Posts by Victor Simmons

1988: The Year Hip-Hop Made Noise

by Victor Simmons, Library Manager, Countee Cullen Library
October 12, 2011

I met this girl, when I was 10 years old And what I loved most, she had so much soul Lyrics from "I Used to Love H.E.R." by Common

Former Actor and California Governor, Ronald Wilson Reagan was the President, while in New York City Edward Irving Koch was nearing the end of his Mayoral run. The Cold War was nearing its end and for many kids growing up in the South Bronx in the early '80s, there were more important things to worry about, than what Communists were doing on the other side of the globe. Crack Cocaine and HIV/AIDS had their grip on nearly every inner city

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Any Given Sunday: The New York Jets and A Dream Placed on Hold

by Victor Simmons, Library Manager, Countee Cullen Library
January 28, 2011

The dust has finally settled over New York City, there are no more time outs left to use, the clock has unfortunately hit zero, and the final score was 24-19. The season is over and with it the dream of a city is placed on hold for yet another season. The National Football League's New York Jets nearly pulled off what they as an organization have not been able to do since the 1969-1969 season with Broadway Joe Namath. They came close to

Frugal New Year: Think BOGO Resolutions

by Victor Simmons, Library Manager, Countee Cullen Library
January 3, 2011

BOGO (AKA BOGOF) - an acronym for Buy One Get One Free

Recently, I rediscovered the wonders of coupons. Never have I saved so much with just a tiny piece of paper that I cut out by following the dotted lines. Go figure, that the Sunday papers were filled with what at the time I considered to be a total waste of paper and instead it allowed me to be lost in frugality.

The past decade has

Great Albums You May Have Missed: The Temptations' Give Love at Christmas (1980)

by Victor Simmons, Library Manager, Countee Cullen Library
December 22, 2010

Do you constantly find yourself humming the tune of "The Little Drummer Boy" during the holiday season as if it were a new and infectious single by the Black Eyed Peas? For some reason, the holiday season makes me long for something a little more festive playing through my mp3 player’s headphones as I walk to the Kingsbridge Branch on a blustery New York winter morning.

In 1980,