Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

Here in New York, some people just seem to lose it at Christmas time. This block in Corona Queens is typical of this over the top Christmas lights decorations.

My version of bruschetta Sicilian tomatoes and onions salad Pasta alla Norma Pasta riminata So to celebrate the end of the world that wasn't,  my thought once again turn to good but simple Sicilian food. I am not a foodie just someone who likes to cook and eat good traditional food. Please do not worry, this  is not becoming a food blog.  BTW, I cooked and photographed these dishes. Enjoy.

Again with the summer. It's just that the thought of the winter solstice makes me cold all over. BTW, if you can see this post on 12-12-12, we dodged the Mayan bullet. As you may know by now, my two favorite places in New York City have to do with Brooklyn. One is the Brooklyn Bridge and the other is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. These photos  were all taken in late summer of 2011 with the Canon 5-D and the Canon 16-35 F 2.8 L.

Winter is almost here in the northern hemisphere as we hopefully reach and survive the winter solstice. These photos show a precocious snow fall. There will be more snow, I'm sure.

Instagram responds to clamor around TOS changes Erin Lodi | Published: Dec 18, 2012 at 23:54:01 UTC 55 Instagram stirred up concerns amongst its users after updating its terms of service yesterday. Instagram says isn't going to sell your images and is now recalling the phrasing it released yesterday which seemed to say just that. Instagram has updated its blog with a post from co-founder  Kevin Systrom that attempts to soothe concerns that the social photo-sharing service was about to start selling users' images. Systrom writes: "Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate ...

North eastern Pennsylvania Lafayette, New Jersey North eastern Pennsylvania With all the depressing news these days, when it appears that the world is going mad, it's pleasant to escape mentally to happy summer days. These photos were all taken with the Olympus EL-300 back in the summer of 2004. The greens alone are very relaxing.

Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos In its first big policy shift since Facebook bought the photo-sharing site, Instagram claims the right to sell users' photos without payment or notification. Oh, and there's no way to opt out. by Declan McCullagh December 17, 2012 9:54 PM PST Instagram said today that it has the perpetual right to sell users' photographs without payment or notification, a dramatic policy shift that quickly sparked a public outcry. The new intellectual property policy, which takes effect on January 16, comes three months after Facebook completed its acquisition of the popular photo-sharing site. Unless Instagram users delete their accounts before the January deadline, they cannot opt out. Under the new policy , Facebook claims the perpetual right to license all public Instagram photos to companies or any other organization, including for advertising purposes, which would effectively transfo...

The Highline that starts at the meat packing district on the West Side and goes all the way up to 34th Street, is a most pleasant surprise. It is a must visit.  Built by a  NYC government and private sector union, it is a splendid use of old elevated train tracks that were no longer used. Instead of continuing to be an eye sore, these tracks have become a beautiful space that enhances this great city. These photos were all shot with the Olympus E PL-2 and the M. Zuiko Digital 9-18mm lens.

I hope that your week is a delicious one. Last spring, while visiting Scopello, just outside of Castellammare along the western part of the gulf, we came upon this restaurant that had just opened for lunch.  After trying the freshly made caponata, we settled for these wonderful dishes: couscous with fish, misto fritto and spaghetti  with clam sauce"verace." A really memorable lunch. BTW, you have not tasted shrimp, baby clams or calamari unless you eat them in Sicily.