On the eve of Cinco de Mayo, 1942, nightfall arrives on the beach in front of the cottage where Ben and Rita are relaxing. Unbeknownst to them, they are in a potential battleground.
On the other side of the road they had walked down the previous day, Mexican troops move into positions to maintain the high ground above the beach in anticipation of an assault by American forces. The cottage is so well hidden the Mexican soldiers are unaware it exists. Ben and Rita are so preoccupied they are unaware armed men are so close.
On a U.S. Navy destroyer approaching the nearby Mexican coast, Private Harry Johnson and thousands of other American soldiers nervously await the dawn when many could be in harm's way. Harry smokes a cigarette as he stares off into the distance at the unknown.
Cinco de Mayo opens with a beautiful sunny morning at the beach in front of the cottage. Save for Ben, Rita and the Mexican soldiers, the area is deserted. The honeymooners remain asleep inside their cottage.
At 8:59 AM, the officers on the bridge of the U.S. destroyer are quiet and professional as they await the President's 9:00 AM deadline imposed on the Mexican government to turn over Julius Karchevsky. The communications officer anxiously waits for the possibility of a last second reprieve from Washington.
In the Oval Office at the White House, President Roosevelt, alone, sits silently at his desk waiting for his deadline to arrive, hoping for good news, but prepared to see his decision through.
Inside the cottage, the two naked lovers are just waking up after a beautiful night together. Rita rolls over and lies on top of Ben.
She says, "Good morning, my love. Feliz Cinco de Mayo."
And then she kisses him sweetly on his lips.
It is 9:00 AM on the bridge of the U.S. destroyer. The deadline has arrived.
The captain firmly announces, "Commence firing."
Inside the cottage, the lovers are kissing. Suddenly, a loud explosion is heard just above them and all goes black.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Rise of the Third Reich
Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Founding Fathers, is quoted as saying, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Thus, democracy without liberty can be a dangerous game.
On November 8, 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president of the United States. According to its Constitution, he was inaugurated on March 4, 1933. The USA was and is a democracy with liberty. Unfortunately, Germany at that same time was only a democracy, albeit one with a short life span.
On July 31, 1932, the German parliamentary election results pushed the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) into the lead among the numerous competing political parties with 37% of the vote. The Social Democratic Party was second with 22% while the Communist Party of Germany was third with 14%.
As the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag (parliament), Adolph Hitler was appointed German Chancellor on January 30, 1933. He called for new elections to take place on March 5, 1933, a day after Roosevelt took office and 85 years ago this month.
Four weeks after Hitler's appointment, but before the election, the Reichstag was set on fire, gutting most of the building. The next day, at the request of Chancellor Hitler, German President Paul von Hindenburg signed the Reichstag Fire Decree, an emergency measure which removed many civil liberties.
As a result of extreme campaign intimidation and violence by the Nazis, their party rose to 44% in the March election. The Social Democrats fell to 18% and the Communists to 12%. However, the Nazis still fell short of the two-thirds needed to pass the Enabling Act, which would give the Chancellor (Hitler) the power to govern at will for a period of four years.
In order to get the necessary parliamentary approval, Hitler ordered the arrest of the 81 Communist Party members of parliament under the Reichstag Fire Decree preventing them from voting. Once the Enabling Act was passed on March 24, 1933 and after President Hindenberg died on August 2, 1934, Hitler was able to dissolve the former German government and create his Third Reich in which he was the absolute supreme unquestioned dictator, the Fuhrer. He used democracy to achieve his ends. Beware!
For the record, the First Reich (kingdom or empire) was The Holy Roman Empire (962 AD to 1806). The Second Reich was the German Empire (1871 to 1918). Thankfully, the Third Reich ended in April of 1945, replaced by a democracy with liberty, the Federal Republic of Germany.
On November 8, 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president of the United States. According to its Constitution, he was inaugurated on March 4, 1933. The USA was and is a democracy with liberty. Unfortunately, Germany at that same time was only a democracy, albeit one with a short life span.
On July 31, 1932, the German parliamentary election results pushed the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) into the lead among the numerous competing political parties with 37% of the vote. The Social Democratic Party was second with 22% while the Communist Party of Germany was third with 14%.
As the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag (parliament), Adolph Hitler was appointed German Chancellor on January 30, 1933. He called for new elections to take place on March 5, 1933, a day after Roosevelt took office and 85 years ago this month.
Four weeks after Hitler's appointment, but before the election, the Reichstag was set on fire, gutting most of the building. The next day, at the request of Chancellor Hitler, German President Paul von Hindenburg signed the Reichstag Fire Decree, an emergency measure which removed many civil liberties.
As a result of extreme campaign intimidation and violence by the Nazis, their party rose to 44% in the March election. The Social Democrats fell to 18% and the Communists to 12%. However, the Nazis still fell short of the two-thirds needed to pass the Enabling Act, which would give the Chancellor (Hitler) the power to govern at will for a period of four years.
In order to get the necessary parliamentary approval, Hitler ordered the arrest of the 81 Communist Party members of parliament under the Reichstag Fire Decree preventing them from voting. Once the Enabling Act was passed on March 24, 1933 and after President Hindenberg died on August 2, 1934, Hitler was able to dissolve the former German government and create his Third Reich in which he was the absolute supreme unquestioned dictator, the Fuhrer. He used democracy to achieve his ends. Beware!
For the record, the First Reich (kingdom or empire) was The Holy Roman Empire (962 AD to 1806). The Second Reich was the German Empire (1871 to 1918). Thankfully, the Third Reich ended in April of 1945, replaced by a democracy with liberty, the Federal Republic of Germany.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
The '64 Phillies
At the beginning of the 1964 baseball season, I was finishing my freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. As I wanted to get ahead of my graduation requirements, I stayed at Penn for summer school during the baseball season's "dog days." At the end of the season, I was beginning my sophomore year. Thus, I had an opportunity to view up close the ups and downs of the Philadelphia Phillies' entire momentous 1964 season.
From its first day in April until the final two weeks in September, the '64 Phillies, led by Johnny Callison, Dick Allen, Chris Short and Jim Bunning, were in first place at the top of the National League. They had a record of 90 wins and 60 losses. The Phillies led the second place Cincinnati Reds by 6 & 1/2 games with only 12 to play. Their fans were ready to celebrate the team's first championship in fourteen years.
However, the Phillies lost their next ten games, including the first seven at home. They finished the season tied for second place (with the Reds) one game behind the National League pennant winner and World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Those ten losses in a row (known as the "phold" in Philadelphia) are considered to be one of the greatest collapses in sports history. What happened? Some point the finger at Phillies Manager Gene Mauch who seemed to panic when he decided to start some of his best pitchers on short rest during this final stretch run. It didn't work. In a 26 year career as a baseball manager, his teams never won a league championship (pennant).
I did not go to any of the final seven home games, but I followed the Phillies with close attention by reading the Evening Bulletin, a now defunct local newspaper. However, I did go to numerous games in 1964, especially during the summer. I remember getting off the Broad Street Subway at Lehigh Avenue and walking about ten blocks through an African American neighborhood to arrive at Connie Mack Stadium, named for a Philadelphia baseball icon, then home of the Phillies.
At one point, I came up with an idea. I had the habit of always buying a program when I went to baseball games in order to keep score using my own system. Why not try to get a job selling programs at Connie Mack? I could make some money and see games for free. No downside.
So, one day when the Phillies were on the road, I went to the stadium and spoke to the person responsible for hiring vendors. In spite of my youth (18 years-old) and experience (none), he hired me to sell programs. Maybe, he said, I could eventually work my way up to selling hot dogs, the best money maker. I would earn a commission for each program I sold and after a few innings, when there were no more customers or no more programs, I could find an empty seat and watch the rest of the game. I was not required to come to all the games, only those I could. He gave me an identity card which gave me access to the stadium and the beginning of my first real job (not working for my father).
I went to some games afterward, but I never went back to Connie Mack to work as a program vendor. I have been puzzled over the years as to why I didn't. It was still a good idea, so why did I not follow through?
One reason I didn't was fear. It was a pattern during this period of my life, letting fear control my behavior. Instead of enjoying the excitement of a new experience, I dreaded the worst case scenario.
Another reason I believe was a kind of attitude, perhaps coming from my upbringing (What would my parents think?), that I was "too good" to sell programs at a ball park, that I was lowering myself. I am ashamed to think this was why.
Forty-three years later I took a job as a customer service representative, earning minimum wage, at Kohl's Department Store in Durham, North Carolina. I was not "too good" any longer. I am proud of that experience.
From its first day in April until the final two weeks in September, the '64 Phillies, led by Johnny Callison, Dick Allen, Chris Short and Jim Bunning, were in first place at the top of the National League. They had a record of 90 wins and 60 losses. The Phillies led the second place Cincinnati Reds by 6 & 1/2 games with only 12 to play. Their fans were ready to celebrate the team's first championship in fourteen years.
However, the Phillies lost their next ten games, including the first seven at home. They finished the season tied for second place (with the Reds) one game behind the National League pennant winner and World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Those ten losses in a row (known as the "phold" in Philadelphia) are considered to be one of the greatest collapses in sports history. What happened? Some point the finger at Phillies Manager Gene Mauch who seemed to panic when he decided to start some of his best pitchers on short rest during this final stretch run. It didn't work. In a 26 year career as a baseball manager, his teams never won a league championship (pennant).
I did not go to any of the final seven home games, but I followed the Phillies with close attention by reading the Evening Bulletin, a now defunct local newspaper. However, I did go to numerous games in 1964, especially during the summer. I remember getting off the Broad Street Subway at Lehigh Avenue and walking about ten blocks through an African American neighborhood to arrive at Connie Mack Stadium, named for a Philadelphia baseball icon, then home of the Phillies.
At one point, I came up with an idea. I had the habit of always buying a program when I went to baseball games in order to keep score using my own system. Why not try to get a job selling programs at Connie Mack? I could make some money and see games for free. No downside.
So, one day when the Phillies were on the road, I went to the stadium and spoke to the person responsible for hiring vendors. In spite of my youth (18 years-old) and experience (none), he hired me to sell programs. Maybe, he said, I could eventually work my way up to selling hot dogs, the best money maker. I would earn a commission for each program I sold and after a few innings, when there were no more customers or no more programs, I could find an empty seat and watch the rest of the game. I was not required to come to all the games, only those I could. He gave me an identity card which gave me access to the stadium and the beginning of my first real job (not working for my father).
I went to some games afterward, but I never went back to Connie Mack to work as a program vendor. I have been puzzled over the years as to why I didn't. It was still a good idea, so why did I not follow through?
One reason I didn't was fear. It was a pattern during this period of my life, letting fear control my behavior. Instead of enjoying the excitement of a new experience, I dreaded the worst case scenario.
Another reason I believe was a kind of attitude, perhaps coming from my upbringing (What would my parents think?), that I was "too good" to sell programs at a ball park, that I was lowering myself. I am ashamed to think this was why.
Forty-three years later I took a job as a customer service representative, earning minimum wage, at Kohl's Department Store in Durham, North Carolina. I was not "too good" any longer. I am proud of that experience.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Sideways
Paul Giamatti, the actor, was born on D Day plus 23 (June 6, 1967) in New Haven, Connecticut where his father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was a professor of English Renaissance Literature at Yale University. From December 1978 until June 1986 (Paul was a student at Yale within this period), the older Giamatti was president of the University. In 1986, Paul's father left Yale to become president of the National League of professional baseball.
In April 1989, A. Bartlett Giamatti became the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, a position he held for only five months until his untimely death from a heart attack at 51 years of age. Shortly before his death, he gained fame or infamy because of his banishment from baseball of Pete Rose, a great player, because of his involvement in gambling.
In 1998, Paul Giamatti appeared in supporting roles in such big budget films as The Truman Show and Saving Private Ryan. In 2004, he starred along with Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh in the film Sideways. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture (lost to Million Dollar Baby). It won one Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor). The following year, Paul was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Cinderella Man (lost to George Clooney in Syriana).
Sideways is one of my favorite films. It is the story of two friends, Miles (Giamatti) and Jack (Church), who decide to spend the week before Jack's wedding visiting the California wine country. Miles is a wine connoisseur who attempts to educate Jack, a man who only knows he likes to drink wine. Paul in real life knows little of wine, nor really likes it that much. In the movie, besides drinking wine, there's also a lot of eating, playing golf and having sex with Maya (Madsen) and Stephanie (Oh), who don't know about Jack's upcoming wedding.
Early in the film, while on their trip, Miles and Jack visit the home of Miles' mother. In a touching moment, Miles looks at a picture which in reality is of Paul and his father, A. Bartlett.
There's a funny line in the film where Miles, about to enter a restaurant on a double date with Jack, Maya and Stephanie, says, "If anybody orders merlot, I'm leaving." When I saw the film for the first time, I knew little of wine and never heard of merlot. Since then, Cristina and I have grown to love wine, especially merlot.
Another of Miles' issues is getting his manuscript (The Day After Yesterday) published. He has an agent but his publisher declined. When Miles heard this bad news while at a winery, he got depressed and attempted to drown his sorrows by "tasting" as much wine as possible. When I failed to sell my story of Ben and Rita either as a novel or as a screenplay, my reaction was to start my own blog in December of 2014, about which I am very happy.
In 2013, Paul appeared in one of our favorite television series, Downton Abbey, as the brother of the American wife/mother (played by Elizabeth McGovern) of an aristocratic British family during the early part of the Twentieth Century. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Beginning in 2016, Paul starred, along with Damian Lewis, in the television series Billions, the story of a crusading federal prosecutor (Chuck Rhoades) who goes after those (like Bobby Axelrod) who bend or break the law regarding potential financial crimes. In one scene, Paul, the prosecutor, is eating lunch with one of his associates at Keen's Steak House in Manhattan. In the background is a painting of a tiger. Last June, Cristina and I had dinner in the same room right next to the same painting of a tiger. Maybe one day we'll all three have dinner together in the same room at the same time.
In April 1989, A. Bartlett Giamatti became the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, a position he held for only five months until his untimely death from a heart attack at 51 years of age. Shortly before his death, he gained fame or infamy because of his banishment from baseball of Pete Rose, a great player, because of his involvement in gambling.
In 1998, Paul Giamatti appeared in supporting roles in such big budget films as The Truman Show and Saving Private Ryan. In 2004, he starred along with Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh in the film Sideways. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture (lost to Million Dollar Baby). It won one Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor). The following year, Paul was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Cinderella Man (lost to George Clooney in Syriana).
Sideways is one of my favorite films. It is the story of two friends, Miles (Giamatti) and Jack (Church), who decide to spend the week before Jack's wedding visiting the California wine country. Miles is a wine connoisseur who attempts to educate Jack, a man who only knows he likes to drink wine. Paul in real life knows little of wine, nor really likes it that much. In the movie, besides drinking wine, there's also a lot of eating, playing golf and having sex with Maya (Madsen) and Stephanie (Oh), who don't know about Jack's upcoming wedding.
Early in the film, while on their trip, Miles and Jack visit the home of Miles' mother. In a touching moment, Miles looks at a picture which in reality is of Paul and his father, A. Bartlett.
There's a funny line in the film where Miles, about to enter a restaurant on a double date with Jack, Maya and Stephanie, says, "If anybody orders merlot, I'm leaving." When I saw the film for the first time, I knew little of wine and never heard of merlot. Since then, Cristina and I have grown to love wine, especially merlot.
Another of Miles' issues is getting his manuscript (The Day After Yesterday) published. He has an agent but his publisher declined. When Miles heard this bad news while at a winery, he got depressed and attempted to drown his sorrows by "tasting" as much wine as possible. When I failed to sell my story of Ben and Rita either as a novel or as a screenplay, my reaction was to start my own blog in December of 2014, about which I am very happy.
In 2013, Paul appeared in one of our favorite television series, Downton Abbey, as the brother of the American wife/mother (played by Elizabeth McGovern) of an aristocratic British family during the early part of the Twentieth Century. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Beginning in 2016, Paul starred, along with Damian Lewis, in the television series Billions, the story of a crusading federal prosecutor (Chuck Rhoades) who goes after those (like Bobby Axelrod) who bend or break the law regarding potential financial crimes. In one scene, Paul, the prosecutor, is eating lunch with one of his associates at Keen's Steak House in Manhattan. In the background is a painting of a tiger. Last June, Cristina and I had dinner in the same room right next to the same painting of a tiger. Maybe one day we'll all three have dinner together in the same room at the same time.
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