next to each other in an east/west direction rather than being on opposing north south corners. The demolished building was originally a Ford Motors showroom building built in 1919.
April 14, 2025 at 12:22 AM
brianstorm.ing
Just wanted to preserve the context for myself since @leerowan.bsky.social chose to block me rather than answer for the stance they took 😂
A screenshot of the pre-blocked post I was replying to that I'm showing to provide context to my reply since the person I replied to would rather block me than face a slight challengr. The OP article was about journalistic malpractice related to the New York Times failing to provide factual context to many of Andrew Cuomo's misconduct records as governor of NY. The BSky user Lee Rowan chose to ignore everything in the article (either by not reading it or choosing to make a statement igoring the evidence provided) and said: "I have no idea what his personal life was about but I do know that he got New York through COVID. I also see the pattern of how ANY Democrat who might run for Prez gets accused of sexual misconduct. Franken, Cuomo, even Biden... Franken never got an investigation and I wish HE would run again." Now you know the context! Love you!
April 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM