Regrets 2

In 1904, my maternal grandmother, Naomi (Elkin) Karchevsky, a woman in her early twenties, carrying her infant daughter (my aunt Francis), travelled from a small town in the Russian Empire all the way to Ellis Island in the New York City harbor to begin a new life.

Eventually, she and my grandfather, Julius, who arrived in the USA a year earlier, settled in Oswego, New York when my mother Margaret was born in 1907.  My parents met eighteen years later in 1925.  I was born twenty years after that in 1945.

My grandmother lived a long life passing away in December 1976 at more than 90 years of age.  At the time, she was living in a nursing home in upstate New York.  She was in reasonably good health, physically and mentally, when she suffered a stroke and died one day later.

I was (for the first time) a pall bearer at her funeral in Rochester, NY.  Afterwards I had my first experience sitting shiva.  "Eat...eat," I was told, so I ate.  The food was very good and plentiful.

My grandmother died just after my daughter Rachel celebrated her first birthday on December 7, 1976.  All that year 1976, I thought about taking her to the nursing home to introduce my grandmother to another of her many great-grandchildren.  I kept putting it off thinking I could do it another time...but it didn't happen.  It is another of my life's regrets.

As we lived not far from each other, I frequently saw my grandmother, especially when she lived in Rochester.  I had many happy memories of her.  

But, since my grandmother passed away, I have developed a curiosity about what her early life was like and what happened on that fateful journey from Russia to America.  That story is gone, but I imagine a little bit from the film Fiddler on the Roof (1971).

Kurds

Kurds are an ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria.  The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million.  Kurds speak the Kurdish languages.

Kurds do not comprise a majority in any country, making them a stateless people.  After World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Western allies made provision for a Kurdish state in the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. 

However, that promise was broken three years later, when the Treaty of Lausanne set the boundaries of modern Turkey and made no such provision, leaving Kurds with minority status in all of the new countries of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.  

Recent history of the Kurds includes numerous genocides and rebellions, along with ongoing armed conflicts in Turkish, Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurds in Iraq and Syria have autonomous regions, while Kurdish movements continue to pursue greater cultural rights, autonomy, and independence throughout the Kurdistan region.

Sufficient evidence exists, however, that, despite the fact that history is full of examples of Kurdish uprisings against the empires under whose rule they resided, the desire for an independent or autonomous Kurdish state among Kurds, in the modern sense, emerged only after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I.

After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, a new autonomous region in the northern part of the country was created and a new Kurdish government, under the name Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), came into existence. On 30 January 2005, the KRG organized a referendum on the question of an independent Kurdistan. The unofficial results recorded that 98.88% of Iraqi Kurds supported independence.

The referendum of 25 September 2017, like previous attempts at independence, was a step taken to press the Baghdad government for political and economic gains. Similar to the 2005 referendum, the latest one sparked controversy as it included the disputed territories of northern Iraq—including the Kirkuk oilfields—as part of the Kurdistan Region. 

This referendum carried only symbolic meaning for the Kurds, rather than any real potential for the declaration of an independent Kurdish state. The ballot asked a single question: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the region’s administration to become an independent state?” 

The results recorded that 93% of participants voted in favor of independence. The referendum went ahead despite the fact that almost all international actors—with the exception of Israel—were against it?

That begs the question as to what do the Kurds and the Israelis have in common?  Answer:  a desire to have their own independent state in the Middle East.  The problem:  The powers that be in the Middle East don't want them to succeed.  Why?

Israel and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq maintain a close informal relationship, but do not have formal diplomatic missions in each other's territory. Their ties are rooted in Israel's historically strong support for the Kurdish people and their long-running desire for self-determination and national independence in Kurdistan.  

The Iraqi government and the Kurdish government have differing policies with regard to the entry of Israeli citizens into their territory: Kurdish authorities accept Israeli passports at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and Israelis are entitled to regular freedom of movement throughout the Kurdistan Region.

Iraq, which has been a party to the Arab–Israeli conflict since Israel's founding in 1948, does not recognize Israeli sovereignty.

In light of Israel's conflict with the Arab countries, the Kurdistan Region has declared that there is no cause for animosity between Kurds and Israelis.  In 2017, the Israeli government openly voiced support for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state.  Relations between the two sides have been met with antisemitism and anti-Kurdish sentiment from the Arab League, Iran, and Turkey.

One-Eyed Jacks

Marlon Brando and Karl Malden are two of the most acclaimed Hollywood movie stars of all time.  They appeared together in three films: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954) and One-Eyed Jacks (1961).

The phrase one-eyed jacks refers to two of the jacks in a standard deck of playing cards: the Jack of hearts and the Jack of spades. One eyed jacks is a phrase most often used to describe cards that are being declared wild.

The film One-Eyed Jacks, a western, is the only one directed by Marlon Brando.  It is known that he wanted his friend Karl Malden to portray his partner/antagonist in the film.

The film starts with Rio (Brando) and Dad (Malden) robbing a bank in Mexico.  They escape but are chased by Mexican police.  

While up on top of a hill trying to fend off the police, the two decide that one of them should go off and get fresh horses.  Trusting him, Rio lets Dad have such an opportunity.

However, with one fresh horse, Dad abandons his friend and rides off to safety.  Rio is then captured and spends 5 years in prison before escaping.  He is consumed with revenge against Dad.

After leaving Mexico, Rio joins a gang of bank robbers heading to Monterrey, California where Dad is now surprisingly the local sheriff.  At their first meeting, both Dad and Rio lie about what happened 5 years before and since.  

Dad said that there were no fresh horses available.  It is not only not true, but Rio knows it is a lie because the Mexican police took him to the farm where Dad got his one fresh horse.  Others were available.

Rio says he evaded capture by the Mexican police.  Dad does not know the veracity of this story.  After the lies, they shake hands based of their old 'friendship.'

Rio even said to Dad that 5 years is a long time to hold a grudge.  But, it is never too long according to his true feelings.

Eventually there will be a shoot-out confrontation.  After all, this is a Western.  For example, see Stagecoach (1939) with John Wayne, High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper and Shane (1953) with Alan Ladd.  

Yearbook, Chapter 5

 On a warm June night in 1963, the Oswego High School seniors gathered in the auditorium, wearing their blue caps and gown, for the annual graduation ceremony.  Among the memorable events was the speech given by Betty Tucker, our valedictorian.  

After everything was said and done, we ditched the caps and gowns and headed to various locations to celebrate.  Bennie and his two friends, Frank and Billy, plus Bubbles and three of her friends went to Sereno's Bar on West Utica Street.  

After a few beers, Bennie gave Bubbles some good news.  The following weekend, his parents would be out of town and he would be home alone.

He invited Bubbles to come to his house and he would cook her a delicious meal, steak and boiled potatoes, followed by chocolate pudding.  She eagerly accepted.

Ghosting

The term ghosting is the act or practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with someone (such as a former romantic partner) without explanation.  I believe it to be cowardly and inappropriate behavior.

When I was a young man, I was guilty of ghosting.  I met a nice young woman at Temple Adath Israel in Oswego, my hometown.  I was on holiday from being a student at the University of Pennsylvania.  She was a student at what is now known as the State University of New York at Oswego.  

We went on one date, the movies and some food afterwards.  After I returned to school, we corresponded by letter writing, promising to see each other on my return to Oswego.  When I did, I called her saying I would see her later that evening.  I had wanted to relax after my flight from Philadelphia.  

However, she strongly insisted I see her right away.  I reluctantly acceded to her wishes.  She gave me a tour of her campus and then I drove her back to her sorority house where she introduced me as her boyfriend.  

We went out that night, had a great time, including making out in the car before she had to obey her curfew.  I went home still angry about how she had treated me that afternoon (strongly insisted).  I never called her or saw her again.  In retrospect, I should have called and discussed why I was upset.  She deserved that much.

I am not looking to excuse my behavior, but perhaps I learned ghosting from someone earlier in my life.

When I was in high school, I asked a pretty blonde girl from Minetto out on a date.  We went to the Friday night high school dance.  Afterwards, we went to Vona's for pizza.  Everything went very well.  We both were having a good time.

My father picked us up and proceeded to drive us back to Minetto.  As we turned south at the corner of West First and Utica Streets, I saw a friend hitching a ride home.  I asked my father to give him a lift.  He got in the car and was very polite.

We dropped my friend off in Minetto and proceeded to the pretty blonde girl's home.  When there, she literally jumped out of the car and ran to the door, entering before I arrived.  I tried calling the next day for an explanation, but she refused to talk to me.  What had I done?  Before the ride home, everything had gone very well.

I was ghosted.  And then I ghosted someone else.  Unacceptable and cowardly behavior.

Quid Pro Quo

In The Godfather (1972), Bonasera, the undertaker, goes to Don Corleone on the day of his daughter's wedding.  Bonasera's daughter had been brutally assaulted and the criminal justice system failed him.  So, this was his plan B.

Once Bonasera shows the required respect to the Godfather and asked for his friendship, Don Corleone was willing to provide the justice he was looking for.  He arranged for the young men responsible for the assault to be assaulted as well.

And then Don Corleone uttered this famous line, "One day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me."  To me, this is as expected.  I do something for you; you do something for me.

There you have Quid pro quo, an agreement for a reciprocal exchange of goods or services.

In As Good As It Gets (1997), Melvin, an author, is obsessed with a waitress (Carol) at the restaurant where he eats almost all his meals.  When she can't come to work because her son is very ill, he uses his influence with his publishing house editor to arrange for the medical services of her husband to treat the waitress's son.  The waitress then returns to work.

Carol is extremely grateful for Melvin's act of kindness.  However, when Melvin asks that Carol accompany Melvin and his gay friend on a trip from New York to Baltimore, she initially turns him down.

Carol is aghast that Melvin believes she owes him because of what he did for her.  He responds with, "Is there any other way to see it?"

I agree.  If somebody does you a favor or a kindness, then how can you resist repaying such favor or kindness when requested?  

Several years ago, our neighbors, Vitor and Marli, did an extreme act of kindness for us, unasked for and completely unexpected.  We will be forever in their debt, not out of obligation, but out of gratitude.

Twelve O'Clock High

In The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) was a former bombardier in the US Army Air Corps responsible for accurately dropping bombs on targets in Nazi Germany during World War II.

In Twelve O'Clock High (1949), the story of the 918th US Army Air Corps is told in a flashback to 1942 when it faced a crisis in its command.  

Twelve O'Clock High stars Gregory Peck, Dean Jagger, Millard Mitchell and Gary Merrill.  It was nominated for four Academy Awards:  Best Picture (won by All the King's Men), Best Actor (Peck, but won by Broderick Crawford for All the King's Men), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won by Jagger) and Best Sound Recording.

Group Commander Colonel Davenport (Merrill) has become over-protective of his men and is unwilling to discipline them, even for costly mistakes. Davenport is relieved of command by his superior, Major General Pritchard (Mitchell).  

Brigadier General Savage (Peck) is asked to take over.  Major Stovall (Jagger) stays on as his administrative assistant.

Savage takes a harsh approach to restoring the group's discipline and morale.  Unlike Davenport, he puts the mission as of primary importance, the safety of his men secondary.

A very key scene takes place when Savage makes an introductory speech to his flight group members.  "Our obligation is to this group...loyalty to the group, not an individual...I have heard we have suffered from hard luck...Well, I don't believe in hard luck.  Some have asked what are we fighting for?  We are in a shooting war...we have got to fight and some of us are going to die...fear is normal...stop worrying about it...forget about going home...consider yourself already dead...once you accept that idea, it won't be so tough."

The air battle scenes (about 10 minutes) near the end of the film were photographed in actual combat during WWII by members of the United States Army Air Corp and the German Luftwaffe.  You can't get more realism than that. 

Yearbook, Chapter 4

The following Friday would be the last high school dance before graduation.  Bubbles accepted my invitation to go there as my date.

Since our late night at Rudy's, we had spent more time together.  I drove her to school a couple of times.  We sat with each other at lunch time in the school cafeteria.

She was much easier to get along with than my ex-girlfriend.  We laughed a lot and never had a fight.

On Friday night I picked her up in my father's car and drove to the school.  It was more crowded than usual.  Most avoided dancing the first few songs, waiting for friends to arrive.

We got in the mood when Chubby Checker and the Twist was played.  It was fun dancing to that.

Bubbles asked if was okay if she left me for some minutes to gab with a couple of her girl friends.  I looked for one of my friends.

As I was wandering about on the crowded gym floor, I ran into the one person I didn't want to see, my ex.  We exchanged glances and she finally broke the ice.

"Where's your friend Bubbles?  Has she already dumped you?"

"No!  She'll be back soon.  How are you?"

"Much better these days.  Wanna dance?"

"No, I don't think so.  I'm here with Bubbles."

"You could do better."

"I'm happier now than before."

"Fuck you!"

And she stormed off.  I turned and continued looking for my buddy.  And then there was Bubbles, standing alone with tears swelling up in her eyes.

"I saw you talking to your ex.  What's going on?"

"Nothing.  We just ran into each other.  I'm happier with you and I told her so."

A big smile grew on her face.

"Are you sure, Bennie?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."  

Regrets 1

 In December 1962, my best friend from high school, Frank Ruggio, and I embarked on a weekend trip from Oswego to Syracuse to New York City.  Our goal, which we achieved, was to attend three  professional sporting events within about 24 hours.

However, during our trip we had extra time on our hands to do other things.  Frank wanted to do some things I did not agree to do that in retrospect I wish I had.  It is one of my regrets in life.

On Saturday night in Syracuse, after an NBA basketball game, we had some time to kill before our bus left for New York City (at 2:30 AM).  Frank wanted to go to a porno movie house near the bus station, something not available in our home town.

I, on the other hand, coming from a prudish background, declined to go with Frank.  Instead, I spent some time getting autographs from some of the basketball players, but mostly I just hung around the bus station.

My going to the porno movie house with Frank would have proven advantageous since his watch stopped and he almost missed the last bus to New York City.  My watch didn't stop.  

Furthermore, my going to the porno movie house would have been an educational experience for a very naive teenager such as what I was.

When we arrived in New York City, Frank, being a good Catholic, wanted to go to a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.  I, on the other hand, coming from a Jewish home where I learned to fear the Catholic religion, declined to go with Frank and instead hung around the bus station again.  

Instead of experiencing a beautiful church, I was almost picked up by an stranger.  Luckily, I knew better.  Since then, I have been in St. Patrick's Cathedral several times with my Catholic wife.

What a contrast that Frank chose and I declined:  a porno movie house and a Catholic church.  The bottom line was I should have gone with Frank both times.

___________

Next post will be in two weeks, on July 28th.

Jaws

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. It stars Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.  Also, lets not forget Susan Backlinie, who played a memorable character and who recently passed away.

Jaws won three Academy Awards: Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound.  It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

On a nine million dollar budget, Jaws took in $476 million at the box office.  It was the prototypical summer blockbuster.  

I remember having a difficult time finding a parking space when we went to the theater when Jaws was first released in cinemas that June.  Everybody wanted to see it.

In a New England beach town, a young woman (Backlinie) goes for a late-night swim (in the nude) during a beach party. An unseen shark attacks and pulls her underwater. Her remains are found washed up on the beach the next morning.

Soon after. a young boy is killed by perhaps the same shark at a crowded beach. A bounty is placed on the killer.  Quint (Shaw), an eccentric and roughened local shark hunter, offers his services for $10,000.

Consulting oceanographer Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) examines the first girl's remains, confirming that an abnormally large shark had killed her.

The local police chief (Scheider) plus Quint and Hooper go out on a small boat to destroy the man-eating shark.

Instead of many sightings of the shark, Spielberg effectively uses its theme music to convey its presence and impending doom.   

One night on the boat, Quint and Hooper drunkenly exchange stories about their assorted body scars. One of Quint's is a removed tattoo, and he reveals that he is a survivor of the Japanese attack on the USS Indianapolis, (which carried the atomic bomb to the Tinian Naval Base in July 1945) during which many US sailors, after the ship was sunk, were killed by sharks. 

When the police chief  first sees the large shark, he utters the famous line, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."  The battle between the three men and the shark continues to a conclusion with casualties on both sides.  

  

Yearbook, Chapter 3

On Friday night, I picked up Bubbles at her home in my father's car.  We drove to the movies and I parked in the adjacent lot.

We saw Bye Bye Birdie starring Ann-Margret and Bobby Rydell, portraying two high school sweethearts.  Before the show, I bought us a big bag of salty popcorn and a large coke with two straws.

It was hard to take my eyes off Ann-Margret, but Bubbles was sitting close by on my right.  At a discreet moment, I put my right arm around her shoulders.  She held my right hand with her left.

After the show, I said, "How did ya like it?"

"I loved it.  Thanks for taking me!"

Then she leaned over and kissed me on my cheek.

I followed up with, "How 'bout we drive out to Rudy's (restaurant by the lake)?"

"Great idea, Bennie."

 At Rudy's, we each had a hot dog and a beer.  Then, we walked over to a more secluded area.  I showed off my skill at skipping rocks into the lake.

Finally, she said, "You know, I've had a crush on you for some time.

"I wish you'd have let me know."

"I did...in the yearbook."

"I mean before.  I'm kind of shy around girls."

"Before you had a girlfriend."

"Well, that's history.  We fought all the time."

"I think you're a swell guy.  I hope you ask me out again."

"I sure will...I think you're a very pretty girl."

She moved closer to me, put her arms around my neck and we started kissing on our lips.  It was heavenly.

I drove her home.  After I parked, we made out in the car.  I told her I'd call her the next day.  I slept very well that night.  I think she did, too.  

Willie Mays

On October 3, 1951 (I was six years-old), the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers were playing the third and final playoff game for the National League baseball championship at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan.  The Dodgers were leading 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Giants had runners at second and third with only one out.

Up to bat came Bobby Thomson.  On deck was Willie Mays, the twenty year-old rookie sensation from Alabama.  As the Giants were the favorite team of my thirteen year-old older brother Paul, they became my favorite, too.  Because of his growing reputation as a ballplayer, Mays became the hero of my youth.

Mays never had to come to bat because Thomson became the hero of the day (and for many days thereafter) when he hit a dramatic three-run home run to win the game and the championship.  Unfortunately, the Giants lost the 1951 World Series to the New York Yankees.

Early the next season, Mays was drafted into the United States Army.  He did not return to pro baseball until the 1954 season, when he led the Giants to another National League championship and another trip to the World Series, this time against the Cleveland Indians.

In the top of the eighth inning of the first game at the Polo Grounds, the score was tied 2-2.  The Indians had runners on first and second with no outs when the dangerous Vic Wertz came to bat.

Wertz hit a long fly ball to the deepest part of center field.  Mays running full speed caught the ball over his shoulder and threw the ball back to the infield to prevent any runs from scoring.

It was September 29, 1954 and I was home from school because of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.  I watched the whole game by myself on our new black and white TV.

In the bottom of the tenth inning with the score still tied, Mays drew a walk and immediately stole second base.  The next batter was intentionally walked and pinch hitter Dusty Rhodes came to the plate.  He hit a three run home run to win the game.  The Giants swept the Indians, 4 games to none to win the World Series, the only one Mays would win.

In 1958, Willie Mays and the Giants moved to San Francisco.  As I lived in Oswego, it didn't affect me.  I stayed his and their number one fan.

In 1962, the Giants were again playing the Yankees in the World Series.  In the seventh and deciding game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the Yankees were leading 1-0.  

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Giants had a runner on first base with two outs.  I again was watching the game on TV as I had rushed home from high school, arriving during the fifth inning.

The last chance for the Giants rested on the shoulders of Willie Mays.  I knew in my gut he would not make the final out.  I was right as he hit a double to right field sending the tying run to third base.  Unfortunately, the next batter hit a line drive to the second baseman to end the game and the World Series.

As I went to college in Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, I benefitted from having the Giants visit the city several times during the baseball season.  What a thrill it was for me to see Willie Mays in person.  Another time, I saw him hit one of his 660 career home runs over the roof in old Connie Mack Stadium.

On May 11, 1972, Mays was traded to the New York Mets for whom he played until his retirement at the end of the 1973 season at age forty-two.  I remember watching on a color TV his last base hit driving in the winning run in game two of the 1973 World Series against the Oakland A's.

During this period with the Mets, I had to decide whether I was a Giant fan or a Willie Mays fan.  I knew I was a Willie Mays fan.  After his retirement, I returned to the Giants.

This past Thursday, the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals played a game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama where Willie Mays started his professional baseball career in 1948 with the Black Barons.  The Giants lost. 6-5.

Sadly, Willie Mays died this past Tuesday, June 18, at 93 years of age.  He will be missed, but never forgotten.

Father's Day Revisited

On Sunday, June 18, 2017, I wrote a blog post (Father's Day) about my father, Harry Lasky, born September 7, 1901 in Troy, NY and died September 17, 1981 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  His remains lie somewhere in a cemetery in Broward County, FL.  I want to re-examine our relationship and how it affected me during my youth.

In school, I did very well and developed academic self-confidence.  My older brothers Joel and Paul had also done very well in school and I felt it was incumbent on me to match their performance.

On or about 11 years old, I started noticing girls.  I wanted to have relationships with girls, but I developed a shyness around them.  My lack of social self-confidence did not match my academic self-confidence.

Negative experiences reinforced my shyness.  I began to feel it was better not to even try to overcome this lack of social self-confidence.  Nothing ventured...nothing lost.  

As I grew into adulthood, I started having positive experiences which overcame my shyness and I developed social self-confidence, especially with females.

I firmly believe that instilling self-confidence, in all its aspects, is very important for children.  Bonita and I did that with Rachel and Bret.

According to Psychology Today, people are not born shy.  "Babies are born with different temperaments, and those with an extremely sensitive temperament are more likely to go on to be shy. Yet supportive, sensitive parenting can buffer against developing shyness or social anxiety."

My mother tried on several occasions to reinforce my social self-confidence.  For example, she signed me up for dancing classes... with girls.

Unfortunately, I did not have much of a relationship with my father.  He believed his only role as a father was as a bread winner.

My father did boast to me on at least one occasion that he was somewhat of a ladies' man.  He was a good looking guy with money in his pocket.  He was attractive to females.  I wish he could have told me that I, too, was a good looking guy who was attractive to females.  It would have helped. 

Hiding in a Hotel Room

 As I have previously mentioned, my spring break trip with my parents to Miami Beach in 1963 was a many faceted experience for me.

I met Cassius Clay, soon to become Muhammed Ali, at the Fifth Street Gym.

I won a dance contest at a night club doing the twist.

I went with my Uncle Sam Friedland (really a cousin by marriage) and a couple of teenage girls from Rochester, NY on a trip to the beach in Fort Lauderdale to check out who was wearing Champion clothing.  He was a salesman for the company.

I recently mentioned an anecdotal story related to a waitress in the hotel coffee shop.

Now, I want to talk about an embarrassing memory.  The hotel where we were staying was throwing a party for its teenage guests.  As a seventeen year-old, I qualified.

My reaction at the time was fear, fear of being in an uncomfortable situation (a party with boys and girls).  I thought it best to avoid uncomfortable situations.  I should have felt that this was a wonderful opportunity that I had to take advantage of.

So, what did I do?  I hid in our hotel room.  But that did not prevent a young girl from doing her best to rid me of my fears.

Somehow, this girl, who was also a guest at the hotel, discovered where my room was.  She had the courage to knock on the door of a complete stranger.  I let her in.  We were all alone.  

As best she could, she tried to convince me to come to the party and that if I did, I would have a good time.  And how did I reward this girl who risked humiliation and embarrassment?  

I didn't go to the party.  I stayed in the room all night.  What a dope.  She must have thought me a coward.  And I was.  I shouldn't have let fear control my behavior.

Witness for the Prosecution

I have always found courtroom dramas to be very entertaining.  My favorite is Anatomy of a Murder (1959) pitting James Stewart against George C. Scott.  Other good ones are To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Caine Mutiny (1954) and Adam's Rib (1949).

Today I'd like to talk about another such drama, Witness for the Prosecution (1957) starring Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Elsa Lanchester.  

It was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning none:  Best Picture (won by The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Director (Billy Wilder, won by David Lean for The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Actor (Laughton, won by Alec Guinness for The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Supporting Actress (Lanchester, won by Miyoshi Umeki for Sayonara), Best Film Editing (won by The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Best Sound Recording (won by Sayonara).

Senior barrister (UK legal system) Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Laughton), who is recovering from a heart attack, agrees to defend Leonard Vole (Power).  Vole is accused of murdering a wealthy, childless widow who had become enamored of him and had named him as the main beneficiary in her will. 

Strong circumstantial evidence points to Vole as the killer, but Sir Wilfrid believes Vole to be innocent.  Vole's German wife Christine (Dietrich) provides an alibi, although it is not entirely convincing.

During the trial, Christine is called as a witness for the prosecution as she is not legally married to Vole.  She testifies that Vole privately confessed to her that he had killed the victim, and her conscience forced her to finally tell the truth.

During the trial, Sir Wilfred is contacted by a mysterious woman who has evidence that Christine perjured herself.  This convinces the jury that Vole should be acquitted and he is.

However, that is not the end.  There is a surprise that I don't want to divulge.

This was Tyrone Power's last finished movie.  He died of a heart attack (while making another) at age forty-four.

In real life, Laughton and Lanchester, who played Sir Wilfred's nurse in the film, were a married couple.   

    

Yearbook, Chapter 2

 "I love root beer floats," said Bubbles, while we were sitting together in a booth at Whelan's Drugstore.

"Me, too.  My aunt turned me on to them years ago."

"So...what are we doing here?"

"I thought you were hungry."

"Yeah, but...why am I so lucky?"

"You mean...why did I invite YOU?"

"Yeah...exactly."

"Well...I guess it was my nose."

She started laughing hysterically.

"I'm not used to getting such compliments (I said); my brain, yeah, but not my looks."

"You must know you're a good-lookin' guy."

"I figure I'm not ugly, but...good-lookin'?"

"Half the girls in school are jealous of me right this minute...trust me."

"Ok!"

"You had a girlfriend almost all year.  Didn't that show you something?"

"No, she liked me for my brain.  We never talked about looks.  Now she found somebody she thinks is smarter."

"Well...she's the loser."

She finished her root beer float.  

"So...what are WE...now, Bennie?"

I thought for a moment.

"Are you busy Friday night?"

Jackie

 Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York.  Her family resided in Manhattan.

Jackie attended grades 1-7 at the Chapin School in Manhattan.  One of her teachers described her as "a darling child, the prettiest little girl, very clever, very artistic, and full of the devil."

For 8th and 9th grades, Jackie attended the Holton-Arms School in Washington, D.C.  She finished high school at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, CT.

Jackie started her college career at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.  After spending her Junior year studying in France, she transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in French literature.

Washington Times-Herald editor Frank Waldrop hired Jackie as a part-time receptionist.  A week later she requested more challenging work, and Waldrop sent her to city editor Sidney Epstein, who hired her as an "Inquiring Camera Girl" despite her inexperience, paying her $25 a week.

Epstein recalled, "I remember her as this very attractive, cute-as-hell girl, and all the guys in the newsroom giving her a good look."  The position required Jackie to pose witty questions to individuals chosen at random on the street and take their pictures for publication in the newspaper alongside selected quotations from their responses.

In addition to the random "man on the street" vignettes, Jackie sometimes sought interviews with people of interest, such as six-year-old Tricia Nixon. She interviewed Tricia a few days after her father Richard Nixon was elected vice president of the United States in 1952.  Eight years later, Jackie would be married to the man who would defeat Nixon for the presidency of the United States.  

Jackie was briefly engaged to a young stockbroker named John Husted. After only a month of dating, the couple published the announcement in The New York Times in January 1952.  After three months, she called off the engagement because she had found him "immature and boring" once she got to know him better.

In December 1993, Jackie developed symptoms, including a stomach ache and swollen lymph nodes in her neck, and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.  By the following March the cancer had spread to her spinal cord, brain and liver and by May it was deemed terminal.  Jackie died May 19, 1994 (30 years ago) in her sleep in her Manhattan apartment at age 64.

The Waitress

During spring break 1963, I was with my parents at a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.  I was seventeen years old and anxious to start my new life by going away to college a few months later.

Which college?  I had been accepted at six universities as an engineering student:  Penn, Michigan, Cornell, Brandeis, Georgia Tech and Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve).

One morning at the hotel, I woke early (before my parents) and decided to have breakfast alone at its coffee shop.  

As I entered, I remember there being few customers.  Near the front was a table populated by a bunch of teenage girls.  I decided to eat at the counter with my back to the girls.  I was my waitress's only customer.

I avoided turning around.  I looked straight ahead, gave my order to the waitress and ate the food when she brought it to me.  I tried to ignore the girls behind me as I assumed they were ignoring me.

For no particular reason, the waitress decided to do me a favor.  From her vantage point, she could both see and hear the teenage girls behind me.

Before I left the coffee shop, the waitress told me the teenage girls had been looking at and almost exclusively talking about me.  Suffering at the time from a lack of social self-esteem, I didn't believe her.  Why should I?  She was a stranger.  

In retrospect (from more than sixty years later), I should have believed the waitress and taken advantage of the very useful information she provided.  Maybe I should have had the courage to join the teenage girls at their table.  I had much to gain...perhaps a boost in my social self-esteem.

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde is a 1967 American biographical neo-noir crime film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the title characters Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The film also features Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons.

Bonnie and Clyde is considered a landmark picture. It broke many film taboos.  The movie's ending became iconic as "one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history".

The film received Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) and Best Cinematography.  It was ranked 27th on the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 100 greatest American films of all time and 42nd on its 2007 list.

During the Great Depression, Clyde Barrow (Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Dunaway) of Texas meet when Clyde tries to steal Bonnie's mother's car. Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is intrigued by Clyde and decides to take up with him and become his partner in crime.

Bonnie and Clyde pull off some holdups, but their amateur efforts, while exciting, are not very lucrative. They turn from small-time heists to bank robbing.

Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree shifts into high gear once they hook up with a dim-witted gas station attendant, C.W. Moss (Pollard). Their exploits also become more violent.

After C.W. botches parking their getaway car during a bank robbery and delays their escape, Clyde shoots the bank manager in the face when he jumps onto the slow-moving car's running board.  Clyde's older brother Buck (Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Parsons), also join them.

C.W. takes Bonnie and Clyde to hide out at his father's house, who thinks the couple have corrupted his son.  The father makes a deal with the police: in exchange for leniency for C.W.

The police set a trap for the outlaws.  When Bonnie and Clyde stop on the side of the road to help C. W.'s father fix a flat tire, the posse in the bushes riddle the couple with bullets. 

Bonnie and Clyde was one of the first films to feature extensive use of squibs—small explosive charges, often mounted with bags of stage blood, that detonate inside an actor's clothes to simulate bullet hits. Released in an era when film shootings were generally depicted as bloodless and painless, the Bonnie and Clyde death scene was one of the first in mainstream American cinema to be depicted with graphic realism.

 

Yearbook, Chapter 1

She wrote the following in my 1963 high school yearbook. "To a smart boy who I wish I had half of his brains.  Be good and don't keep your nose in a book.  It's too cute to be in there.  Lot's of luck at college.  Love, Bubbles"

Immediately after reading it a second time, I chased after her down the high school corridor.  She hadn't gotten far. Perhaps she was holding back to give me time to catch up.

Hey, I said.  "Where're you going?"

"Home.  I'm done for the day.  What about you?"

I noticed her nose as well.  It was definitely pretty cute.  For a second, a cold chill went up my spine.  My ex-girlfriend had broken up with me a couple of weeks ago, but perhaps she still felt I was off limits.  I would hate for Bubbles's nose to be on the receiving end of a punch.

"What a coincidence.  I am, too.  (I cut my last class.)  Let me walk you home."

"Sure!"

We walked out the nearest exit together and headed towards West Second Street.  

"So...what're you doing after graduation?"

"Well...my girlfriends and I are planning on going to the closest bar and drinking beer.  I just turned eighteen."

"Can I join your group?"

"Why not?"

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry."

"Wanna grab something to eat at Whalen's (drug store lunch counter)?"

"Good idea, Bennie!"

Erin Burnett

Erin Burnett of CNN interviewed Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson yesterday (April 24, 2024) on the Columbia University campus in New York City.

She asked him the following question:  How is Free Palestine anti-Semitic?  The tone of her question gave me the distinct impression that she didn't believe it was.

Is she ignorant or biased?

Free Palestine (From the River to the Sea) calls for the elimination of the State of Israel.  Such State of Israel represents the right of the Jewish people to have a state of their own, just as other people around the world have theirs.

The Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank have been offered a state of their own multiple time in the last 100 years and each time they rejected it?  Why?  Because they do not accept the existence of a Jewish state or Jewish people in that part of the world where Jews have been for thousands of years.

Now, impressionable young American college students are taking up the cause of a people (Hamas is the government of Gaza) who don't believe in democracy, don't believe in women's rights, don't believe in gay rights, don't believe in freedom of speech and don't believe in the right of protest.    

These young college students don't distinguish between Israelis and American Jews.  They demand freedom of speech and assembly to denounce Israel while at the same time denying basic freedoms for Jewish students through various forms of intimidation.

A Jew doesn't have to live in Israel, but without Israel, Jews in the diaspora would be in a much more precarious position.  Remember the Holocaust.  The Jews in Europe had no where to go to escape.

In 1939, the German liner St. Louis sailed from Hamburg with about 900 Jewish refugees.  They were denied entry into Cuba, the United States and Canada.  The ship and its passengers were forced to return to Europe.  Israel would have welcomed them with open arms.  Unfortunately, Israel didn't exist in 1939.  

Brasilia

Brasilia is the federal capital of Brazil. The city is located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region and is not part of any state.

Brasilia was founded by President Juscelino Kubitschek on the 21st of April, 1960 (64 years ago today), to serve as the new national capital. It is estimated to be Brazil's third-most populous city after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (the former capital).

Brasília was a planned city developed by Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer and Joaquim Cardozo in 1956 in a scheme to move the capital to a more central location. The landscape architect was Roberto Burle Marx.

The city's design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector, and the Embassy Sector. 

Brasília was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 due to its modernist architecture and uniquely artistic urban planning.

All three branches of Brazil's federal government are located in the city: executive, legislative and judiciary. Brasília also hosts 124 foreign embassies.

The city's international airport connects it to all other major Brazilian cities and some international destinations.  Many years ago, on a trip to the city of Sao Luis in Brazil, my flight from Sao Paulo stopped at the airport in Brasilia.

Laid out in the shape of an airplane, its "fuselage" is the Monumental Axis, a pair of wide avenues flanking a large park. In the "cockpit" is Praça dos Três Poderes, named for the 3 branches of government surrounding it.

It can be stated that Brazil followed the example of the USA in that 170 years before Brasilia was founded, the city of Washington was founded for the same reason: to create a centrally located capital not part of any state.  Washington, in the USA of 1790, was centrally located between New Hampshire to the north and Georgia to the south.