Ode to a Stick Shift (with a very special treat at the end: "BEEP, BEEP... the Little Nash Rambler" by the Playmates, which explaines it all.)

Fanciest stick shift I'll ever see

When I was just 16 and not very good at this thing called "DRIVING," I did something so stupidly remarkable that if truth were told (and it wasn't because I lied) it might make the Rules of the Road record books. 

'4 on the floor.'

Many of us learned to drive a 'stick shift' because that's all there were at that time. All those cars had one extra pedal, the clutch,  and a button on the floor to 'high beam' or 'dim' our headlights..The emergency brake was your special friend because it helped 'hold' the can on a hill lest you roll backwards before the forward gear engaged. 

Drivers had to use two hands and two feet in a syncopated rhythm to mesh the gears. Sure it was a lot busier with a manual transmission... and a lot more fun. You were actually driving instead of just steering. More sophisticated manual manual transmission cars are still sold but fewer each year and some auto companies no longer offer them. You felt more control of your car... because you were.  And if you did it wrong and found yourself stuck in an intersection or at a red light that just turned green, other cars would honk (politely, of course) and holler "Get the *&%$ out of the way, you jerk. Learn to drive, why dontcha!"

Now for my Rules of the Road record: Picture me, just a few days past my 16th birthday with my driver's license newly in my pocket and all the confidence that I WAS the best driver in the world. But some things they just don't teach in Driver's Ed., like how to navigate the notoriously steep Western Street hill with a stoplight at the top.The trick was to wait at he bottom until the light turned green... then GUN IT and pray to NEVER get stuck atop Western Street. MOST knew what I had yet to learn.

So when I got stopped by a cement truck that failed to make the light, I knew I was in trouble. I was stuck, with that monster truck just in front of me and another car close on my tail, all of us stopped on WESTERN HILL waiting for the light to change. I thought fast as I felt sweat rolling down my neck.

I knew that as soon as that light turned green, the monster truck in front would roll back just a few inches as the professional  driver would do the clutch/brake thing smoothly and he would move slowly forward. I just knew that I had to execute perfectly or kill the engine... or worse, roll into the car behind me. 

I determined (wrongly) that my car should be in second gear since that was more powerful.  So I put my stick shift into second gear, or so I thought. But since second was just across the gear shift from reverse, which I unknowingly found. 

than first, 

The light changed and I just gunned the heck out of it... and I did it perfectly--except that since my car was in reverse, I sped down the hill at record pace, solidly hitting the car behind me with as much force as my anxious foot would allow. 

Now let me just say that no one was more surprised than me... although I think the person in the car I slammed into might also have raised an eyebrow or two. It was as awful as it was loud and for a moment, time stood still. It felt like this to me.. but thankfully, it was not.

This wasn't my accident but it sure seemed like it to me at the time

Making certain the lady in the car I had hit wasn't dead--and thankfully, she wasn't even hurt--I heard the siren and knew my time had come.  In a  falsetto voice, I said "Hi officer.. " giving a modest Stan Laurel wave.

He asked in a decidedly not falsetto voice, "What in God's name happened here?"

I have often been told that I don't know what I am going to say until I hear it said from my mouth, This was one of those times. 

"Officer Sir, there was a huge cement truck in front of me and when the light changed, it started to roll backward, toward my car. I really felt that to save myself, I had to back down the hill as fast as I could."

"You certainly did a good job of that" he told me. The blessing, of course, was that no one was hurt and to my great surprise, the officer said, "Well that's one for the record books (see, I told you) "It happens kid. and that's why you get the ticket." The lady in the car behind... the one I hit, gave me a hug and said "Cars can be fixed."

That's it. No ambulance, no handcuffs, kind people. And the cop had a good one to tell the guys at the station. The lady, God bless her, worried more about me than her car. Even my dad and mom understood... sort of. I had to pay the ticket and was cautioned to learn from the experience. I did.

Now you ask, how could I ever be so naive as to think second gear was 'the power gear?' Well, if you've read this far, then you get the treat of watching and listening to a real top 20 classic of the time, "BEEP BEEP. The Little Nash Rambler" by The Playmates, And be sure to catch the last line... my stupid excuse. 

Moral of the story: Never go up Western Street Hill unless you are prepared for the consequences.

Are you old enough to watch the evening news?

David Muir on ABC

Now THAT, my friends, is a trick question.

First off, every newscast starts with "BREAKING NEWS" and we older like that. (Hint number 1) We want to know what is happening now so we can be up to date. Will the future never happen if we don't worry about it? Sadly, so much of BREAKING NEWS recently is about the really bad weather that has earned its prominence. 


Most of us older people are already obsessed about the weather, good, bad or foggy. (Hint number 2) When we were young, apparently there was no weather... or at least, not 24/7 as it is today.

Rising or dropping gas prices across the nation (Hint number 3) is also fodder a little later in the broadcast and outrage comes quick to those who will drive 30 miles to save 5 cents a gallon. But fear not, there is enough outrage in the news to give every watcher a target or two.

The reason all of this is true is because old people care on a global/universe scale. Thus we are self-selecting. That's why we see all those icky ads at dinner time... because we are the best market for those advertisers and they aim right between the eyes and into the caring brain of the "the older." ... of which I am one, or better said... of which I am one.

So the evening news has most of the elements for 'older' interests... immediacy, core issues, pet interests, bile baiters, etc. Now it is safe for me to be judgmental because I have come clean...but maybe not Charmin clean, heaven forbid...  and old people can't read that small type anyhow so they don't know I am making fun of us.  So just think of me as 28 years-old (wink-wink ok?) as I continue on my rampage of, as you will see, advertising to the older generation... or, as we say in the business, demographics

We are 'self-selecting' by our interests and certain advertisers want us... need us!

They mostly target the less-desired demographic with products/things that would interest someone skewing "oldish." (Actually a smart strategy, and the reason Nike or Speedo don't.)

So we get:

• Charmin toilet tissue (my favorite) because I do desire "a better clean." "A Charmin clean... Now that feels good," "Whether I sit or squat."

• Depends, "for a better fit," of course.

• Ducolax, "Dependable relief" asking if I am "Constipated?" or "Stuck?"

• Cologuard, where I can "send poop through the mail."

• Linzess, because "not everyone poops."

• Bath Fitters, because "a walk-in shower is safer for the less agile than a bathtub."

• Hearing Aids, because "Eh?"

• And many of the medicines with strange, made-up trade names and a list of possible side effects from upset stomach to death, but all helpful or vital when needed... like now for some who watch.

If you watch the evening news, you are quite probably interested in these products. Actually, it does work as advertisers spend big money to reach their best audience of users or potential users. Facebook also chases the gold by recognizing who wants what and instantly flooding those 'feeds' with like product. That's no accident.

So, news watchers, the message is clear... if you want to be seen as demographically younger, and who doesn't, watch Saturday Night Live, now in it's 44th year. You'll see none of the above advertisers but you must use discretion lest you be tempted to go for a racy Speedo or new pair of very expensive Nikes ("Just Do It!"),  As a bonus though, with SNL you will get a slice of America as it is currently seen through younger comedic eyes, some funny stuff and some that will make you cringe. But hey, that's what time-shifting is all about. Record the stuff you want to watch later and fast forward with gusto until it feels just right. And, as a bonus, you can still get to bed before 10 pm and no one will know how old you are, you sly fox.

Older is a joy if blessed with the important stuff (not money, but if so burdened, try your best to live with it.) but you know what I mean. We are as old as we see from our eyes but sometimes, if we are seen as older by others, it  is a drag. Be free as life allows... watch SNL if only in disgust, but enjoy a semi-forbidden laugh (with absolutely no disclaimers) at ourselves once in a while... and maybe, worry less about what you can't control. Did you just say "NOPE!"

Is the media , "The enemy of the people?” as the President says over and over...and is believed, perhaps by as many as 1 of 3 Americans today.

National Enquirer

Well, I guess you could truthfully say, "Yes and No." But then comes the tough part: Where, and from whom, do you get "the real news?"

"Fake news! Fake news! Fake news," he says, and there is always some of that.

Take the National Enquirer, for example. It's been around since 1926 and has always sold well when displayed at grocery and other check-out lines, purchased on impulse because of its  often outrageous' grabber headlines.'

Weekly World News

Click on the National Enquirer link under its photo and you will see a large number of their covers showing what I mean. (FYI; David Pecker, who has been in the news lately, is the Chairman and CEO of American Media which publishes the National Enquirer...

... and also, one of my all-time favorite fun titles, "The Weekly World News: the world's only reliable news", which is no longer in print... but there was nothing like it, for sure! Check the link for a fun time.

The Onion

Then there is The Onion, a satirical newspaper founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 1988 which built his reputation for humor by its handling of real and fake stories, always with an amusing or amazingly unbelievable  twist. You can see more of their covers by clicking on the Onion link below the picture... and PS: This story, Sexiest Man, was believed as true "over there" and gathered a lot of steam.

Now THAT'S fake news. There is a lot of fake news on all platforms of social media, because,what is seen on the internet is ALWAYS TRUE, right? Problem is, it's hard to tell sometimes what is fake and what is real. And because it is repeated thousands of times does not make anything fake, real Really!

Now we have the more conventional news media... newspapers (what's left of them), television and radio. Sadly, newspapers, the best source of in-depth news and coverage, is fading fast, a victim of its time in the same market with social media, where most of the young and younger get their news, if any at all. Who has time to read something as antiquated and clumsy as a "newspaper.?" Advertisers who provide most of the newspaper revenue, have left that media for greater reach of their base on line. Sad for good reporting, but true. That time has mostly passed, never to return to former glory.

Do, however, make a distinction based on where you get your news. For the most accepted traditional newspaper (print)  and TV news media, there is a culture of reporting news as news. And yes, in the editorial pages and slant, there is often a viewpoint... but it is not covert and largely governed by its competition to make news fact based.

So what is true and what is fake? If social media is your bible, hope you get it right instead of just because you agree with it. In the newspaper business, truth happens much, much more than on line where everyone has and expresses opinion, often based on an oxymoron: "alternate facts," such as giant shrimp, deafening silence, clearly confused, amazingly awful, alone together, definite maybe, etc. There are never alternate facts, just fact facts, not always available when expressing an on line opinion.

FYI : One in five newspapers published 10 years ago is gone. There are 50,000 less news reporters to fact-fill those fewer pages of often reduced frequency newspapers. Real news does suffer but it can never, ever die... or so will we.

What makes you ethnically you? As a proud Italian--and after a few paragraphs of lecturing--i'll show you something fun that is ethnically us.

Sadly, ethnicity too often leads to stereotyping which can tend to divide us, but that is looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope.  We do have ethnic differences which, thank God, is to our great advantage. We would be hard pressed to live in a world where we all saw everything through the same eyes. We all bring different skills and traits to the table... yeah, sort of like a fancy smorgasbord,

Saw this inscribed on a coffee cup once:

Heaven is where the cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the cooks are British, the police are German, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians.

Culture and genetics give us our traits.  Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, We all have something to share but not necessarily the same something. We do, however, make a beautiful picture when put together. We couldn't be "us: if we didn't have "them." We certainly wouldn't be the country we are today.

If you are not Native American who always lived here or African American brought here as a slave, you are of immigrant heritage seeking a new life, a new freedom or escaping some horrible circumstance. Almost all of of us have immigrant beginnings. And just look at the incredible nation we made.
 
Disclaimer: The rest of this post originally ran July 31, 2015 but i thought it was worth a rerun because it is an entertaining way to make a stereotypical point.

Micelangelo's  David

What do DaVinci and his Mona Lisa, Michelangelo and his magnificent sculpture David, Galileo and his startling astronomical findings, Marco Polo and his discovery of spaghetti and I, producer of this fine blog have in common? 

No, not that.

Our names all end in a vowel... which means (probably) we're ITALIAN. Mama Mia!

So do all Italian names end in a vowel? No, just most.

DaVinci's Mona Lisa

For me, all of my grandparents were Italian immigrants that came here through Ellis Island in the early 1900s and made new lives for themselves. My parents were the first American born generation.

I grew up next to my grandparents and enjoyed my cultural blessings--a little wine at the table, fabulous food, getting away with cussing in Italian but claiming to never understand what I was saying, great work ethic, overwhelming gusto for life and more--but never learned Italian because they forced their children to "speeka English."

Marco Polo's spaghetti

I really never wondered why most Italian names end in a vowel. I thought Italian was like 'pig Latin' where every word ended in "A." Imagine my surprise then when I read the credits of this fabulous video, "1,000 people playing the Foo Fighters in Unison."

As I read through the 1200 or so names of players, singers, producers, camera people, gofers and the like at the end of this very professional video, I saw that all but a handful of them ended in a vowel. That's Italy for you.

About that video, first, it is really impressive and fun to watch, even more-so if you like the music. If you are not a Foo Fighters fan, watch anyhow because it is worth it, but when bored, advance to the credits for the most astounding Italian ethnic proof you need.

An Italian, Fabio Zaffagnini (see, vowel at the end) is a huge Foo Fighters fan who had the crazy idea to get the group to perform in Romangna Italy. He called his project 'Rockin' 1000.'

It took him a year to plan and gather 1000 musicians and singers together to play one of their songs, 'Learn to fly" simultaneously. And he did it masterfully! Musicians came at their own expense from all over the globe to be a part of this project. See for yourself.

Did it work? Well, there are two Italy concerts on the schedule for Foo Fighters this November so it was twice as good as hoped. Ah, the power of music.

Other famous vowel-ending Italians: Gina Lollobrigida, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mussolini (oh, scratch-a that-a one), Marconi,  Povorati... the list-a goes-a on-a and-a on-a. Also note many famous Italians are known by just one name. Many famous Italians are named Pope-a. 

As Shakespeare said: What's in a name? That which we call a Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. So now you know why so many Italian women are called Rosa. See how it works?

Stupid is as Stupid Does: A lesson on Stupidity by Bertrand Russell, Forest Gump and David Krakauer

Forrest Gump

Was Forrest Gump the brightest light bulb shining or dumb as a box of rocks? You might be very surprised!

Of course, Forrest is not real but he lives in our minds as one of the most incredible human beings ever depicted. In his way, he simply and positively affected everyone he met and got his world--and theirs too--right.


"Stupidity is not simply the opposite of intelligence," says Bertrand Russell, a most respected British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist and Nobel Laurate who died in 1970 at the age of 97, "... stupidity is using a rule where adding more data doesn't improve your chances of getting (a problem) right."

In 1933, Russell wrote an essay, The Triumph of Stupidity, attributing the rise of Adolph Hitler to organized stupid and brutal people... two qualities, he noted,  "... that usually go together," which led to his most famous observations,  that the  "fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world, the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt."

In the ceremony while accepting Harvard's ig Nobel Award,  Russell said "Some people's own incompetence somehow gives them a stupid sense that everything they do is first rate."

SO, WHAT IS THE GREATEST PROBLEM THE WORLD FACES TODAY? This clip by David Krakauer, President of the Santa Fe Institute*, is 1 minute 53 seconds long and worth every second. It answers that question wisely and critically for us and all that follow:  The greatest problem is... 

Hint: it rhythms with 'cupidity,' but is much better and wiser said if you click the link above.


 Bonus quotes by Bertrand Russell:

Bertrand Russell

"A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate because he unconsciously translates what he hears into what he can understand."

"If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting with his instincts. he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The  origin of myths is explained this way."

"In the part of this universe, we know that there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying."


So, do you recognize anyone in today's world that fits this description? 



Thanks to Nautilus, a web based magazine that combines science, culture and philosophy into a single issue each month on its website. That is where some of this information came from. Check it out. Nautilus also has a terrific free newsletter.

*The Santa Fe Institute (SFI) is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe (New Mexico, United States) and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, including physical, computational, biological, and social systems.

 

Only YOU can compost to save the earth. So what are you waiting for? Oh, I get it.

 Kid Joke: Young boy asks mom, "Didn't you tell me that from dust we are made and to dust
we shall return?"

"Yes dear."
"Well, then, under my bed someone is either coming or going."

Pete Seeger

 Pete Seeger, American folk singer, song writer and social activist, died in 2014 and it could have been him under the bed. Not really, but theoretically. (Stay with me here.)

Of the many grand songs, lyrics and causes he stood for, one of my favorites, with words by Lee Hays,  is this little take on a kid's bed time prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep... " It was the twist he on the remaining words in a composition he called "In Dead Ernest."

Now I lay me down to sleep.

If I should die before I wake

all my bone and sinew take

Put them in the compost pile

To decompose a little while.

Worms, water, sun will have their way.

Returning me to common clay

All that I am will feed the trees

And little fishes in the  seas.

When radishes and corn you munch,

You may be having me for lunch

And then excrete me with a grin

Chortling, "There goes Lee again."

Twill be my happiest destiny

To die and live eternally.

Get the picture?  I kinda' like it. Who wouldn't want to be part of a tree or flowers or food to feed the hungry. Sure, it's a small thing now, but the idea of having your body composted--that is buried just wrapped in a sheet or blanket (or nothing if that's you) has a following that is gaining ground (pun intended.)  And for some societies... and people going back to Adam and Eve, this has God's sanction.

The state of Washington (a top recycling state that fines residents if they don't recycle or if the do it incorrectly) may be the first to make composting human remains  legal, though the practice is done discretely by more and more. So why?

Sorry undertakers, but what happens in a standard burial in a casket encased in a metal box is costly and wasteful--still favorite by most--though cremation is gaining ground, which sounds a little like an oxymoron in this context.  Caveat: Who am I to judge?

In my community, glass is no longer accepted as recyclable, and as you can see, a practical emergency.  Glass has proven more expensive to haul, though we are trying to fix that.Too many of the "haves' don't have a place for all the glass necessities of life.

I have attended a few burials of late where ashes are blended with the soil, scattered in the woods or golf courses or oceans, though that is not true composting. Word has it that Jimmy Hoffa may be the saint of involuntary human composting in the foundation a 

football stadium in New Jersey. 

So remember the motto: Be a Tree. Compost! You may get more than you bargained for. You could

even be a whole library to forever keep people happy!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?

What is wrong with us? Why are we always mad? 

Road rage incidents have increased 600% since 2006 and 8 million of us have admitted that they have played a part. Much of that is extreme "one on one" by many who... ahem... lead rather normal-seeming lives but are quick to rise to the challenge when finding a cause.

If you have an ear for the news, shootings of every kind are prevalent and on the increase. Every 'stranger' is suspicious. Politics are discussed with boxing gloves, either figuratively or literally. Approval of our Congress is in the low 20-percentages and neither political party has a majority approval.

President Trump gained traction when he negatively implied. "What have you got to lose?" We didn't accept that the answer was "Everything it took us in 240 years to achieve." (ed.note: It was the implication that we were already, colloquially, 'in the toilet' that I find problematic... the saying's context and premis.)

Bah! Humbug!

If Scrooge were alive, he would say "Bah! Humbug! And he'd be right. Out of season, but right.

Ya'know, I haven't had the feeling that I could pat Congress on the back for much lately but, I find that body remarkable--though disagreement runs deep--that cordiality among members with different beliefs, is formally decent, if rigid at times. I guess the closer you are tot he action, the more you appreciate that it is a human being on the other side too.

Seems many of us forgot that... or are too crude to care.

The reality is that,--by a VAST MAJORITY--we are incredible, caring people, willing to help our neighbor when asked or needed. The stories of good run deep, but they are not the news makers. Sadly, it is the minority that most affects the feelings of the world we live in. We are, it is written,
 "... the land of the free, and the home of the brave." We should proudly live up to our heritage more often.

Oh,and one more very important fact we should dwell on most heavily... we are the richest, freest, luckiest-by-circumstance country in the world. I think we should act like it. You do know the ones who gave the most to get us where we are today, don't you? The natural native Americans crowded beyond belief by us, the immigrants--with and without papers--who all helped build  this place. We were... and are... the people at the gate!

HORTON HEARS A WHO is my favorite Dr.Seuss movie, not only fun to watch but it is based on a true story you won't believe.

Horton Hears A Who is Theodore Geisel's most poignant book/movie. Even if you have seen the movie (or read the book to your children) you should watch it again because Dr. Seuss (as he is known) was much more than an entertainer of children. He was a sage.

As an author, he was rejected by publishers 29 times before his first of 49 books, And I Think I saw it on Mulberry Street, which was published in 1936. Horton Hears A Who, published in 1954, is based on a true story--only perceived in his time without evidence--as you will see.

Remember how that story goes? 

A speck of dust on a clover leaf is dislodged by the wind and drifts leisurely  over a lagoon in the jungle where Horton, an eccentric, nature loving  elephant is taking an afternoon dip. As the windblown speck wafts past Horton, he hears a tiny 'yelp' and believes it came from that speck of dust. He scrambles to catch the leaf before it hits the water.

He discovers that the tiny speck houses the microscopic city of Whoville and all it's inhabitants, including Mayor Ned McDodd and wife Sally and 96 daughters (don't ask... it's a cartoon, right?) whose names all begin with the letter H and his only only son, JoJo, who is destined, against his will, to be the next mayor, as Horton learns.

Horton continues to carry the cloverleaf causing the microscopic town of Whoville to experience earthquakes and weather changes that they can't explain. Sadly, the animals in Horton's jungle think Horton is either lying or delusional and that there is no Whoville. Horton is asked to stop talking so foolishly. Of course, Horton becomes more adament that Whoville exists and needs help.

All of Whoville are distressed, convinced their world will be destroyed. There are attempts by Whoville residents to be heard and believed but their efforts to signal others all fail.

It gets ugly in Horton's world as all the animals try to get him to stop. Finally, Vlad, the vulture, learns where Horton has hidden the clover leaf, steals it and drops it into a vast field of clover leafs.

Horton is mortified and desperately tries to find Whoville among all the clover leafs, going through every one of them until, on exactly the 3,000,000th clover, he finds it.

The animals all cage Horton and make him watch as the speck of dust on the clover leaf known as Whoville, is dropped into a vat of boiling liquid to settle the issue once and for all.

With all the drama that is happening in Whoville and the realization that Horton and all the residents on the clover leaf have failed, JoJo blows his horn, an instrument he was forbidden to use if he were to become mayor, AND IS HEARD by all the animals. At the last second, Vlad flies to intercept the leaf just before it is destroyed.

The story is rich in characters, both on Whoville's clover leaf and in the Jungle to play this drama play out to the last possible second. And what movie have you seen lately that stars Jim Carrey. Steve Corelle. Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogan, Jena Fisher, Jonah Hill, Charles Osgood and more? Horton Hears A Who scored 79 on Rotten Tomatoes, but you must see it yourself to fully enjoy.  It is a melodramatic nail-biter that will have you on the edge of your seat (except that I have perhaps, spoiled the ending.) It still feels good.

So now, what's this true story it tells?

Well, take a look t this:

This is an actual photo of our Earth and Moon taken from 71 million miles away. NO, NOT THE BIG WHITE ROUND THING IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER, that little teensy dot near the lower left... and the even tinier dot, if you can see it, is our moon!

So friends, We are Whoville, our earth is the clover leaf and only God knows if we can make a noise loud enough to be heard to save ourselves. So who's the big shot now? We're not even the 'flick of a finger.' Will we ever learn that we control nothing but ourselves and often, not even that.

*Nice Going D. Seuss. You've don it again and it took us 38 years years after your death to snap the picture,

* the large white object is Bennu, an asteroid only 27 miles distant from the rocket we sent into orbit around the asteroid. Some feat, yea? Now all we have to do is continue to evolve in a peaceful way instead of learning the technology to destroy ourselves with a push of a button. In the meanwhile, couldn't we be nicer to one another for a greater reason?

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? I can do a lot better than that. Top this!

Perhaps you don't know what Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is. 

A little background: In 1984, actor Kevin Bacon made Footloose, a very popular movie with the youth of the day and still a television rerun from time to time. He was just 24 then and has since proven himself as a good actor and a talented musician, but more than that, he has acquired a touch of cult power as he is likeable and has maintained a youthful vigor through the years. See for yourself: Here's the last dance scene of the movie.

Incidentally, if you haven't seen Footloose twice or more, or are looking for a movie to entertain your children who have no idea what 1984 looked like in a small town, with a very satisfying ending, show them Footloose and enjoy it yourself again. ( It is suitable for youth as I recall but check the rating to be sure.)

 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was a parlor game that evolved on the theory that everyone on this earth is connected to everyone else by no more that six people or less. For example, I am connected to Sister Theresa by only one person... my mom met Sister Theresa when she was on a special visit to the United States. And because of that connection, I was connected to the Pope of the time by only two people... and thus I am connected to some of the most high profile leaders of the world and of course, to everyone any of them knew. So you could say, I am well connected.

But Here's something that is somewhat mind-boggling. I am also connected to someone born in 1818... 201 years ago. And thus connected to any number of people who lived after that. Hmm, surely Abe Lincoln but I don't know the number..

My friend Ray Lambert is 98 and as sharp a person in mind and body as you will ever expect to meet at that age. His dad lived to the age of 102. So that alone means I can go back 200 years to find the ties I probably have. And you can too. kind of mind boggling isn't it?

Ray Lambert

But that's not all. You must know more about Ray Lambert and why I am proud to say I am a friend, even more than him just being a wonderful person. Ray is  a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army as a medic. In his service, he is a hero of the highest level. Through many ground battles, Ray also made three treacherous water landings during his service, the last being D Day on the beaches of Normandy, June 6, 1944--an epic battle that was the theme of Tom Hanks' movie, Saving Private Ryan. The Allies suffered 209,000 wounded, missing or killed at Normandy.

Ray was in the first wave on Omaha Beach that morning. His LST suffered enormous casualties but Ray was on that beach administering to all he could reach having been wounded three times himself before he could not continue. Here is a brief snippet of Ray telling about a man shot in the head as he was tending to his other wounds.  I guarantee it will bring a renewed respect for those who fought and died for our freedom.

So, fact is, we are all connected by this thin tether to almost everyone else on earth and many more going  back to the beginning of time. We may be seven billion and counting but if we think we are the big shots, just take a look at all the stars in our sky and remember, that is only a billionth of the universe. If we continue to battle to the end, then theoretically there will be only ONE.... and it won't be you or me.

Depression and the like: An awful discovery of what some have to fight all their lives

To be alone in a crowd is the 

loneliest feeling 

in the world.

Social isolation is a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between an individual and society. It differs from loneliness, which reflects a temporary lack of contact with other humans.

I had that experience when recovering from my eye surgery last month. The repair of a macular hole in my right eye required me to be in a 'face down' position for most of a full week. (That's me with my head face-down and a tumbler of coffee with a glass--not paper--straw while watching television with the help of a special mirror reflecting every commercial so I don't miss anything important.

IT REALLY SUCKS though--the position, not the straw thing. I did get a few rest breaks, like eating big-person style. but still had to sleep on my stomach and look at my shoes when standing, walking or riding in a car.

I did create a blog post with laptop screen on my legs and keyboard in full accordion-playing position, but really, this is not what you want to do unless you have no choice, The

means however, justify the end as the hole in my macula was pushed back to its normal seeing position by the magic gas inserted in the space between the cornea and its covering. (Oh, the gas required me to wear a green medical bracelet warning anyone that I could NOT fly or drive across mountains or my head would explode (my euphenism for possible blindness as the bubble would expand.)

The feeling of not being part or any crowd, family or social happening is surprisingly uneasy, and this was just a temporary thing for me. You can have a conversation but you are talking to the floor while someone speaking to you has nothing but a balding head as a target. And you don't hear as well either. (Note to the dating: don't try this at home or some intimate restaurant outing.)

It does make you realize how crippling not being part of any social network is. It is a lonely, negative feeling. And to think that there are literally millions of people who, for other reasons most likely, aren't in the world around them. It is a depressive state that happens to humans and animals from monkeys to mice and more.

It gives some rationale to a courtesy that should be more common... a nod, greeting or smile to any passerby could be their miracle for the day. And while I know this is not a cure, I can say any smile makes someone better, even if it is just the you. 

So two takeaways for me: smile more, don't have a macular hole and don't be depressed. We can only control one of those actions but hey, if you are a major league baseball player, one out of three hits could put you in the Hall of Fame. Be a Hall of Famer. 

SNL has lasted 43 years... and continuing. Why? Here's the real reason.

Saturday Night Live aired for the first time on October 11, 1975 and is now in its 44 year and counting. SNL has proven itself to be a lot of things to a lot of people...  and it remains today the most poignant show ever on television.

poingnat, adjective,, evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret, "a poignant reminder of the passing of time." Synonyms: touching, moving. sad, affecting, etc. AND FUNNY, sometimes... or not.

If you think much hasn't changed since 1975, you are probably eight years old, but just imagine, we didn't even have the internet, for God's sake! And Pong was the TV game that had us all agog at how far we had come.

Times change so fast with no way to to socially feel then from now unless we look backward. 

SNL has the only format that, for 43 years and continuing, keeps us current, lampooning life of the moment. It's not funny if it's not current.  SNL has skewered every president since Ford and many of them  and other important figures of the day have even made cameos and more to ride with the jokes and skits. Sarah Palin was there with Tina Fey and Barack Obama appeared several times. If you haven't seen Kate McKinnon do Hilary Clinton at the piano playing and singing Hallelujah just days after she lost the Presidency, (no matter what your politics) that was poignantly perfect.

SNL has had its tender moments to help us reflect, like days after 9/11 and other momentous happenings. John McCain has been on numerous times and even hosted once in 2002 and in memoriam, SNL replayed many of those bits.

It is the timely humor that often gives us a grounding of who we are and where we are at the moment. And if we ca't laugh at ourselves, then we are in even worse shape today than it actually feels.

SNL often does political humor from all sides and occasionally uses material that touches the edges but that's what happens when you go at life with few limitations. We are sometimes irreverent and over the borderline ourselves as a people. There is no "hands off" in life as we have plainly seen these past few years.

There have been 151 "regulars" on the show since John Belushi's time and a large number of "Not

ready for prime time" supporting them. There have been more than 850 skits not counting the fabled "News" segments, all about us.

Lorne Michael at Emmy time

Lorne Michael has been the head genius from day one,44 years ago. He must be to pull an incredible
different kind of cast nd writers week after week to produce every show "live," not counting the reruns and various repeat  combinations.


How hard it must be to do that over time with every year bringing updated ideas to production and hold an ever changing audience of fans... and non-fans as well. 

I actually saw a show a number of years back and was amazed as how it all came together.

But, like it or not, SNL is the only one of all in the public domain that has occupied this poignant stage for 43 years and counting. It's a poingnat lampoon of who we are and where we are by a brassy, funny, evolving cast that makes a living pretending to be us, figuratively, with our cloths off.

Here's to the watchers who can laugh. I truly wish there were more who could laugh more often. But it's hard to laugh when you are mad. 

Want more? GO HERE and enjoy.

Bet you can't guess what this pretty thing is.

Any idea? Actually, it is a macular hole, beautiful in this view but a real pain in the eye... my eye.
 
"A macular hole is a small break in the macula, located in the center of the eye's light sensitive tissue called the retina. The macula provides the sharp, central vision we need for reading, driving and seeing fine detail. A macular hole can cause blurred and distorted central vision.'" says the National Eye Institute.

Hey, it happens, thankfully not often, and usually the older you are, the greater the possibility. Okay, so my teen-age years were a little while ago. (Hint: if the computer form needs to know year of birth, you have time to get a cup of coffee before the scroll down actually reaches my birth date.)

A few months back I noticed that reading, especially in marginal light, was getting a little difficult... hardly noticeable, but over time, tiring and perplexing. Then, while reading an eye chart, I could 'ace' the first letters and last letters in the line, but the middle was impossible.

So I was"IT!"

My macular hole wasn't even noticeable in bright outdoor light but a person NEEDS to read, right? 

Side note:My daughter actually transcribed the written word to braille as a volunteer for a library for the blind. She gave me a braille copy of Playboy once that was, to say the least, for its reader content only. 

The good news is that it can be surgically fixed. My highly qualified Duke eye doctor made a very small incision into the covering of my retina and inserteds a small gas bubble that, in a few weeks (time varies per proceedure) lays against the hole and gently forces the outer break back into position.

And yes, there is a 'catch.' During the time the gas bubble is 'doing it's stuff,' the patient (me) has to maintain a 'face-down' position for the most part of waking and sleeping with a few breaks to stay sane and salve neck muscles. Yep, t is as difficult as it sounds. But the gas bubble, which exerts pressure against the retina, rises, requiring the patient (me again) to make sure the retina is above the bubble for about a week.

For example, this is me, enjoying a thermos of coffee through a straw while watching televsion in a device that rests the neck but allows for a small 'designed for the job' mirror to project forward. See how comfortable it seems to be? And when walking, you tend to notice your feet rather well but havve no iea what is happening aroung you. I am composing this blog post with my computer screen on my lap and the keyboard across my stomach so cut me some slack if you notice any kneomacklei, okay?

Long walks on the beach, which is what every lover's want ad says is what he/she enjoys, takes on a new tone when he/she asks, "why are you walking in the water"" or "Why did you step in that dog poop." Now that's a test of true love.

The upside: I also recceivied, in the same proceedure, a cataract replacement lense because the gas used causes any existing cataract to grow abnormaly fast, so double bonus!

The downside: There is none if you need the surgery, but until the bubble clears, your target eye has about the same vision as looking at the world through a glass of water and your neck hurts and the eye drops seem endless. Sleeping face-down is easy for me bcause I do that ok. No sleeping on your back though. Odds of success are highly favorable so 'fingers crossed!'

Hope this is never your need, but thank God for good doctors and advancs in medicine that are astounding... and in anesthesia too! That "biting a bullet" thing never sounded great to me.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all. May your New year be rich with quality of life and love for your fellow persons.