The gathering of world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly attracts each respective nation's brain trust as well as a constellation of groups and individuals on the outskirts of power who find the event an opportunity to plead their cases to a new and diverse audience. Iranian dissidents broadcast the horrors of the nation they left behind in large loud numbers. The Falun Gong is ever-present -  a group of middle-aged women in their highlighter yellow vests politely handing out leaflets about Chinese oppression. Nigerians and Cameroonians try to enlighten passersby that what their leaders are saying in the stone-slab General Assembly building is not the whole truth. This year this was a noisy group of anti-vaccine demonstrators as well as an assortment of individuals pleading diverse personal causes. Some blame a government agency or individual for their circumstances. A folded paper handed to me accused the Chinese Communist Party of torturing a man. A woman a few years ago said the US  Secretary of State had kidnapped and brainwashed her. I take some handouts and ignore others, always wondering about the plausibility of the various stories being told. These people are out there the rest of the year too, but for this 10-day period they see a unique chance to be heard and try to seize it. A woman with a large crudely hand-painted sign was asking for money for a diet soda. Something in her manner or face made me go back after I passed her and hand her two dollars. She handed me this flyer and said, "That's my story. You just have to enlarge it." How many people with actually take the flyer and how many will bother to enlarge it. I have no idea. I myself haven't enlarged it yet and read her story. But I plan to.