Paladin, Chapter 9

EXT. STREET - DAY

PALADIN exits Sheriff's office and walks to saloon and enters.

INT. SALOON - DAY

PALADIN enters saloon and sees POLLYANNA sitting at a table drinking with a young man.  They are in animated conversation.  PALADIN interrupts.

PALADIN: (speaking to POLLYANNA) Excuse me.  But, we need to talk.

JOHN HENRY: Hey, mister.  You're buttin in where you don't belong.  Shut up and be gone.

PALADIN: (ignoring JOHN HENRY) As I said, we need to talk.

JOHN HENRY stands up, glowering at PALADIN.  PALADIN slowly turns to face him.  Finally, POLLYANNA acts.

POLLYANNA: Hold it, JOHN HENRY, let me talk to the man and I'll get back to you real soon.  Please!

JOHN HENRY reluctantly leaves them alone.  PALADIN sits down.

PALADIN: Lady, you brought me here under false pretenses.  I'm trying to think what I should do for the money I'm not returning.  Any ideas?  

POLLYANNA: Kill BIG DAN and GRACE.

PALADIN: And why should I do that?  

POLLYANNA: Because I paid you.  I saw how you killed those two last night.  What's two more to you?

PALADIN: Maybe I should kill you instead. 

POLLYANNA: I think you'd rather fuck me than kill me.

PALADIN: If you aren't happily wed, why don't you get a divorce?

POLLYANNA: I'd lose half interest in a lucrative property, our cattle ranch.  

PALADIN: Then, there's the matter of CHARLES, who doesn't seem so amorous towards you.  

POLLYANNA: Oh, he acts different when we're alone.  Has to act that way when he's in front of GRACE, a worthless woman.

PALADIN: You're not helping me.  I'd like to do something for the money you paid me, but I'm having difficulty finding a solution.  I'm going to remain in town for maybe a couple of days.  You can find me at the hotel.  Try to come up with something.  

PALADIN departs saloon.

Typing

A typewriter is a machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectively.

The first commercial typewriters were introduced in 1874, but did not become common in offices in the United States until after the mid-1880s.  The typewriter quickly became an indispensable tool for practically all writing other than personal handwritten correspondence. 

It was widely used by professional writers, in offices, in business correspondence in private homes, and by students preparing written assignments.

Typewriters were a standard fixture in most offices up to the 1980s. After that, they began to be largely replaced by personal computers running word processing software. 

The QWERTY keyboard layout, developed for typewriters in the 1870s, remains the de facto standard for English-language computer keyboards.

In the summer of 1960, at age fifteen, with few options, I decided to attend summer school at OHS.  I chose two classes: world history and typing.

I knew that I could no longer submit hand written compositions for school work.  I needed to learn how to type.

I remember sitting in the first row by the door in the back of a room full of typewriters.  I also remember I was the only male in the classroom.  However, I failed to take advantage of such a favorable environment.  I never talked to any of my classmates.

I wasn't the best student, but I learned how to type.  I am typing this blogpost on my computer keypad without looking at the keys, something I learned how to do 65 years ago.   

Cataract

Two years ago, I visited an eye clinic for an annual checkup.  I was surprised when the doctor said that I was getting closer to needing cataract surgery.

Cataract is a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.  During surgery, the lens of the eye is replaced by a new and better one.

This year's annual checkup recommended cataract surgery now.  I found a surgeon I trusted.

My surgery took place on Wednesday, July 2nd.  I had to be there at 7 AM.  Luckily, the location was nearby.

I was put at ease when the receptionist, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist all spoke English.  A very kind nurse placed an intravenous in the crook of my left elbow.

When the anesthesiologist approached, I asked him to tell me when he would put me to sleep.  He said, "Now."

The next thing I remember is waking up from my more or less 30 minute operation.  I was carefully assisted to standing up (surgery was in a prone position), walking to the elevator and into our car for our return trip home at about 10 AM.

Cristina has greatly assisted me with the commencement of three weeks of required eye drops, starting with every four hours, but now every eight hours for another two weeks.

I noticed with the new lens that everything appears brighter and more colorful.  Blueberries are now very blue instead of just plain dark.  Good!  

Paladin, Chapter 8

SHERIFF ROGERS: I'll try.  POLLYANNA and her husband, BIG DAN, arrived in Windfall about two and a half years ago and bought a ranch about a mile out of town.  BIG DAN's been pretty successful runnin' steers.  Not so with the missus.  She's got a rovin' eye.  I think no man can hold her interest for long.  She's flirted with any number.  Well, now she's got her eye set on CHARLES, who with his wife, GRACE, owns the general store across the street.  They came about a year ago.  Do a nice business.     

PALADIN: What's BIG DAN doing about his wife?

SHERIFF ROGERS: Funny.  He intimidates everybody...exceptin me of course...and exceptin his wife, too.  She runs all over him.  He can't control her.  Personally, I wouldn't put up with a woman like that, pretty as she is.

PALADIN: Intimidates how?  With a gun?

SHERIFF ROGERS: He's alright with a gun.  Nothing special.  Mostly with his size and his fists.  A really big fella.  Saw him beat the shit out of one cowboy who stood up to him.

PALADIN: What about CHARLES and GRACE?

SHERIFF ROGERS: Hard to say what their relationship is.  Mostly, they act like brother and sister more than husband and wife.  But, she gets real huffy when POLLYANNA's around her man.  What do you aim to do about it all?

PALADIN: I don't know.  I took POLLYANNA's money.  I told her I'd help CHARLES learn to defend himself, but I think he doesn't need my help.  I don't give money back, so I need to do something.  What?  I don't know.  I'm gonna stick around for at least a day before heading back to San Francisco.

SHERIFF ROGERS: Hey, maybe you can help me.  I have to take a prisoner to Reno for a murder trial.  Be gone for a couple a days beginnin' tomorrow...real early.  Wanna be my deputy while I'm gone?  I'd pay you $50.  The mayor promised me the money if I could get somebody to do it.  What d'ya say?

PALADIN: What would you expect for $50?

SHERIFF ROGERS: You know...keep the peace...till I get back.  This is a pretty quiet town.  Except sometimes you gotta break up a fight at the saloon.  Pretty easy 'cause the two are usually drunk.  I've asked just about everybody.  Nobody wants the responsibility.  

PALADIN: I want to talk to POLLYANNA first.  But, I can let you know in a couple of hours.

SHERIFF ROGERS: OK!  You stayin' at the hotel?

PALADIN: Yes!  Come by for dinner.  I'll treat and we can talk more about this crazy situation I've become involved in.

SHERIFF ROGERS: Well, thank you very much.  I'll see you later.

____________

no blog post next Sunday, July 6, because of my cataract surgery

Checkpoint Charlie

 At the end of WWII, a defeated Germany and its capital Berlin was divided into four sectors representing the four victorious allies: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union.  Eventually, the first three sectors merged into West Germany and West Berlin.  The last sector became East Germany and East Berlin.

Between 1949 and 1961, over 2½ million East Germans fled to the West.  The emigrants tended to be young and well educated, including many professionals — engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers and skilled workers.  The brain drain became damaging to the political credibility and economic viability of East Germany. 

On August 13, 1961, a barbed-wire barrier that would become the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin was erected by the East Germans.  Two days later, police and army engineers began to construct a more permanent concrete wall.  

Along with the wall, the 830-mile (1336 km) zonal border became 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide on its East German side in some parts of Germany with a tall steel-mesh fence running along a "death strip" bordered by mines, as well as channels of ploughed earth, to slow escapees and more easily reveal their footprints.

Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point in the Berlin Wall located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße. Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single foot or car crossing point for foreigners and members of the Allied forces. The name "Charlie" came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet (A, B, C).

As the most visible Berlin Wall checkpoint, Checkpoint Charlie was featured in movies and books.  The infrastructure on the Eastern side was expanded to include not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked.

Although the wall was opened in November 1989 and the checkpoint booth removed on June 22, 1990 (35 years ago), the checkpoint remained an official crossing for foreigners and diplomats until German reunification in October of the same year. 

In the summer of 1973, I visited Berlin, both West and East.

I passed to the East and back again via Checkpoint Charlie.

Rifles were pointed at each other from both sides of the wall.  Scary!

MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, commonly known MRI, is a technique to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body.  It differs from the x-ray which only records bones.

Since its development in the 1970s and 1980s, MRI has proven to be a versatile imaging technique.  It may be perceived as uncomfortable by some patients, due to the usually long and loud measurements with the subject in a long, confining tube.  An acquaintance of mine, suffering from claustrophobia, quit an MRI procedure before it was completed.

I remember my first experience with MRI, but I don't remember what part of the body we were examining.  I remember the periodic banging sound and the rule that I had to remain quiet and not move for about half an hour inside the tube.

I thoroughly remember my second and last MRI experience.  I was living in Chapel Hill, NC and working for The University of North Carolina.

Somewhere I noticed an advertisement for volunteers to participate in a study conducted by the University related to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). 

CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head trauma. It's primarily known for affecting individuals who have engaged in contact sports or other activities involving repeated head impacts. While symptoms can vary, they often include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, and changes in behavior. 

In the study, there would be two groups of participants:  former NFL football players who suffered numerous concussions and a second control group who never played football and never suffered a concussion.

Guess which group I fell into?

Each participant in both groups would have an MRI of their brain.  I thought I would find out how my brain was doing.

However, I was told I would receive neither compensation for my time nor the results of my brain MRI.  On the other hand, I received the satisfaction of participating in a meaningful study related to the world of sports.

 

 

Joan Rivers

Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born June 8, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York.  She was known professionally as Joan Rivers. 

Rivers' parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia.  She graduated from Barnard College in 1954.

Rivers was an American comedienne, actress, producer, writer, and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona that was heavily self-deprecating and acerbic, especially towards celebrities and politicians, delivered in her signature New York accent. 

Rivers is considered a pioneer of women in comedy.  There was a time when it was considered unfeminine for a woman to be funny.

In the early 1960s, Rivers performed at various comedy clubs in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was during this period that she befriended fellow comedians Woody Allen and George Carlin.

After seven auditions over three years, Rivers finally made her first appearance on The Tonight Show with its host, Johnny Carson, on February 17, 1965.  She considered this episode to be her breakthrough, as Carson famously told her, "you're gonna be a star."  She became a frequent guest on the show and developed a close friendship with Carson.

Rivers became the first woman to host a late night network television talk show. She subsequently hosted The Joan Rivers Show (1989–1993), winning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

According to Rivers, one night, after watching her bomb at a comedy club, the legendary stand-up comic Lenny Bruce left her a note saying “You’re right, they’re wrong.” She was honored that he thought she had talent, and she kept that note all her life.

Rivers was the inspiration of the recent hit TV series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

On August 28, 2014, Rivers experienced serious complications and stopped breathing while undergoing what was scheduled to be a "minor" throat procedure at an outpatient clinic in Yorkville, Manhattan.  She died on September 4 at Mount Sinai Hospital, Manhattan never having awakened from a medically induced coma as a result of the above procedure.

There is no such thing as minor surgery.  There is only surgery.

 

A Perfect World

A Perfect World is a 1993 American thriller crime drama film directed by Clint Eastwood. It stars Kevin Costner as an escaped convict (Butch) who takes a young boy (Phillip) hostage and attempts to avoid capture on the road.  

Eastwood co-stars as a Texas Ranger (Red) in pursuit of the convict.  Laura Dern also co-stars as a criminologist (Sally) assigned to assist Eastwood's character.

In 1963 Texas, convicts Butch and Terry escape from the state penitentiary. Looking for food, Terry stumbles into a house where eight-year-old Phillip lives with his devout Jehovah's Witness single mother. 

Needing a hostage to aid their escape, Butch kidnaps Phillip. He and Terry continue their getaway.  When Terry attempts to force himself on a half-naked Phillip, Butch shoots him.

Meanwhile, Red, chief of the Texas Rangers, is in pursuit. With criminologist Sally in tow, Red wants to recover Butch and Phillip before they cross the Texas border.

Phillip never participated in Halloween or Christmas celebrations due to his religion. Escaping with Butch, however, Phillip experiences a freedom which he finds exhilarating, as Butch allows him the kind of indulgences he has been forbidden, including the wearing of a shoplifted Casper the Friendly Ghost costume. 

Phillip, with encouragement from Butch, begins to learn how to make independent decisions on what is right and wrong. Butch finds himself drawn into giving Phillip the kind of fatherly presence which he himself never had.  And of course, Phillip bonds with Butch as the male role model he lacks in his life.

I was drawn to this element of the story, the relationship between Butch and Phillip.  It reminds me of what I always wanted: to be the father I never had.

While asleep in their car in a cornfield, they encounter a farmer, Mack and his family. When Butch sees the farmer abusing his grandson, he beats the farmer and plans on killing him.

But Phillip picks up Butch's gun and shoots Butch in the stomach. Phillip runs away, drops the gun into a well, throws the car keys away, and runs across a meadow. 

Butch follows, and rests at the tree Phillip climbed. Phillip apologizes for shooting Butch, who tells him he did the right thing.

At the same time, Red, Sally and a plethora of police arrive nearby.

Paladin, Chapter 7

INT. WINDFALL HOTEL - DAY

PALADIN walks to reception desk.

RECEPTIONIST: Sir?

PALADIN: Room, please.

RECEPTIONIST: Certainly.  

PALADIN signs the guest register.

RECEPTIONIST: Room 4 at the top to the stairs.

PALADIN: I noticed the sheriff's office down the street.  Who's the sheriff?

RECEPTIONIST: That'd be SHERIFF ROGERS.

PALADIN: Thank you.  I'll be back in a while.

RECEPTIONIST: Yes, sir.

PALADIN leaves hotel and heads to Sheriff's Office.

EXT. STREET - DAY

PALADIN walks to Sheriff's Office and enters.

INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY

PALADIN enters Sheriff's Office.  Sheriff, an older man, is sitting at his desk.

SHERIFF ROGERS: Howdy!

PALADIN: SHERIFF ROGERS?  My name's PALADIN.  Here's my card.

PALADIN hands Sheriff his card which he reads.

SHERIFF ROGERS: Gunfighter?

PALADIN: No.  I like to think I help people solve their problems.  I was hired by a woman from Windfall named POLLYANNA.  You know her?

SHERIFF ROGERS: Sure.

PALADIN: I believe she hired me under false pretenses.  To protect her boyfriend from a bully.  Turns out the boyfriend has a wife already and the bully is her husband.  Can you explain to me what's going on?

SHERIFF ROGERS laughs a little at what PALADIN said.

May 18

Elisha Cook, Jr., a character actor, appeared in more Film Noir (21) than any other actor or actress.  He died on May 18, 1995 at the age of ninety-one.

I think his most famous role was as Wilmer, a gunman working for the "Fat Man" in the 1941 classic, The Maltese Falcon.  He had many scenes opposite Humphrey Bogart's character.

In the 1952 psychological thriller, Don't Bother to Knock, Cook plays Eddie, an elevator operator who works in a hotel.  He introduces his niece Nell (played by Marilyn Monroe) to some hotel guests to be their child's babysitter.  

In the 1953 western film, Shane, Cook plays Torrey, a hot-tempered ex-Confederate homesteader.  He is taunted into drawing his gun by Wilson (a professional gunfighter played by Jack Palance), who then shoots Torrey dead.

Arthur O'Connell was another character actor.  He died on May 18, 1981 at the age of seventy-three.

In the 1955 romantic comedy-drama film, Picnic, he plays Howard the boyfriend of Rosemary (Rosalind Russell).  Howard also befriends Hal (William Holden).

Again in 1955, O'Connell portrays Gordon Walker, a Human Resources executive in the film The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.  He interviews the character played by Gregory Peck.

Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American legal drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger.  O'Connell portrays Parnell, an assistant to the character portrayed by James Stewart.

Both Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, football stars at Syracuse University who wore the same number 44, died on May 18.  Brown died in 2023 at the age of eighty-seven, while Davis died in 1963 at the age of twenty-three.  I saw them both play football in person.     

  

Bowling

In the 1950s, the early days of television, bowling was a popular sport, both for participants and spectators.  I remember watching bowling on TV.

Don Carter was one several professional bowlers who competed in televised events.  Women bowlers were leaders in female sports in the post-WWII era.

One of the confusing aspects of bowling is its scoring.  One time as an adolescent, I asked my Uncle Sam Friedland (really a cousin by marriage) how it is scored.

He patiently explained: for a strike, ten points plus the pins on the next two balls; for a spare, ten points plus the pins on the next ball.  Today, scoring is automated.  No need for pencils.

When I was in Junior High School (Kingsford Park), I was the captain of a bowling team made up of Bob Thayer, Dick Cafelone, Bob Allison and one other whose name I cannot remember.  We were in first place going into the last week of competition.

The opponents of the second place team did not show up and forfeited their match.  Thus, the second place team would jump ahead of us pending the results of our final competition.

Before we bowled, I was offered a compromise: a playoff between the top two teams.  I accepted.  Turns out it was a bad choice.  We bowled so well that my team ended up in first place despite the forfeit. 

The playoff was on a Saturday morning.  Two games, total pins wins.  Our gym teacher, Mat Barkley (a classmate of my Aunt Frances), kept score.  We lost by one pin.  They got trophies, we got nothing.  

I walked home with Bob Thayer.  He cursed our bad luck all the way.

Years later my son Bret signed up to be on a bowling team in Mid-Queens Fresh Meadows.  As I recall, he was the smallest on his team, but he was the best.  I bought Bret his own bowling ball and we occasionally went to the lanes and bowled.

Crossing Delancey

 Crossing Delancey is a 1988 romantic comedy film starring Amy Irving (nominated for a Golden Globe), Peter Riegert, Reizl Bozyk, David Hyde-Pierce and Sylvia Miles.  The title uses Delancey Street in lower Manhattan as a symbol of a crossroads, both literally and figuratively, representing the protagonist's journey as she navigates between the Jewish world she was born into and the literary world she aspires to.

Crossing Delancey is a cinematic treat worth viewing, an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing romance involving Jewish characters. It contains a New York love triangle in which the heroine faces a choice between two very different men.  

Isabelle (Irving) works for a New York bookstore where she mingles with the city's literary elite, whom she idolizes. But outside of work she is lonely and unfulfilled. When Dutch-American author Anton (Hyde-Pierce) comes to the bookstore to give a reading, he shows an interest in Isabelle, who is charmed.

Isabelle pays frequent visits to her Yiddish-speaking Bubbe (grandmother), Ida (Bozyk - a Yiddish theater stage actress in her only movie role), who lives in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Anxious for her granddaughter to settle down with a decent Jewish man, Ida hires a marriage broker (Miles). 

Although enraged, Isabelle grudgingly allows the matchmaker to introduce her in Bubbe’s kitchen to Sam (Riegert).  At first Isabelle is dismissive of Sam, believing that the small business he owns, a street corner pickle stand, is too working class to provide the life she  wants. 

Instead, Isabelle sets her sights on Anton and the New York City intelligentsia.  She learns that Sam kept turning down the matchmaker because he was waiting for her to bring a photo of Isabelle.

Sam has quietly had a crush on Isabelle from afar for many years. "How do I talk to Isabelle?"  She is deeply touched.

One day at a store book reading, Sam shows up invited by Isabelle, as does Anton. Isabelle leaves with Sam, and later agrees to meet him the next day at her Bubbe’s apartment to go on a date.

After work the next day, however, she is sidelined by Anton and, believing that he is romantically interested in her, goes to his apartment. She discovers instead that the narcissistic Anton wants an assistant he can sleep with, not a real wife or girlfriend.

A disgusted Isabelle rejects him and races to her grandmother's apartment.  Will Sam still be there?  Will he give up waiting for her?  Or not?  

  

Paladin, Chapter 6

INT. GENERAL STORE - DAY

POLLYANNA and another woman, GRACE, plain-looking and 40ish, are yelling at each other.  Charles intervenes.

CHARLES: GRACE, be quiet.  You, too, POLLYANNA.  

They are both silenced.

CHARLES: PALADIN, my wife, GRACE.  

PALADIN: Pleasure, ma'am.

PALADIN grabs POLLYANNA's arm and escorts her out of the store.

EXT. IN FRONT OF GENERAL STORE - DAY

PALADIN: You've got some explaining to do, lady.  

POLLYANNA: Don't know what you're talking about.

PALADIN: Glad I made you pay in advance.  I'm about to get on my horse and head back to San Francisco right now if you don't start telling me the truth.

POLLYANNA: Go fuck yourself.  And you owe me a $1,000.  

PALADIN: First, I don't give refunds.  Second, I'll figure some way to give you something in value for the $1,000 you paid me.  In the mean time, you'll have to excuse me.

PALADIN leaves POLLYANNA in the street, takes his horse and walks across the street to the hotel and enters.  

Love means...

Ryan O'Neal the actor was born in Los Angeles on April 20, 1941 (84 years ago today).  In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place.  It was an instant hit and boosted O'Neal's career. 

He later found success in films, most notably in the romantic drama Love Story (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama; Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972); and Paper Moon (1973), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

O'Neal died in Santa Monica, California, on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82.  His cause of death was congestive heart failure.

I remember a scene from Love Story filmed in front of an entrance to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan where I had my first surgery five years later.  Ryan O'Neal is leaving the hospital followed by his father, played by Ray Milland.

Ray:  Oliver, why didn't you tell me?  I made a couple of calls and as soon as I found out I jumped right in the car.  Oliver, I want to help.

Ryan:  Jenny's dead.

Ray:  I'm sorry.

Ryan:  Love means never having to say you're sorry.

The line has been criticized and mocked for suggesting that apologies are unnecessary in a loving relationship. Another character played by O'Neal disparages the line in the 1972 screwball comedy What's Up, Doc?

In that film's final scene which is on an airplane, Barbra Streisand's character, responding to his apology, says "Love means never having to say you're sorry," and bats her eyelashes.

O'Neal's character then responds in a flat deadpan voice, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

I agree.  I believe it's very important in a loving relationship to apologize when appropriate.  I have done that many times.  

Basketball

When I was fourteen years old (1959-1960), in the ninth grade (the equivalent of a freshman in high school) at Kingsford Park School, I tried out for the baseball team, my favorite sport.  I remember a couple of moments.

Once I singled, but was thrown out trying to steal second base.  Another time I hit a fly ball that was caught by the centerfielder.  My playing career was over.

Basketball was not nearly as popular as baseball in those days.  I didn't play the game.  It was rarely on TV.  Occasionally, my family went to see the Syracuse Nats play in person.

I tried out for the Kingsford Park basketball team (only for boys - no girl's team) only because many of my friends did as well.  By some miracle, at the practice before the first game, all of my shots went in.

In the locker room, before the first game, the coach announced that I was in the starting lineup.  I was scared to death.  All I wanted was a seat on the bench.  It didn't take long before the coach realized that was where I belonged.

Forty years later, my son Bret was a freshman at Cardozo High School.  He made the Junior Varsity boys basketball team.  A few games into the season, Bret became the starting point guard and stayed there through his sophomore year.  

I was very happy that I was able to be at some of his games in person.  

Understanding the advantage of being ambidextrous, Bret learned how to dribble with his left hand.

Bret loved and understood the game of basketball.  I remember one time we were at the Palestra for a Penn game.  With less than a minute to go, he understood that the game was essentially over.  I was still nervously in doubt.  Bret was right, I was wrong.

Twenty-five years later, my grandson Leo is a freshman at the Bronx High School of Science.  He was one of only four freshman to make the boy's Junior Varsity basketball team.

Like his Uncle Bret, Leo loves and understands the game of basketball.  Through the miracle of modern technology, I was able to watch several of his games on my computer.  I was impressed with what I saw of Leo.

I look forward to bigger and better things in his sophomore season at Bronx Science.

I'm Still Here

 I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui in  Portuguese) is a 2024 political biographical drama film directed by Walter Salles based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's 2015 memoir of the same name. It stars Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), during the military dictatorship in Brazil.

At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, Torres won the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama category.  At the 97th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Actress (Torres), Best Picture and won Best International Feature Film, becoming the first-ever Brazilian produced film to win an Academy Award.

In the film, in December 1970, Rubens Paiva lives in an idyllic house near Leblon beach in Rio de Janeiro with his wife Eunice and their five children. He continues to support political expatriates without discussing his activities with his family.

A military raid takes place in Paiva's house, resulting in his arrest and disappearance in January 1971. 

Eunice's public inquiries on Rubens' whereabouts result in her arrest and torture for 12 days. She is questioned about whether her husband is involved with pro-democracy movements, which she denies.

A journalist and family friend informs Eunice that Rubens was killed, but the military authorities refuse to confirm it officially. Left to care for her children alone, Eunice sells their home and moves to São Paulo, anticipating a new start close to her maternal family.

Twenty-six years ago, Torres's mother, Fernanda Montenegro, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress (Central Station).  She didn't win.  All of Brazil was hoping Torres would win this time.  But, she didn't.  Que pena!

Paladin, Chapter 5

 EXT. MAIN STREET OF WINDFALL, NEVADA - DAY

PALADIN and POLLYANNA ride into Windfall, a small town with the usual assortment of businesses: a saloon, a hotel, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a sheriff's office, etc.  They ride to the front of the general store and dismount.  They enter the store.

INT. GENERAL STORE - DAY

The store is busy with a number of customers.  There two people assisting them, a handicapped man and a woman.  POLLYANNA, with PALADIN following approach the man, CHARLES, a slender, older, serious looking man.

POLLYANNA:  CHARLES, I'm back.  This is PALADIN.  I brought him from San Francisco.

CHARLES extends his left hand.  PALADIN takes it with his left. 

CHARLES:  PALADIN.  Welcome to Windfall and welcome to our store.  What can I do for you?

PALADIN:  Perhaps we can speak privately.

CHARLES:  Okay.  My private office is this way.

While walking away with CHARLES, PALADIN notices POLLYANNA and the woman clerk eyeballing each other suspiciously.

INT. CHARLES PRIVATE OFFICE - DAY

CHARLES sits in chair by a desk.  PALADIN remains standing.  He hands CHARLES his business card.  CHARLES reads it.

PALADIN:  Your girlfriend POLLYANNA says you're in need of help from a bully because of your right hand.  If you want, I can teach you to defend yourself with your left.

CHARLES:  I don't understand.  I'm afraid you've been misled.  First, I've learned to be very proficient using a knife with my left hand.  And second, the so-called bully is POLLYANNA's husband, BIG DAN.  And I am certainly not her boyfriend.  GRACE is my wife and partner here at the store.  Perhaps you noticed her.

PALADIN is surprised and feels taken advantage of.

PALADIN:  I beg your pardon.  She paid me $1,000 to help protect her boyfriend...you.  Why would she lie like that?

PALADIN and CHARLES hear two women shouting in the store.  They both leave the office and return to store.

Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry was born on his family farm in Hanover County in the British Colony of Virginia, on May 29, 1736.  Religion played a key role in his life; his father and namesake uncle were both devout and were both major influences.

In 1760 Henry applied for a lawyer's license. He passed in April, and opened a practice, appearing in the courts of Hanover and nearby counties.  Henry became a skilled lawyer because he displayed quick wit, knowledge of human nature, and forensic gifts.

Patrick Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765.  In the 1770s, many in the British North American colonies started to feel anger towards their government in faraway London and thought the solution was independence.  

On March 22, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke before the Virginia House of Burgesses thus:

"If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Forty seven years later in Brazil, Dom Pedro Segundo stated "independencia ou morte" - independence or death in English.  Was that a coincidence?

Both Patrick Henry and Dom Pedro Segundo were spared death and achieved independence for their countries from their European colonizers.

My Poor Right Knee, Part Two

As I mentioned last month, I had two surgeries in the 1970s to remove torn cartilage from my right knee.  In the 1980s, I took up running which built up the muscles around my knees.

However, over the years, my right knee started to weaken as a result of bone rubbing against bone with little or no cartilage to protect it.  I noticed this especially during the period after I moved to Brazil in 2013 at age 67.

At the beginning of my period in Brazil, I walked a lot to the homes of my English language students.  I experienced no difficulty because of my right knee.

As time passed, I noticed, not pain, but weakness in my right knee.  It got progressively worse.

I started thinking about knee replacement surgery as an option.  However, to me, the cons outweighed the pros.

In May 2023, at my son Bret's wedding in St. Augustine, Florida, my niece Cindy strongly suggested I would wind up in a wheelchair the way my right knee was progressing.  That influenced my thinking.  Now the pros were in the lead.

I decided that 2024 would be the year for my knee.  I started with my health insurance company (Prevent Senior), but they were very slow to react.

Then I went private.  Through a recommendation by my student Jose, I found Dr. Arnaldo, one of the best knee replacement surgeons in Brazil.

I liked him right away.  He spoke English and answered all our questions in a kind and patient manner.  Dr. Arnaldo would give me a new right knee.

The date was July 19, 2024.  The place was Hospital Nove de Julho in Sao Paulo.  I was not nervous; I was eager for the surgery to happen.

The surgery was the easy part, at least from my point of view.  What came next was difficult, at least for the first month of the recuperation process.

I started physical therapy almost immediately after I had a new right knee (made of steel, titanium and plastic) plus a great big scar.  I started off walking with a walker in the hospital where I stayed for five days.

I was happy to return home, but my leg ached.  Everywhere I needed to go, the walker led the way.

But, the good news was Paula, my therapist.  She was great.

Eventually, the ache went away and I graduated to a cane.  A few months more and I didn't need the cane either.  

After 5 months, I didn't need therapy any more.  My new right knee was perfect.  Thanks to Dr. Arnaldo and his team and Paula.

Special praise and many thanks go to my wife Cristina.  I could not have done it without her.  She put up with a patient who was not patient.  

   

Daylight Savings

Daylight saving time, also referred to as daylight saving(s), daylight savings time, daylight time, or summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks to make better use of the longer daylight available during summer so that darkness falls at a later clock time.

Around 34 percent of the world's countries use Daylight Savings Time. Some countries observe it only in some regions.

The first implementation of Daylight Savings Time was by Port Arthur, in Ontario, Canada, in 1908, but only locally, not nationally.  The first nation-wide implementations were by the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires, both starting on 30 April 1916. Since then, many countries have adopted it at various times, particularly since the 1970s energy crisis.

Industrialized societies usually follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year.  In contrast, an agrarian society's daily routines for work and personal conduct are more likely governed by the length of daylight hours and by solar time, which change seasonally.

Regarding agrarian society, there's an old joke about farmers.  They don't like Daylight Savings because their crops get too much sunshine.

I don't like Daylight Savings for a different reason.  Back when I wore a watch, I would have to change the time twice a year.  It required too much technology on my part.

Luckily, former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil banned Daylight Savings.  Today, when the USA goes on Daylight Savings I am only one hour ahead of my family in New York and Florida, which I like.