Some footage and some comments

A few weeks ago.  2 weeks to be exact. There was a wonderful concert to honor a person who I am only able to describe as "one of a kind"---unique.    Si Kahn should be honored at the Kennedy Center Awards presentations for his contributions to humankind, his talent, and his total commitment to furthering the rights of humankind.

Please take a look at this video of his appearance at the wonderful event to celebrate Si Kahn on August 26 of this year (2012)




Not my best introduction since I was in awe as were most of the folks there. A truly memorable, unique, and humble person who deserves even more accolades than these humble ones from our small community.

THURSDAY--Another Edition of--

A flip of the bi-weekly fedora to Jimmy Cannon----

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT.......

1)            A driver in Calif  backed out into a sidewalk hitting 11 people and his age was 100.  He said his brakes failed---my late step-father (at age 88) kept rear ending people and saying they stopped too short.  Time to think about revoking driving privileges without a “real” driving test for folks over a certain age.

2)            You have to hand it to the Republicans and Paul Ryan in particular.  He roared to the choir at the convention they will save Medicare and save the country money.  How they will do that.  Why even mention that small item.  Medicare is in no danger now—it is from these miscreants.  Glad that Ryan is so happy at how it helps dear and aging mom---my left eye is tearing up.

3)            It seems that Cheney was the Svengali behind W but here we now have Ryan---the perennial cheerleader.  Better think about those heartbeats from the Presidency---would you want the cheerleader for a football team to be the manager?

4)            Back on the music front I hope you will be tuned in this Sunday to TRADITIONS ( WFDU.FM) ---if you are local 89.1.  You know, ---the right place on the left side of the dial.   Some wonderful new music, some old favorites---and, the usual features ably abetted by the old favorites.  If you have requests merely write to me at wfdutraditions@yahoo.com

5)             Last Sunday, at a wonderful picnic and tribute to the brilliant Si Kahn, he came up with a great line.  A line I will not take credit for.  Listen to this Sunday’s SUNDAY SIMCHA --10AM ET ---see above.  Hear the line and what brought it on.

6)            I was so moved by Mrs. Romney and her comments about living in such squalor until things got better---Jon Stewart got it right---“Hand to Telephone, to Broker, to mouth existence.  I could not say it better---My Sister Eileen they are not.

7)             One has to admit that no longer is Mitt (whatever is that about) Romney the wooden figure he used to be.  Now—Plaster of Paris.  So much more real.

8)            On a serious note one does have to say he is a rebel.  He is 180 (or is it 360---I never get that right) from his truly idealistic father (George Romney).   You go, Mitt.   Keep rebelling.

9)            Seems like now kids should not read fairytales anymore.  Mrs. Romney certainly let everyone know how terrible a “storybook” marriage is compared to hers and all its trials and, alleged, tribulations.

10)     When did EZ Pass become “funny  money” like chips in a casino?    Probably when you decided not to feel the pain of totally insane tolls that support all the benefits paid to the “workers”(?) at the bridges and tunnels.   When you paid your .25 or .50 you figured that was OK.  Now---check that monthly statement.   A trip from NJ (or NY) to, say, LI----$23.00 in funny money.  You don’t even own that overpriced condo in NYC. And if you do---well, just one other crazy expense.  Go figure.

THURSDAY--The U S Open Starts Next Week---Some Thoughts

 SOME THOUGHTS ON THE U S OPEN (Tennis---not Golf)

When you turn on the news you always get the baseball, football, and basketball results along with a lot more of all the unwanted minutiae.  Tennis at, say, the U S Open until recently was an afterthought and still it has turned into the over-priced and totally different thing that it, and the other sports, were years back.  Years back---when one sat in the bleachers for a few dollars (snuck a look at the Yankees from an elevated Subway station for free) or when Tennis was on WNET in NY with Bud Palmer promoting it and the prize money was truly an awesome few thousand dollars.  Palmer and Tennis, along with the other sports have succeeded beyond their, I suppose, wildest dreams.  Of course you can forget about the U S Open on WNET now and you can also forget about seeing it for an affordable price.  But, there are moments and times when the U S Open is Open---to an admiring public.   Just before the actual games start and the qualifying matches on side courts are open to all.  They can be as good as anything on the main arenas that come later.

On the bright side it has to be said that given all our new technologies there are so many ways of viewing this event that it truly is open to all.   At least electronically.  You are in need of great patience to sit through interminable commercials or interminable blabber from the very well paid commentators (the McEnroe brothers among others—well, John anyway).  On a positive note there is always the feed from the U S Open’s website which does require a fairly fast computer---but you do gain bliss from blather.

Being There. 

That  would be the thing. Think about a few things though.  You can buy all kinds of tickets and none are inexpensive.  It is a simple matter of physics that the further you are away from an object in motion the slower it seems to move------most rationally priced seats are in that location.   To see the match properly you need a mortgage on your home.  OK stick to TV.  Or you can buy a ground pass ( if that is the term)  and actually have a better view on the huge monitor of Ashe Stadium than the people in the overpriced stratospheric seats.

The Participants:

You hear a lot about the stars and they surely have worked their athletic asses off to get where they are and are deservedly featured and well rewarded.  They also have great expenses in being there---trainers, coaches, medics (I suppose), family, entourage, and more.  We are speaking of hundreds of thousands of dollars not even including that same amount to achieve this place---and the work.

There are also the newcomers.  The unseeded players.  They pay for their living arrangements, travel, their court time,  their entrance fees, and ever so much more.  You would also enjoy watching them in the qualifying rounds---for FREE.    I recall some years back seeing Monfils that way.   They have big investments in their futures. You may well pay for court time when you play somewhere but who would have thought that they would have to pay as well---in addition to entrance fees and, if they have no friends or family in the area, lodging.

Should they rise to a star level they will, as Gilbert and Sullivan so aptly wrote in Trial By Jury---“...receive the rewards of their pluck....”.  Should they not—well, they played what they loved and, perhaps, will go on to being coaches and trainers at various clubs.

The Others:

That would include people like Linesmen, Judges, Chair Umpires, etc; all of who get paid a stipend.  They love the game and come from professions that affords them the opportunity to take on these tasks for the joy of doing it and not being paid even enough to cover their expenses(as a rule).  You do need some examples---check an article in the NY Times for that while you think of $150 stipends for persons who have flown in from California (bad example this year given that brouhaha) for the event.  Just an example.  Then think of The McEnroe Brothers and others and their “stipends”.  Like many an organization there are those who sacrifice because they love the “cause” and those who love it and are more than happy to make a handsome profit from it.  It goes on in many areas---some which I am personally acquainted with.

The Vendors:

Not much time or “ink”(which is not really used now) will be wasted here---food, clothing, auto promotions, and all such things need no comments about their pricing here.   I never did see a T Shirt worth $70.  We will forget the cost of Hamburgers for the time being—I can only hope it was  a Sacred Cow since that might be worth the price. Honestly---they are there for only one thing.  Nuff said.  I wonder if food and drink prices are equivalent in Baseball Parks or Football Stadiums---perhaps someone might comment on that.

The Audience:

The further back you sit, it seems, the less you are a real tennis fan but a person who wants to feel like he/she is in on some sort of action or event and pay handsomely for it.  Refer back to the comment about physics and distance (and later of monitor viewing on the site’s own big screen).  The people who really see the match are the box holders and you might want to check your stock holdings to see if your company has some.   Ask them for a seat.  If it is a corporation tell them you do own shares.  Breath holding is a no-no---a dangerous one.

The U S Open prides itself on the amount of celebrities that attend.  Why not?  Some are Athletes, Performers, and others who can well afford the price of front row seats (or are comped)that will appear on TV.  You also have to ask how many are invited by the Open to fill that important celebrity void.  I guess WFDU has not yet risen to that level so I cannot be accused of hypocrisy yet. But---give me chance to practice hypocrisy.

The Bottom Line:

   It is a great event that has grown from humble beginnings and morphed into a Super Spectacular as so many other sports have. That has to leave us wondering what happened to the sports and “team spirit” as differentiated from corporate greed. Wimbledon does try to retain its traditions but that can only last so long---perhaps.  While I am not privy to their inner workings I am certain it is not far removed from the U S Open save for the “tradition” aspects.

As to the U S Open.  I keep hearing about the wonders of The Williams Sisters .  Seems that the stadium is named after Arthur Ashe (deservedly) and what about Althea Gibson.  Her name does not seem prominently mentioned---though she is—finally---on that wall at the site.  

The Real Bottom Line:

It probably is not possible to go back to that simpler time of pure competition for the joy of the game.  Like so many other things it seems to have turned into a “nationalistic” event since the nationalities of the participants is always prominently displayed.  Patrick McEnroe, to his credit, if he is serious about this, is intent on promulgating and encouraging more U.S. players.

If, on the other hand, Tennis were to not try to keep its elitism it would have the popularity and interest of Baseball, Football, and all those other sports (it already charges their admission prices—and more). Though, arguably, that is what sets it apart from those other sports.  It, other than Golf, is the only non-team sport (I know the bowlers will object---and also the boxers and over acting wrestlers(?) that attracts interest and serious participants.

The real bottom line is that you cannot beat the U S Open for great promotion, keeping it Elite, and promoting a great show---and that is what it is a “show”.   That includes the mandatory ball autographing for the crowd, the acting like early gladiators in Roman arenas, and the overblown commentaries for every breath a player takes.

Would that they would go back to a more modest and low key form. Letting the players come on the court, play the game and spend time with the media focusing on the winners of the finals.  It is, I agree, problematical that once you create the monster you can’t stop it.   Before the huge stadiums and rowdy crowds in high seats (who really cannot see the intensity---see above) there were smaller venues and a much appreciated game.   That includes a less watched Television channel.   We cannot go that far back but, certainly, we can offer a bit more restraint in the promotion, the commentary, and, above all, fair pricing and pay for the non-competing participants in the event.

Evolution:

Wooden Racquets,  long white trousers, grass courts, clay courts, hard courts, metal racquets, space age material racquets. short skirts, short pants, colorful clothing (which has a purpose in the TV age)), Hype----there is a brief evolution of the game in the 20^th and 21^st Century.    Still ==you have to love it and, hopefully, people will play it and enjoy the thrill of the game and its individuality as opposed to team sports which are also very beneficial and instill a different spirit in a person.   I will now not do a riff on some comedic characters and people involved in team sports---it all has its place.

                                       

THURSDAY--Another Edition of.............

A flip of the fedora to Jimmy Cannon  as always---

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT.......

1)            Psychologists and Psychiatrists have degrees in their specialties but, honestly, what does it really mean when I have yet to meet one (not professionally) that is not truly annoying and opinionated.   Professionally I did meet one years back---that ended rapidly when I realized exactly what was said above.   I do have a theory how to help people in need and it needs only a doctor who listens and cares and an Rx pad.

2)            The tragedy on Colorado is a prime example of Psychiatry and those problems.

3)            What a great delight find that there are people who still appreciate films that celebrate people of all ages without special effects---think Marigold Hotel, and such.

4)            I, once again, have to tip my never worn hat (or yarmulka) to WFDU for keeping Yiddishkeit on the air with Sunday Simcha---and how that came about. Story on request.  Talk about the right place on the left side of the dial----that is it—period.

5)            I highly recommend a wonderful “coffee table” book---Hirschfeld on Line.  It is a play on words but his work spanned almost a century and, frankly, amazing in how he captured the people he drew along with their “personas”.  He comments on all drawings---and also why “Nina” is so much a part of it.

6)            I still wonder why some authors---better than I, certainly, find a computer keyboard a detriment.   Frankly, this is better than typing and whiting things out.  I will add that I cannot stand lap tops and flat keyboards---us old timers need to touch type on a regular keyboard.

7)            I am still trying to understand why we would allow a person who kills and maims many the privilege of changing a plea to avoid a death penalty. I may or may not believe in the death penalty but I surely don’t want a murderer, who cares not whit about who he kills, to avoid his fate because he struck a deal.  His victims struck no deals---he decided. Let us decide and, in thinking of it, this is going to cost us taxpayers (as if that really matters to anyone) a lot more than his sudden demise.

8)            Great idea selecting Paul Ryan as VP running mate.  Now people can see the difference and also realize, at this late date, what a fiasco it was for McCain to choose Palin for all the wrong reasons.

9)            Palin, and her being chosen for the fiasco, must have set back the Woman’s movement many years---perhaps 100.  But, it did show that a nincompoop was thought able to be a heart beat away from the Oval Office and the “Button”.   Speaks volumes of McCain and his thinking. Geraldine Ferraro where were you when we needed you?

10)     Do Facebook people really believe they have friends as opposed to “friends”.   Best not to call them for an evening out to find out.

11)    Clever idea giving undocumented immigrants a temporary 2 year stay of the threat of deportation. When the 2 years are up the records are up to date and, I suppose, planes and boats are at the ready.   Am I missing something here or is this a really inspired “sting” operation?

12)    Yo Ho Ho---15 men on a dead man’s chest---the question is were they there when he was alive?  If so then they killed him.  Then again if it was his treasure chest they were on they probably killed him as well.  Just not sure to which chest the rhyme refers.

                                

THURSDAY--Another Edition of--

A flip of the fedora as always to Jimmy Cannon

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT.......

1)                I  hope you saw the new Woody Allen film---To Rome With Love.  Frankly,  it is Woody Allen reliving his earlier wonderful moments in a creative and boring way---2 hours that seemed like 4.   Bless the cinematographer for bringing beauty to the mundane moment that is a re-hash of some clever stand-up moments.  Shoemaker, stick to your last.

2)                Jeff Daniels will be my guest (as an encore that is topical) on TRADITIONS this coming Sunday---please do join me.  What a multi-talented man this man is.

3)                Chick Fil-A is probably crap to eat in any case.  I do, however, agree with those who allow the founder his freedom of speech and rights.  Best thing is to avoid his chain (and heart burn along with nausea) and go eat in a healthier place and forget the political commentary.   By the way, if Gay folks want to eat there---well, there goes their longevity.    That should make him delighted.

4)                I am glad that I did not go into Advertising in the Mad Men days (as I had planned).   I doubt I could have changed with the times---from creative copy to internet intense items of one line.

5)                There is a problem in my mind in rationalizing the civility we heap on mass murderers (Aurora CO)  and the days of yore.   Today, inhuman things are done in countries---read Sharia law---to people with lesser offenses.   Might we not, at least, present a case to a court without lawyerly doubletalk and just present the facts and get the DAMNED thing over with.

6)                I am not great fan of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and their ilk and, while patient privilege is sacrosanct, it should only be sacrosanct to a point.  The “perp” in CO was under the alleged care---whatever the hell that means---of a Psychiatrist.  Either he was incompetent or he might have suspected how dangerous this crazed animal was.   Either way his silence speaks volumes of the specialty’s ineptitude or his own criminal negligence.

7)                Psychiatry on TV is about as close to real life as Law/Order, NYPD Blue  etc; are.   I hope one never has to find that out.

8)                I was saddened to hear about the death of the Pillsbury Doughboy.  Sad.  He is survived by his wife Jane Dough, a son—Play Dough, an annoying brother—Sour Dough and his single sister—Dill Dough.  The funeral was held last week at 3:50 and lasted only 20 minutes.   One of the causes of his death was over-poking the poor fellow which caused his little tummy to finally implode.

9)                Since you read my views on Psychiatry and the lesser members of that ilk I would add that it may well be that Facebook serves a better purpose.   People can let their personal thoughts and frustrations out and some of them are so off the wall that they do end up getting caught.

10)        Don’t tell that to Facebook.  They may want to charge a high hourly rate if they think they are “shrinks”.  That would be more profitable for their unhappy shareholders than the stock fiasco.  But, bright side, Mark Zuckerberg needs no benefit concerts for himself.

11)        But if you want to truly laugh out loud read the piece in this week’s New Yorker about Marriage invitations and weddings.  Better than anything I am capable of.  Which is why they get the big bucks---or any bucks and I strive for humor here and on radio.

                                                                                  

Some items other than folk---which this might well be

I do hope that there are Gilbert and Sullivan aficianados out there---as I am. Here are two samples of their work and I do have to wonder why today we are not able to have this many encores when an audience appreciates a performance---Oh---, of course---computerization of performances.



Then there comes the question of topicality---and, were the lads ever that---



The last piece does represent of how the U S now handles political and military entanglements. Good or bad it is a fact and one that seems to me to be most appropriate.