Monday, October 31, 2005
Lowell Thomas
The first Lowell Thomas book I ever read was the first volume of his two autobiographical volumes. The most interesting thing to me, in reading the memoirs of this journalist/author, was that he was always just in the exact place where something important was happening, and that everyone he met was either famous, or would become famous within the next five years or so. "How is that possible for a poor boy from Cripple Creek, Colorado?", I asked myself. I still don't have the answer to this question, but know that it is true not only for Thomas but for many others, although most, unlike Thomas, have a family or financial advantage to give them a boost.
In any event, the most recent Thomas book I read is called "Back to Mandalay", and is not a first person journalistic account of his travels or reportage, but rather the story of the capture of the jungles of Burma by the Allies from the Japanese in World War II.
The topic may today sound a bit esoteric, but in fact, it is an extremely interesting tale, made more interesting by Thomas' easy reading prose.
The problem is that the Japanese control Burma. This is a problem not only for Burma but for the Allies, because they had to way to get supplies to General Stillwell in China, and because the Japanese could cross Burma on their way to India, still under British rule. The story is the story of leapfrogging most of the country to establish bases in the north, where the transportation routes were located, to destroy the Japanese ability to move supplies and manpower. In fact, once the north fell, so did the south and all of Burma.
The lead characters were Ord Wingate, of Palestine fame, and Phil Cochran, who became the model for a Terry and the Pirates cartoon character. The supporting cast consists of British and American officers and enlisted men, fearless all (or at least fearless most of the time), who had the job of moving into the jungle to set up bases, through the movement of men and material in a large glider operation. The book deals with strategy, success and failure, and mainly with the personalities of so many of those involved.
Wingate, a scholar whose heart was in Palestine with the Jews, masterminded the operation from headquarters in the south, while Cochran headed the operational side of things. Their ability to work together, in spite of enormous personality differences, is interesting, as is the success of the mission over difficult odds, and great obstacles.
Wingate was killed in a plane crash before the mission was completed, cutting off a brilliant career. His death was kept secret.
The book ends with a "where are they now?" And, as you would expect, having no relationship with their military heroism or success, some returning soldiers did just fine, and others were unable to find their bearings.
Any other unusual characters in the book? Yes. Goldberg. Goldberg had a European Jewish father, and a Burmese mother, and was a trader/guide/lost soul, who appeared and vanished equally quickly. Wouldn't you know it?
In any event, the most recent Thomas book I read is called "Back to Mandalay", and is not a first person journalistic account of his travels or reportage, but rather the story of the capture of the jungles of Burma by the Allies from the Japanese in World War II.
The topic may today sound a bit esoteric, but in fact, it is an extremely interesting tale, made more interesting by Thomas' easy reading prose.
The problem is that the Japanese control Burma. This is a problem not only for Burma but for the Allies, because they had to way to get supplies to General Stillwell in China, and because the Japanese could cross Burma on their way to India, still under British rule. The story is the story of leapfrogging most of the country to establish bases in the north, where the transportation routes were located, to destroy the Japanese ability to move supplies and manpower. In fact, once the north fell, so did the south and all of Burma.
The lead characters were Ord Wingate, of Palestine fame, and Phil Cochran, who became the model for a Terry and the Pirates cartoon character. The supporting cast consists of British and American officers and enlisted men, fearless all (or at least fearless most of the time), who had the job of moving into the jungle to set up bases, through the movement of men and material in a large glider operation. The book deals with strategy, success and failure, and mainly with the personalities of so many of those involved.
Wingate, a scholar whose heart was in Palestine with the Jews, masterminded the operation from headquarters in the south, while Cochran headed the operational side of things. Their ability to work together, in spite of enormous personality differences, is interesting, as is the success of the mission over difficult odds, and great obstacles.
Wingate was killed in a plane crash before the mission was completed, cutting off a brilliant career. His death was kept secret.
The book ends with a "where are they now?" And, as you would expect, having no relationship with their military heroism or success, some returning soldiers did just fine, and others were unable to find their bearings.
Any other unusual characters in the book? Yes. Goldberg. Goldberg had a European Jewish father, and a Burmese mother, and was a trader/guide/lost soul, who appeared and vanished equally quickly. Wouldn't you know it?
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Haman Returns to Shushan (15 cents)
Get out your groggers, because Haman (grogger, grogger, grogger) has returned to Shushan, using the name Ahmadinejad (grogger, grogger, grogger).
Everyone is waiting for Purim Sheni.
Everyone is waiting for Purim Sheni.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
I Was Wrong
A week or so ago, I wrote an article about the tell-all books being written by young women in the U.S. today, and suggested that this was a (not particularly welcome) trait among female writers.
Then, I picked up a book called "The Other Man" by Michael Bergin, which tells the story of a young man from Naugatuck, Connecticut (which I remember as the home of the Peter Paul Mounds company), who moved after college to New York city to become a model, wound up 50 feet high in his underwear, the representative of Calvin Klein over Times Square, and met (at a fancy bar) one Carolyn Bessette, later to be Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Jr. It is the story of their "romance" and "love" [his words], but really of their sexual escapades over a period of time, their inability to express any feelings about each other in words, and their all-too-frequent spats and estrangements. Of course, she (the love of his life) dropped him (the love of her life) for a Kennedy (Dr. Evil) and he couldn't do anything about it because the Kennedys would undoubtedly do him in. But she was unhappy, told John John that she was going to visit a girl friend, but really went to have more sexual escapades with Bergin (no longer a Klein model, now an actor on "Baywatch" living in L.A.), with him she had another spot, and before you know it, she was downed in Nantucket Bay. Not a pretty story on any (and I mean any) level; how accurate it is, who knows?
But it certainly fits the genre I complained of as female. And then I realized that the Spalding Gray book I wrote about recently ("Impossible Vacation") was pretty much the same.
So, I was wrong. This type of book is clearly ambisexual.
Then, I picked up a book called "The Other Man" by Michael Bergin, which tells the story of a young man from Naugatuck, Connecticut (which I remember as the home of the Peter Paul Mounds company), who moved after college to New York city to become a model, wound up 50 feet high in his underwear, the representative of Calvin Klein over Times Square, and met (at a fancy bar) one Carolyn Bessette, later to be Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Jr. It is the story of their "romance" and "love" [his words], but really of their sexual escapades over a period of time, their inability to express any feelings about each other in words, and their all-too-frequent spats and estrangements. Of course, she (the love of his life) dropped him (the love of her life) for a Kennedy (Dr. Evil) and he couldn't do anything about it because the Kennedys would undoubtedly do him in. But she was unhappy, told John John that she was going to visit a girl friend, but really went to have more sexual escapades with Bergin (no longer a Klein model, now an actor on "Baywatch" living in L.A.), with him she had another spot, and before you know it, she was downed in Nantucket Bay. Not a pretty story on any (and I mean any) level; how accurate it is, who knows?
But it certainly fits the genre I complained of as female. And then I realized that the Spalding Gray book I wrote about recently ("Impossible Vacation") was pretty much the same.
So, I was wrong. This type of book is clearly ambisexual.
Hi-Ho, Silver.
The Renwick Museum has an exhibit (originally put together in Dallas) of twentieth century silver (largely sterling silver) in American design. There must be 100 or so items on display, perhaps more. The four or five rooms (all on the first floor of the museum) are very well lighted and laid out, and provide a nice contrast to the outside hustle and bustle of 17th and Pennsylvania.
I went to the museum about a week ago at about 1 p.m. There were only five or six others looking at the exhibit, which is too bad, because it shows some very attractive pieces.
I did not take notes, and I know nothing about the topic, so my remarks are necessarily limited. The objects on display, by and large, have to do with food: tableware, tea and coffee sets, trays, and so forth, along with dressing table sets, ash trays, and a few display pieces. The designs change over time, but the hallmark seems to be simplicity (with a bit of art deco thrown in), as opposed to the ornate nature of earlier silver design.
I liked the coffee and tea sets the best, because they are able to create a pattern and concept, and mold their several pieces around it.
I believe that the manufacturers (most with familiar names) are all American, but a large number of the designers are not. They seem to be largely from Scandinavia or Germanic countries; not English.
There is a full-book catalog (I think hard cover only) that I am sure is worth every penny of its expensive price, because it does go through the entire history of twentieth century American silver design in significant detail. The industry today hardly exists, or at least it exists only as an art form industry, or a specialized manufacturing industry, not at all along the lines that existed prior to World War II.
One genre appeared to be absent from the scene. I assume that there has been a fair amount of silver Judaica manufactured in this country during the twentieth century - menorahs, kiddish cups, and so forth. It would have been interesting to see how these items mirrored, or contrasted with, the silver pieces being created for other purposes.
I went to the museum about a week ago at about 1 p.m. There were only five or six others looking at the exhibit, which is too bad, because it shows some very attractive pieces.
I did not take notes, and I know nothing about the topic, so my remarks are necessarily limited. The objects on display, by and large, have to do with food: tableware, tea and coffee sets, trays, and so forth, along with dressing table sets, ash trays, and a few display pieces. The designs change over time, but the hallmark seems to be simplicity (with a bit of art deco thrown in), as opposed to the ornate nature of earlier silver design.
I liked the coffee and tea sets the best, because they are able to create a pattern and concept, and mold their several pieces around it.
I believe that the manufacturers (most with familiar names) are all American, but a large number of the designers are not. They seem to be largely from Scandinavia or Germanic countries; not English.
There is a full-book catalog (I think hard cover only) that I am sure is worth every penny of its expensive price, because it does go through the entire history of twentieth century American silver design in significant detail. The industry today hardly exists, or at least it exists only as an art form industry, or a specialized manufacturing industry, not at all along the lines that existed prior to World War II.
One genre appeared to be absent from the scene. I assume that there has been a fair amount of silver Judaica manufactured in this country during the twentieth century - menorahs, kiddish cups, and so forth. It would have been interesting to see how these items mirrored, or contrasted with, the silver pieces being created for other purposes.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Cigarette Statistics
According to the Wall Street Journal, Philip Morris alone (actually Philip Morris USA, which I assume is only its American operation) made 187,000,000,000 cigarettes last year. 22% of American adults smoke.
I did a little calculating. Assuming 22% of adults equal about 50,000,000 people, that means that the average smoker smokes about 13 cigarettes a day. That is probably about right, then.
The number just seems so big.
I did a little calculating. Assuming 22% of adults equal about 50,000,000 people, that means that the average smoker smokes about 13 cigarettes a day. That is probably about right, then.
The number just seems so big.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Ladnering and Katzening (1 cent)
To "ladner" someone is to provide him with a gift to reward him for obtaining something improperly, where the gift is to give him more of what was improperly obtained. For example, if someone breaks into a store and steals a television set, you give him a bigger television set. If he rapes a 6 year old, you provide him with another 6 year old (or two). That is the meaning of ladnering.
How can American University ladner Ladner by giving him $4 million of severence and benefits when he is being forced out by improperly spending university assets on himself? It boggles the mind. (I wonder who Boggle was.)
Four A.U. trustees have resigned over the past month as a protest against the Board's generous treatment of Ladner, and their resignation of course cleared the way for the remaining board members to ladner Ladner, so it seems to me that the resigned board members are guilty of abetting the ladnering of Ladner, at the very least.
If you assume that the $4 million one way or another comes from the University's pocket, and that tuition is $30,000 a year, it means that 100% of the tuition of 133.33 students this year went to pay for Ladner's ladnering. Not to mention the costs (legal counsel and otherwise) of getting from there to here.
At the same time, another new word has come into use: "katzening". To katzen an institution is to give it an extraordinary gift that will enhance the prestige and mission of the institution. The Katzens gave A.U. $20,000,000 for a new museum and arts center, which has just opened.
Our institutions need more katzening, and less ladnering.
How can American University ladner Ladner by giving him $4 million of severence and benefits when he is being forced out by improperly spending university assets on himself? It boggles the mind. (I wonder who Boggle was.)
Four A.U. trustees have resigned over the past month as a protest against the Board's generous treatment of Ladner, and their resignation of course cleared the way for the remaining board members to ladner Ladner, so it seems to me that the resigned board members are guilty of abetting the ladnering of Ladner, at the very least.
If you assume that the $4 million one way or another comes from the University's pocket, and that tuition is $30,000 a year, it means that 100% of the tuition of 133.33 students this year went to pay for Ladner's ladnering. Not to mention the costs (legal counsel and otherwise) of getting from there to here.
At the same time, another new word has come into use: "katzening". To katzen an institution is to give it an extraordinary gift that will enhance the prestige and mission of the institution. The Katzens gave A.U. $20,000,000 for a new museum and arts center, which has just opened.
Our institutions need more katzening, and less ladnering.
Where is the Color?
It is the 24th of October, and virtually every leaf is still on the trees, and still green. I have seen a few trees which have a rust colored tint, but that is all.
It has to do with our warm and wet September. We are now in a chilly and wet October.
What is going to happen? Will green leaves fall off the trees? Will leaves stay on and become colorful through mid-December? Will one day we wake up and see all the leaves brown?
Stay tuned.
It has to do with our warm and wet September. We are now in a chilly and wet October.
What is going to happen? Will green leaves fall off the trees? Will leaves stay on and become colorful through mid-December? Will one day we wake up and see all the leaves brown?
Stay tuned.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Mail Call
My office has twenty five people working in it. My home has two people living in it.
Yet, we get substantially more mail at home than at the office.
Here is what was in our mailbox this Sunday morning, delivered on Friday and Saturday.
1 Washington Jewish Week, Oct. 20
2 The Forward newspaper, Oct. 21
3 Wall Street Journal, Oct. 22
4 Moment Magazine, Oct.
5 Smithsonian Magazine, Nov.
6 The Territory Ahead catalog
7 Heifer International catalog (2)
8 Dell catalog
9 Alternative Medicine magazine, Dec.
10 Lands' End catalog
11 Travelsmith catalog
12 Washington Post At Home
13 Capital Area Food Bank newsletter
14 Southern Poverty Law Center report
15 Woolrich catalog
16 Gaiam Harmony catalog
17 Lancome ad
18 Western Schools Nurses Study resource
19 Material from my wife's professional association
20 Material from my wife's co worker
21 Long and Foster ad
22 Old Navy ad
23 DHC skincare catalog
24 Jewish Foundation for Group Homes newsletter (2)
25 Lord and Taylor ad
26 Stone Ridge donation receipt
27 Journal Watch - medical bulletin
28 Ad for trip to Dalmation coast
29 Washington ballet ad
30 Ad for nursing conference
31 Lymphoma Society flyer
32 Lymphoma Society correspondence
33 American Express ad
34 HSC Pediatric Center ad
35 Bank Statement
36 Brokerage Statement
37 New Israel Fund correspondence
38 Archeological Conservancy flyer
39 Something from Chase Bank
40 PharmAdura ad
41 Women for Women correspondence
42 The Smile Train Ad
43 Something from Kaiser Permanente
44 Something from Rindskopf funeral parlor
45 Communication from Beth Sholom Congregation
46 Ad for the Vampire Ball
47 Insurance company correspondence
48 Phone bill
49 Ad from Strayer University
50 Bill from Moment magazine
51 Ad from Moore Cadillac/Hummer
52 Another Lord and Taylor ad
53 Southern Poverty Law Center solicitation
54 Credit card bill
55 Solicitation from Operatoin Understanding
56 Ad for a manicure or pedicure
57 Paycheck
58 Sprint bill
59 Solicitation from CARE
60 Another brokerage statement
61 Ad from Best Buy
62 Inova Blood Donor solicitation
63 Ad from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
64 Still another brokerage statement
65 New credit card
66 mail from a client (at home?)
67 WETA bulletin
68 Verizon ad
69 Communication from professional association
70 Newsweek ad
71 Loehmann's ad
72 Suntrust ad
Yet, we get substantially more mail at home than at the office.
Here is what was in our mailbox this Sunday morning, delivered on Friday and Saturday.
1 Washington Jewish Week, Oct. 20
2 The Forward newspaper, Oct. 21
3 Wall Street Journal, Oct. 22
4 Moment Magazine, Oct.
5 Smithsonian Magazine, Nov.
6 The Territory Ahead catalog
7 Heifer International catalog (2)
8 Dell catalog
9 Alternative Medicine magazine, Dec.
10 Lands' End catalog
11 Travelsmith catalog
12 Washington Post At Home
13 Capital Area Food Bank newsletter
14 Southern Poverty Law Center report
15 Woolrich catalog
16 Gaiam Harmony catalog
17 Lancome ad
18 Western Schools Nurses Study resource
19 Material from my wife's professional association
20 Material from my wife's co worker
21 Long and Foster ad
22 Old Navy ad
23 DHC skincare catalog
24 Jewish Foundation for Group Homes newsletter (2)
25 Lord and Taylor ad
26 Stone Ridge donation receipt
27 Journal Watch - medical bulletin
28 Ad for trip to Dalmation coast
29 Washington ballet ad
30 Ad for nursing conference
31 Lymphoma Society flyer
32 Lymphoma Society correspondence
33 American Express ad
34 HSC Pediatric Center ad
35 Bank Statement
36 Brokerage Statement
37 New Israel Fund correspondence
38 Archeological Conservancy flyer
39 Something from Chase Bank
40 PharmAdura ad
41 Women for Women correspondence
42 The Smile Train Ad
43 Something from Kaiser Permanente
44 Something from Rindskopf funeral parlor
45 Communication from Beth Sholom Congregation
46 Ad for the Vampire Ball
47 Insurance company correspondence
48 Phone bill
49 Ad from Strayer University
50 Bill from Moment magazine
51 Ad from Moore Cadillac/Hummer
52 Another Lord and Taylor ad
53 Southern Poverty Law Center solicitation
54 Credit card bill
55 Solicitation from Operatoin Understanding
56 Ad for a manicure or pedicure
57 Paycheck
58 Sprint bill
59 Solicitation from CARE
60 Another brokerage statement
61 Ad from Best Buy
62 Inova Blood Donor solicitation
63 Ad from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
64 Still another brokerage statement
65 New credit card
66 mail from a client (at home?)
67 WETA bulletin
68 Verizon ad
69 Communication from professional association
70 Newsweek ad
71 Loehmann's ad
72 Suntrust ad
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Memory Reminders
When we visited Auschwitz this summer, I learned that, in the Polish town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz), the Jewish population before World War II was about 7,500. There is no sign of this for the many, many visitors to Auschwitz. So, it seemed to me it would be helpful if, in each Polish city (and in locations of former shtetls now wiped off the map), there would be a sign posted on the road at the city limits stating what the pre-war Jewish population was, and how many were alive at the end of the war. Not that I think that the Polish population would rally around to support the idea, but I think it would provide an important long term lesson for all.
I learned this week that in Germany, something similar is actually in existence. Although it is less obvious to the traveler, a German artist named Gunter Demnig has been placing gold cobblestones on the grounds in front of buildings, giving the names of a World War II victim and the date they were deported or murdered by the Nazis. There are now 6,000 of these across the country, and can be sponsored for just $115. Demnig just was awarded the German government's Federal Service Cross.
I learned this week that in Germany, something similar is actually in existence. Although it is less obvious to the traveler, a German artist named Gunter Demnig has been placing gold cobblestones on the grounds in front of buildings, giving the names of a World War II victim and the date they were deported or murdered by the Nazis. There are now 6,000 of these across the country, and can be sponsored for just $115. Demnig just was awarded the German government's Federal Service Cross.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Marion Barry [47 cents]
I was a supporter of Marion Barry during his first two terms as D.C. mayor. I thought he did a very good job bridging all portions of the city, from the poor to the business community. Then, he got caught in his own drug and sex addiction problems, and his performance was drastically affected, but I felt for him, because addictions are just that, and not always controllable. I did think that he was entrapped, and that his prison sentence was not necessary.
After he came out of prison, he announced he was "clean" and eventually, after a bout with prostate cancer and some domestic turmoil, announced he would re-run for his old Ward 8 city council seat. It was clear that he would win, because his popularity in Ward 8 has always been extraordinary.
So, now he is again on the council.
But it turns out that he has not filed federal or DC tax returns for 4 or 5 years, that he has been in negotiation with (at least) the feds for a year or more [I think I remember my facts here], that a plea bargaining agreement that would have most likely kept him out of prison was not completed, and that the entire matter is now unresolved. He also has reportedly stated that his personal problems have kept him from concentrating fully on his legislative responsibilities. He apparently, by the way, does not deny his failure to file his tax returns.
This is outrageous. This is not addiction, and I have found no reason at this point to have any sympathy with him whatsoever. My question is:
1. Why is he still on the council? How can someone who has admittedly not filed DC returns for years be permitted to serve as a legislator?
2. Why is there not a groundswell for his resignation?
3. What is wrong with the rest of the council? Why aren't they, at the very least, censuring him?
4. Why has the press, after a flurry of reports over a period of a few days some weeks ago, grown silent?
5. Why is there not a legitimate voice coming from Ward 8 asking these questions?
6. Why is he still considered a celebrity? Why, for example, was he a keynote speaker at the Millions More March last week, speaking as a role model, and on behalf of the people of Washington DC? How could the organizers permit that under the circumstances?
After he came out of prison, he announced he was "clean" and eventually, after a bout with prostate cancer and some domestic turmoil, announced he would re-run for his old Ward 8 city council seat. It was clear that he would win, because his popularity in Ward 8 has always been extraordinary.
So, now he is again on the council.
But it turns out that he has not filed federal or DC tax returns for 4 or 5 years, that he has been in negotiation with (at least) the feds for a year or more [I think I remember my facts here], that a plea bargaining agreement that would have most likely kept him out of prison was not completed, and that the entire matter is now unresolved. He also has reportedly stated that his personal problems have kept him from concentrating fully on his legislative responsibilities. He apparently, by the way, does not deny his failure to file his tax returns.
This is outrageous. This is not addiction, and I have found no reason at this point to have any sympathy with him whatsoever. My question is:
1. Why is he still on the council? How can someone who has admittedly not filed DC returns for years be permitted to serve as a legislator?
2. Why is there not a groundswell for his resignation?
3. What is wrong with the rest of the council? Why aren't they, at the very least, censuring him?
4. Why has the press, after a flurry of reports over a period of a few days some weeks ago, grown silent?
5. Why is there not a legitimate voice coming from Ward 8 asking these questions?
6. Why is he still considered a celebrity? Why, for example, was he a keynote speaker at the Millions More March last week, speaking as a role model, and on behalf of the people of Washington DC? How could the organizers permit that under the circumstances?
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Today's Young Woman
If you had asked me, say, last Friday, what books I was planning to read next, I would not have said "Black, White and Jewish" and "Love My Rifle More Than You". In large part, this would have been because I had never heard of either of them. But I picked up a copy of "Black, White and Jewish" at the State Department book sale on Saturday, and last night I attended a book signing by the author of "Love My Rifle".
The two authors have the following in common: they are both young women in their late twenties, who come from mixed-up broken home backgrounds, who fell in with the wrong people at various times in their young lives, and who have experimented (if that is the word) with drugs and sex, but have since straightened themselves out or matured to a great extent.
Rebecca Walker, who is "Black, White and Jewish" is the daughter of novelist Alice Walker (Black) and civil rights lawyer Mel Levanthal (White and Jewish), who divorced when she was eight. Her mother moved to San Francisco, living the artistic life, and her father married a White, Jewish woman, had a second family, and wound up in Larchmont, NY. Their custody arrangement was to share their daughter, having her move every two years. So, Rebecca went to several schools in the Bay Area, and several in the Bronx and Westchester, making and losing friends, always being "other".
Kayla Williams, of "Love My Rifle" was the daughter of a Republican mother and Hippie father, who separated shortly after her birth, and who grew up in the rural south, becoming a "punk", hanging out with "punks, goths, and even neo-Nazis".
But Walker and Williams were both bright enough to go to college and do well there. Walker's book ends with her high school graduation, so except that I knew that she went to Yale, and now she works for a San Francisco non-profit and writes, I don't know much about her after her 19th birthday. Williams, on the other hand, decided to join the army, and became an Arabic specialist (two years in Monterey Language School) and went to Iraq as a Military Intelligence NCO assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. Walker writes about her youth and adolescence, and Williams runs through that period, but concentrates on her 12 months in Iraq as a female soldier, who speaks Arabic.
What is interesting (disturbing?) about both books is how openly the authors talk about their extensive drug and sexual histories, both of which for each began at a very early age (like 12, maybe), and they do it without any apologies, shame, etc. Perhaps this is good; I really don't know. But when I was growing up, books like this were not written, and young women did not talk about such things. I don't think they were experiencing these things, either. I know in my suburban high school, drugs (and sex) were pretty much unheard of, and were never heard about. And, in fact, although boys talked big among boys, I never heard a girl, throughout all of high school, even say anything off color. (I remember, when I was in college, hearing a female college freshman describing someone as a bastard, and I was astounded and wondered what kind of an upbringing she had.)
I also am not sure that young men write this way, even today. This may be a female style, at least predominantly. And these are obviously not the only books of this type; I remember Kate Roiphe's "Last Night in Paradise" that I read a few years ago with much the same reaction.
OK, readers. What do you think? Am I reflecting things accurately? Is the trend good, bad, or neutral?
The two authors have the following in common: they are both young women in their late twenties, who come from mixed-up broken home backgrounds, who fell in with the wrong people at various times in their young lives, and who have experimented (if that is the word) with drugs and sex, but have since straightened themselves out or matured to a great extent.
Rebecca Walker, who is "Black, White and Jewish" is the daughter of novelist Alice Walker (Black) and civil rights lawyer Mel Levanthal (White and Jewish), who divorced when she was eight. Her mother moved to San Francisco, living the artistic life, and her father married a White, Jewish woman, had a second family, and wound up in Larchmont, NY. Their custody arrangement was to share their daughter, having her move every two years. So, Rebecca went to several schools in the Bay Area, and several in the Bronx and Westchester, making and losing friends, always being "other".
Kayla Williams, of "Love My Rifle" was the daughter of a Republican mother and Hippie father, who separated shortly after her birth, and who grew up in the rural south, becoming a "punk", hanging out with "punks, goths, and even neo-Nazis".
But Walker and Williams were both bright enough to go to college and do well there. Walker's book ends with her high school graduation, so except that I knew that she went to Yale, and now she works for a San Francisco non-profit and writes, I don't know much about her after her 19th birthday. Williams, on the other hand, decided to join the army, and became an Arabic specialist (two years in Monterey Language School) and went to Iraq as a Military Intelligence NCO assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. Walker writes about her youth and adolescence, and Williams runs through that period, but concentrates on her 12 months in Iraq as a female soldier, who speaks Arabic.
What is interesting (disturbing?) about both books is how openly the authors talk about their extensive drug and sexual histories, both of which for each began at a very early age (like 12, maybe), and they do it without any apologies, shame, etc. Perhaps this is good; I really don't know. But when I was growing up, books like this were not written, and young women did not talk about such things. I don't think they were experiencing these things, either. I know in my suburban high school, drugs (and sex) were pretty much unheard of, and were never heard about. And, in fact, although boys talked big among boys, I never heard a girl, throughout all of high school, even say anything off color. (I remember, when I was in college, hearing a female college freshman describing someone as a bastard, and I was astounded and wondered what kind of an upbringing she had.)
I also am not sure that young men write this way, even today. This may be a female style, at least predominantly. And these are obviously not the only books of this type; I remember Kate Roiphe's "Last Night in Paradise" that I read a few years ago with much the same reaction.
OK, readers. What do you think? Am I reflecting things accurately? Is the trend good, bad, or neutral?
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Churchill and America
I did not stay for all of the presentation and question period at Politics and Prose this afternoon, when Martin Gilbert spoke about his new book, "Churchill and America", but did hear a good deal of it. The book seems worth reading.
Churchill clearly loved and disliked America. He mother was American, and he had admiration for it physically and for its people. He thought however, that if the US had entered World War I earlier, had backed the League of Nations, or if it had joined with Britain in the mid-1930s to face up to Hitler, things would have been very different.
On the other hand, he had no question, once Pearl Harbor was attacked, that America would stick in the fight and become allied with Britain until the war was won.
America and Britain have never had a formal alliance, but there was a secret agreement between Churchill and Roosevelt, never to use atomic weapons on the other.
Churchill met three American presidents, McKinley and the two Roosevelts. He was close to FDR, but he argued with him over various matters sometimes on a weekly basis, sometimes on a daily basis.
He toured the western United States in the 1890s; he was in New York City in 1929, the day the market crashed. He fell in love with Ethel Barrymore, who refused his proposal (he had an uncertain future).
Churchill clearly loved and disliked America. He mother was American, and he had admiration for it physically and for its people. He thought however, that if the US had entered World War I earlier, had backed the League of Nations, or if it had joined with Britain in the mid-1930s to face up to Hitler, things would have been very different.
On the other hand, he had no question, once Pearl Harbor was attacked, that America would stick in the fight and become allied with Britain until the war was won.
America and Britain have never had a formal alliance, but there was a secret agreement between Churchill and Roosevelt, never to use atomic weapons on the other.
Churchill met three American presidents, McKinley and the two Roosevelts. He was close to FDR, but he argued with him over various matters sometimes on a weekly basis, sometimes on a daily basis.
He toured the western United States in the 1890s; he was in New York City in 1929, the day the market crashed. He fell in love with Ethel Barrymore, who refused his proposal (he had an uncertain future).
Interview with Sam Dash
Sam Dash, who died last year, was the chief counsel of the Senate Watergate committee, appointed by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina. He was interviewed in 1994 as part of a Nixon administration oral history project. The interview was played on C-Span radio this afternoon, and was fascinating.
Dash was a very well spoken individual, who gave a cool and clear description of his time as chief counsel.
The most interesting part of the conversation, I thought, dealt with the discovery of the tapes. John Dean had been fired by Nixon and had told Dash (after negotiations which wound up giving him immunity from prosecution)that Nixon was aware of everything and had orchestrated a cover up. But why did Dean's word mean more to Dash than the president's?
Dean had suggested that some things might be on tape, although he apparently had no actual knowledge. But he stated that Nixon, at times, would walk to a bookcase and speak low, and Dean had wondered why he did that. Was it possible that he was trying to keep something from being picked up by a microphone?
The existence of the tapes themselves were made known by Butterworth, who had set them up, and who told Dash that they ran 24-7. Butterworth apparently assumed that Dash already knew about the tapes.
Dash told Dean that Butterworth had said that there were tapes. Dean was not defensive, but said: "Great, that will mean that what I am saying can be corroborated." And it was, virtually in full detail. So, Dash believed Dean.
Ervin asked Nixon to turn over the tapes. Nixon was paranoid (yelling at Ervin) and wound up in the hospital (the word was that he had viral pneumonia, but did he?), and must have assumed that he never would have to turn the tapes over. But he did.
Had Nixon destroyed the tapes, on the basis of national security, for example, Dash said that he never would have been forced from office.
So, the tapes were really discovered (and preserved) by chance.
Dash also talked about Haldeman's purjory. About Archibald Cox as special prosecutor and his relationship with the Select Committee (he thought it should stop operations, for fear that it would interfere with prosecutions). About the Republican counsel, Fred Thompson (later actor and Senator) of Tennessee. About Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, a Republican who voted like a Democrat.
Dash was a very well spoken individual, who gave a cool and clear description of his time as chief counsel.
The most interesting part of the conversation, I thought, dealt with the discovery of the tapes. John Dean had been fired by Nixon and had told Dash (after negotiations which wound up giving him immunity from prosecution)that Nixon was aware of everything and had orchestrated a cover up. But why did Dean's word mean more to Dash than the president's?
Dean had suggested that some things might be on tape, although he apparently had no actual knowledge. But he stated that Nixon, at times, would walk to a bookcase and speak low, and Dean had wondered why he did that. Was it possible that he was trying to keep something from being picked up by a microphone?
The existence of the tapes themselves were made known by Butterworth, who had set them up, and who told Dash that they ran 24-7. Butterworth apparently assumed that Dash already knew about the tapes.
Dash told Dean that Butterworth had said that there were tapes. Dean was not defensive, but said: "Great, that will mean that what I am saying can be corroborated." And it was, virtually in full detail. So, Dash believed Dean.
Ervin asked Nixon to turn over the tapes. Nixon was paranoid (yelling at Ervin) and wound up in the hospital (the word was that he had viral pneumonia, but did he?), and must have assumed that he never would have to turn the tapes over. But he did.
Had Nixon destroyed the tapes, on the basis of national security, for example, Dash said that he never would have been forced from office.
So, the tapes were really discovered (and preserved) by chance.
Dash also talked about Haldeman's purjory. About Archibald Cox as special prosecutor and his relationship with the Select Committee (he thought it should stop operations, for fear that it would interfere with prosecutions). About the Republican counsel, Fred Thompson (later actor and Senator) of Tennessee. About Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, a Republican who voted like a Democrat.
Friday, October 14, 2005
True or False (?) (1 cent)
1.
A priest, an imam, a minister and a rabbi, meeting together to build relationships and create better mutual understandings.
A feel-good session, where the four decide to each confess to the others one of their personal shortcomings.
The Minister: I am a compulsive gambler. I can't help myself. Even sometimes I gamble the money put in the collection plate.
The imam: Every night I drink a fifth of bourbon.
The priest: I have a girl friend on the side.
Silence from the rabbi, whose face is troubled.
"well?", say the others.
"well", says the Rabbi, my shortcoming is that I can't help but gossip.
2. After the London police shot and killed the suspected Brazilian terrorist in the London underground, President Bush became distraught.
"What's the problem?" asked Karl Rove.
"The news from Britain is awful", said the president.
"Yes", said Rove, "but there is a lot of bad news. Why has this one got you so down?"
"It is just such a tragedy", says the president. "By the way..."
"Yes?"
The President continued...."exactly how many is a Brazilian?"
A priest, an imam, a minister and a rabbi, meeting together to build relationships and create better mutual understandings.
A feel-good session, where the four decide to each confess to the others one of their personal shortcomings.
The Minister: I am a compulsive gambler. I can't help myself. Even sometimes I gamble the money put in the collection plate.
The imam: Every night I drink a fifth of bourbon.
The priest: I have a girl friend on the side.
Silence from the rabbi, whose face is troubled.
"well?", say the others.
"well", says the Rabbi, my shortcoming is that I can't help but gossip.
2. After the London police shot and killed the suspected Brazilian terrorist in the London underground, President Bush became distraught.
"What's the problem?" asked Karl Rove.
"The news from Britain is awful", said the president.
"Yes", said Rove, "but there is a lot of bad news. Why has this one got you so down?"
"It is just such a tragedy", says the president. "By the way..."
"Yes?"
The President continued...."exactly how many is a Brazilian?"
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
He Stole My Idea (48 cents)
Steve Eldridge, in his column in this morning's Washington Examiner, suggests that transportation authorities can raise money by auctioning off naming right to bridges, tunnels and highways.
Any reader of this blog knows that I had suggested this as a way to raise money for DC months ago. For example, wouldn't Coca Cola pay a lot of money so that the White House Address would be, for a set period of time, 1600 Coca Cola (Pennsylvania) Avenue?
So, what I have long suspected must be true.
Steve Eldrige reads my blog. But is too embarrassed to admit it and give credit where due.
Sic semper reporters.
Any reader of this blog knows that I had suggested this as a way to raise money for DC months ago. For example, wouldn't Coca Cola pay a lot of money so that the White House Address would be, for a set period of time, 1600 Coca Cola (Pennsylvania) Avenue?
So, what I have long suspected must be true.
Steve Eldrige reads my blog. But is too embarrassed to admit it and give credit where due.
Sic semper reporters.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Spalding Gray
I did finish "Impossible Vacation" last night, and then read a little about Gray. The book clearly was filled with autobiographical detail. And his story is a very sad one.
His mother did commit suicide. And he suffered from a manic-depressive condition throughout his life, although he didn't recognize it as such until he was well into his thirties, it seems. Before that, it was just mood swings, search for perfect experiences (usually, sexually oriented, one way or the other), trying to get acting jobs, trying to hold himself together. Eventually, he decided he could write, and his writing led him back to acting. He wrote a number of books, the best known being "Swimming to Cambodia", was in over 30 movies and a number of plays, and put together his own monologues on his life and troubles, which were apparently (and not surprisingly) both entertaining and perceptive.
He turned 60 in 2001, and a friend loaned him his farmhouse in Ireland for a celebration, to which Gray invited a number of his friends (he was also married with children by then). His friend who owned the house died of a heart attack just before they went to Ireland, which put a damper on things, but not nearly the damper that a very serious car accident did shortly after they arrived. Gray spent the rest of his life trying to recover from serious injuries including a fractured skull (forehead) which led to both disfiguration and a steel plate, and other broken bones. Surgeries and pain followed, and depression.
He had threatened suicide a number of times following the accident. He clearly was not his former self, and whatever tendencies he had to wither psychologically increased drastically. It was unclear if anyone took his suicide attempts/threats seriously, but one day, he apparently through himself in the East River. His body was recovered several weeks later. In the interim, he was classified as having simply disappeared, and his family and friends hoped that he would surface in one piece.
A sad, sad story.
His mother did commit suicide. And he suffered from a manic-depressive condition throughout his life, although he didn't recognize it as such until he was well into his thirties, it seems. Before that, it was just mood swings, search for perfect experiences (usually, sexually oriented, one way or the other), trying to get acting jobs, trying to hold himself together. Eventually, he decided he could write, and his writing led him back to acting. He wrote a number of books, the best known being "Swimming to Cambodia", was in over 30 movies and a number of plays, and put together his own monologues on his life and troubles, which were apparently (and not surprisingly) both entertaining and perceptive.
He turned 60 in 2001, and a friend loaned him his farmhouse in Ireland for a celebration, to which Gray invited a number of his friends (he was also married with children by then). His friend who owned the house died of a heart attack just before they went to Ireland, which put a damper on things, but not nearly the damper that a very serious car accident did shortly after they arrived. Gray spent the rest of his life trying to recover from serious injuries including a fractured skull (forehead) which led to both disfiguration and a steel plate, and other broken bones. Surgeries and pain followed, and depression.
He had threatened suicide a number of times following the accident. He clearly was not his former self, and whatever tendencies he had to wither psychologically increased drastically. It was unclear if anyone took his suicide attempts/threats seriously, but one day, he apparently through himself in the East River. His body was recovered several weeks later. In the interim, he was classified as having simply disappeared, and his family and friends hoped that he would surface in one piece.
A sad, sad story.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Today's Washington Post Metro Section
1. The rainfall at National Airport Friday and Saturday was 7.34 inches.
2. The rain affected the Christian evangelical to-do scheduled for the mall. The leader, Luis Palau, said: "I'm not discouraged. I'm perplexed that the Lord would allow this rain to come and despite all our prayers - it's still coming." I guess the earthquake in Pakistan/Kashmir, killing tens of thousands, is not a surprise. God could easily ordain that. But, the idea that God would let it rain on Mr. Palau is hard to figure.
3. The metro repairs over the weekend made the normal 45 minute commute of an 18 year old waitress even longer. A 45 minute commute for an 18 year old?
4. While the Capitals lose millions every year, the Nationals made $25 million their first year.
5. American University's president Ladner had a social secretary who among other things, supervised the president's house, including the birdpaths and planters, and the silver closets and the butler's pantries.
6. An hispanic kid, on his 18th birthday, was shot dead by a Frederick policeman, after he had aimed a BB-gun at the policeman. The kid was probably involved in drugs, and gangs, and was running away from an assault, when he turned around and pointed the realistic looking gun at the chasing policeman.
7. If a woman is "attacked", what does that mean? If she was "assaulted", is that the same, or different?
8. Marion Barry has not filed federal tax returns sincee 1998. This is only a misdemeanor? He also has not filed DC returns.
9. 210,000 DC residents (that is about 40%) live in areas that "lack access to routine medical services." What can this mean?
10. What is, and what do you do with, apple skoal?
11. What do Democrats say "Democratic Party" and Republians say "Democrat Party"?
12. Can you say "it's", when you mean "it has"?
13. Highest temperature yesterday: 102 in Baghdad.
14. Lowest temperature yesterday: 33 in Denver.
2. The rain affected the Christian evangelical to-do scheduled for the mall. The leader, Luis Palau, said: "I'm not discouraged. I'm perplexed that the Lord would allow this rain to come and despite all our prayers - it's still coming." I guess the earthquake in Pakistan/Kashmir, killing tens of thousands, is not a surprise. God could easily ordain that. But, the idea that God would let it rain on Mr. Palau is hard to figure.
3. The metro repairs over the weekend made the normal 45 minute commute of an 18 year old waitress even longer. A 45 minute commute for an 18 year old?
4. While the Capitals lose millions every year, the Nationals made $25 million their first year.
5. American University's president Ladner had a social secretary who among other things, supervised the president's house, including the birdpaths and planters, and the silver closets and the butler's pantries.
6. An hispanic kid, on his 18th birthday, was shot dead by a Frederick policeman, after he had aimed a BB-gun at the policeman. The kid was probably involved in drugs, and gangs, and was running away from an assault, when he turned around and pointed the realistic looking gun at the chasing policeman.
7. If a woman is "attacked", what does that mean? If she was "assaulted", is that the same, or different?
8. Marion Barry has not filed federal tax returns sincee 1998. This is only a misdemeanor? He also has not filed DC returns.
9. 210,000 DC residents (that is about 40%) live in areas that "lack access to routine medical services." What can this mean?
10. What is, and what do you do with, apple skoal?
11. What do Democrats say "Democratic Party" and Republians say "Democrat Party"?
12. Can you say "it's", when you mean "it has"?
13. Highest temperature yesterday: 102 in Baghdad.
14. Lowest temperature yesterday: 33 in Denver.
Back to Normal? (7 cents)
Our ten year old guest is now back with his mother, having spent just a fine week with us. He was a delight to have, but took up a lot of time. Thus, I did not have a chance to prepare new postings last week.
This one will simply be a rundown of what has been happening. Or not.
I have been spending quite a bit of time trying to sort out the thousands of books I have, organizing them, and getting rid of some of them. Yesterday, I carted away almost 300 books. Some went to the local Bryn Mawr book store in Georgetown, and others went to the Stone Ridge Country Day School for their annual mammoth book sale.
It opened a few shelves in a large walk in closet that I have, but didn't really make a dent in anything. But it gave me a chance to go through books I had not touched in years. (I think I went through about 1/3 of that closet, and got rid of about half of the books I looked at.)
As to the books I saved, I tried to limit them to books that were (a) of possible use to me in the future, (b) autographed, (c) of some value, or (d) nicely illustrated.
As to value, I generally go to www.abebooks.com, which is probably the best source for used books on the web. Usually, you can find any book you are interested in. It is rare when you cannot, and usually it is a book in a foreign language. For example, I have a copy of a novel called "Arnold Beer", written by German Jewish author Max Brod, published in the 1920s in a nice edition. I have never seen a copy for sale anywhere.
There are a few books, which I learned this week were worth more than I thought. An example of this is a book about St. Louis called "St. Louis in Fruheren Jahren", published in St. Louis in 1983. I have a nice copy. The three copies for sale on Abebooks are listed at between $175 and $200. Then, there is "Sketches in England, France and Scotland, written by F.A. Abbot (and originally published in the New Orleans Picayune), published in New York in 1858. My copy is signed. You can buy a signed copy for $250, but mine is not in very good condition (that is not quite honest; the spine has come completely away at the front. A third example is called "Benner's Prophecies", which are actually prophecies as to the future of commodity prices, published in 1879 in Cincinnati. It is a small book, in fairly decent shape. There are two copies for sale for about $500 each. This is hard for me to believe.
I have not finished a book over the past week or so, again because of diversions, but I am in the middle of three interesting books. One is Jonathan Safran Foer's "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close" or something like that. I am about 1/4 through the book, which is very enjoyable. Second, I am reading Spalding Gray's "Impossible Vacation", a novel which I assume has some autobiographical content (in fact, I thought I was reading a memoir until I looked back at the cover and saw the word 'novel'). Gray wrote very well; his suicide last year was clearly tragic. I know little about him. Finally, I am reading a book by Lowell Thomas. This one is called "Back to Mandalay Bay", and was the story of the Burma campaign of World War II. Much more interesting than you might imagine.
I have also been spending a fair amount of time preparing for a study group presentation tonight on "Columbus the Jew". Was Christopher Columbus (by background and ancestry) Jewish, and is the question of any relevance whatsoever. Columbus set out for (what became) America on the day following the final expulsion of the Jews from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella. Columbus, like Shakespeare and Jesus, have been studied in extraordinary detail; yet the details are elusive. He was most likely from Genoa, but did not speak Italian. The question is whether or not his parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents, were in fact Jewish refugees from the 1391 pogrom in Barcelona. There are passionate (and reasoned) arguments on all sides. But the upshot is that, no matter how much we try to figure out something historical, we will fail to be definitive.
Tomorrow is Columbus Day, and Wednesday night Kol Nidre, so again we have a week that will be unusual, but the goal is to keep the postings coming.
This one will simply be a rundown of what has been happening. Or not.
I have been spending quite a bit of time trying to sort out the thousands of books I have, organizing them, and getting rid of some of them. Yesterday, I carted away almost 300 books. Some went to the local Bryn Mawr book store in Georgetown, and others went to the Stone Ridge Country Day School for their annual mammoth book sale.
It opened a few shelves in a large walk in closet that I have, but didn't really make a dent in anything. But it gave me a chance to go through books I had not touched in years. (I think I went through about 1/3 of that closet, and got rid of about half of the books I looked at.)
As to the books I saved, I tried to limit them to books that were (a) of possible use to me in the future, (b) autographed, (c) of some value, or (d) nicely illustrated.
As to value, I generally go to www.abebooks.com, which is probably the best source for used books on the web. Usually, you can find any book you are interested in. It is rare when you cannot, and usually it is a book in a foreign language. For example, I have a copy of a novel called "Arnold Beer", written by German Jewish author Max Brod, published in the 1920s in a nice edition. I have never seen a copy for sale anywhere.
There are a few books, which I learned this week were worth more than I thought. An example of this is a book about St. Louis called "St. Louis in Fruheren Jahren", published in St. Louis in 1983. I have a nice copy. The three copies for sale on Abebooks are listed at between $175 and $200. Then, there is "Sketches in England, France and Scotland, written by F.A. Abbot (and originally published in the New Orleans Picayune), published in New York in 1858. My copy is signed. You can buy a signed copy for $250, but mine is not in very good condition (that is not quite honest; the spine has come completely away at the front. A third example is called "Benner's Prophecies", which are actually prophecies as to the future of commodity prices, published in 1879 in Cincinnati. It is a small book, in fairly decent shape. There are two copies for sale for about $500 each. This is hard for me to believe.
I have not finished a book over the past week or so, again because of diversions, but I am in the middle of three interesting books. One is Jonathan Safran Foer's "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close" or something like that. I am about 1/4 through the book, which is very enjoyable. Second, I am reading Spalding Gray's "Impossible Vacation", a novel which I assume has some autobiographical content (in fact, I thought I was reading a memoir until I looked back at the cover and saw the word 'novel'). Gray wrote very well; his suicide last year was clearly tragic. I know little about him. Finally, I am reading a book by Lowell Thomas. This one is called "Back to Mandalay Bay", and was the story of the Burma campaign of World War II. Much more interesting than you might imagine.
I have also been spending a fair amount of time preparing for a study group presentation tonight on "Columbus the Jew". Was Christopher Columbus (by background and ancestry) Jewish, and is the question of any relevance whatsoever. Columbus set out for (what became) America on the day following the final expulsion of the Jews from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella. Columbus, like Shakespeare and Jesus, have been studied in extraordinary detail; yet the details are elusive. He was most likely from Genoa, but did not speak Italian. The question is whether or not his parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents, were in fact Jewish refugees from the 1391 pogrom in Barcelona. There are passionate (and reasoned) arguments on all sides. But the upshot is that, no matter how much we try to figure out something historical, we will fail to be definitive.
Tomorrow is Columbus Day, and Wednesday night Kol Nidre, so again we have a week that will be unusual, but the goal is to keep the postings coming.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
House Guest
We have a 10 year old house guest staying with us for a week or so.
This is much more time consuming than having adult guests, in case you didn't know, and blogging time is certainly affected.
This is much more time consuming than having adult guests, in case you didn't know, and blogging time is certainly affected.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)