No Rain Yet

The winds have picked up but no rain in Staten Island. My boss and a few friends called to remind me to stay home. Usually in bad weather I find a way in. In the last blizzard I made it with ease. However, in this case I think the building is closed so there would be no place to go to.

In praise of Grandma or extended family

Once again we have a tale of a nanny misbehaving in this case killing the kids she was paid to watch. Of course the presence of nannies in ubber rich enclaves is a constant. Of course I don't like to point the finger at anyone but perhaps we need to rethink the role of extended families and career priorities.

The truth is many people are too caught up in their careers to remember taking care of their kids is job number one. The kids are being raised and cared for by people you don't know.

Now Grandma and extended family may not be perfect but you know exactly who they are. Of course this would mean that the parents could not treat the actual child care provider like a peasant. Children would actually know their families much better.

Obama will win

 The media has done its usual protect Obama from scrutiny routine. While we despise Donald Trump, the amount of secrecy about almost every aspect of the anointed one's life is a bit much.

In fairness, Obama should not be blamed for terrorist attacks. We live in a nasty world where there are religious nuts who are intent on killing us and will make up excuses after the fact. My problem is with the administrations refusal to address the problem by name. His Cairo speech was a disgrace.

This is the speech he needed to give


The United States has core values and the right to worship freely is one of our guaranteed rights. However, our rights also guarantee the next man the same right. This arrangement for the most part has allowed our country to be free of the strife and totalitarian abuses familiar in this region.

There are those who blame the West for colonialism. However, Muslims have their own history of colonialism and abuses of ethnic and religious minorities. History does not start in 1948 because you deem it expedient.  It is time for Muslims to respect the rights of others and live peaceably.

There are shrill voices who seek to provoke a clash between Muslims and everyone else. The days of terrorism are over. Allowing war criminals in your midst can be hazardous to your health. Even if we don't bomb you to smithereens history has shown them to be abuse vectors.

The choice is up to you.  If you wish to live in peace welcome, if you raise the sword you will die by it.

Lack of ethics in publishing BS bios

It is no secret that I have a disdain for the Satmar. That being said the BS Feldman memoir was scandalously not even topically fact checked. From any basic reading Feldman is a mentally disturbed attention hog. She pretty much told her publisher and the media the story they wanted to hear. It didn't matter that the messenger lied and was mentally ill because the media wanted a face to push its agenda.

The Satmar are easy to hate even if you are Jewish. They are arrogant, uncouth and beyond religious books ignorant on scores of subjects. Now if you wish to live an alternative lifestyle be my guest just not on my dime. The gay guy up the block works hard pays his taxes and is a good neighbor. The Satmar clod seldom works while voicing toxic opinions parroted from a North Korean Dear Leader Styled Rabbi.

Now I don't mind helping hard working poor families. However, the work ethic is severely lacking amongst men who are unemployable. Sorry, but reading religious texts all day while castigating the rest of the community while begging for alms is not a good strategy for public relations.

In a similar manner the shallow Greg Smith is spinning a sanctimonious tale that is only believable by air headed publishing wonks. Anyone can spill the dirt on an employer. This is not novel or ethical unless serious malfeasance is involved.  In the case of Smith you are dealing with a shallow act who is starved for attention. Basically like a spoiled brat he felt he deserved a seven figure bonus but got a mere $500,000. Sorry, a jerk like Smith doesn't deserve to be employed in Wall Street. Had he experienced the brutal and often humiliating experiences of regular working people he ignored in his daily fog he would count his blessings. I am perplexed how such a shallow and unintelligent clown like Smith managed to be employed at Goldman in the first place.

Of course we are waiting for the Greg Smith book from higher ed. How we conned thousands into mountains of debt for worthless college degrees by a insider in higher ed. Don't hold your breath for that book.

There is a stench in the land

One of our Presidential candidates was a University Professor. He toiled for a dozen years without so much as a single published article. His class added nothing to those who took it. If he had the slightest ability he would have been teaching a core course. Don't hold your breath waiting for a review of the books and course work assigned by the nutty Prof.

You can't see Obama's transcripts or applications. The truth is amusing in that he was a political hire and in a time where we have fewer resources we need to cut back on cronyism.

There is a stench in the land that says if you work for business you are morally depraved. Those on the left rant about exploited aliens. Of course they are factually correct, that many businesses do flout immigration law. The left feigns amnesia about the student visa scams. Many students do not attend a single class and many of those who do attend for a year or less. The universities charge high fees for lazy professors who get paid six figure salaries for 15 hours a week of work. There is a myth that Professors spend time researching. What did Obama's research produce and why was he allowed to continue.

The students vanish into society until they find a spouse or encounter law enforcement. Those who don't even attend classes take entry level jobs badly needed in a tough economy.

I know plenty of business owners who pour their soul into work. I never saw one that worked 15 hours a week and accomplished zero.

The professors jack up their salaries and place the burden on families. The students leave with mountains of debt and worthless paper. Meanwhile the Professors sit around doing nothing except concocting more ways to do less work. The hiring practices in higher ed are dens of nepotism and political connections and bean counting count more then scholarship.

Surprise a very marginal student was given a visa attended a few class, took a menial job and plotted a crime. You can find scores of people who did the first two.

The student visa program needs reform and Obama represents everything that is wrong with higher education.

Death of the dream

You live and grow up with certain expectations. Over the years you think of children being abused as something foreign. There was a time that it was viewed as something that happens to poor people. We see the nasty headlines, but every now and then a case like the Lisa Steinberg case changes the perception.

Communities and organizations we thought were safe turned out not to be safe. Who would have thought that in the ultra religious community this would be a problem. It turns out the problem is huge and the leadership of one vulgar sect has been harassing victims into silence. Of course the solution is obvious, but we lack the determination to fix it. As that community depends on charity turning off the spigot until molesters are turned in would work.

Churches, Boyscouts were among the places kids who had troubled lives could count on. Of course the question of homosexuality comes up but the abuser is not the openly gay male. Usually, like Sandusky they live otherwise normal lives. You wonder how well we know some people at times.

Of course we can't live in shells. The answer is to spend more time with your own kids and be there when they interact with community events. The days of blindly trusting philanthropic organizations to do the right thing are over.

Obama skating through life with no actual work

Most of us go through life perplexed by the ability of some to abuse family connections to get jobs and promotions they did not qualify for. You sit amd wonder how some relative gets a job promotion despite repeated examples of pathological behavior. They take credit for things that they had almost zero to do with.

Barak Obama gets into an elite prep school that his family's social position nor grades warranted. While there he belongs to a group of stoners. Most of us like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, but we would never dream of placing him in Elite Universities. In  between classes Obama was probably solving mysteries with Fred and Daphne. He was probably so stoned that what he thought was a talking dog was actually a classmate named Biff.

How a Stoner gets into Occidental and has admitedly bad grades and then gets into Columbia is a genuine mystery. We know zero about Obama's grades because his transcripts are a more closely guarded secret than the recipie for Coca Cola. The most proble reasons for this improbable admission is some combination of affirmative action and family connections. Obama then goes to an even more elite law school between Scooby snacks and bong hits and mysteriously gets a job on the faculty of the University of Chicago. How he qualified or maintained a job without publishing any scholarly articles is another mystery.

Obama mysteriously hangs out with two others with bizarre resumes who were hired in academia Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn. Usually criminal activity disqualifies applicants from most jobs, but former 60's terrorists seem to have an Odessa connection into higher ed.  After 12 years of not publishing anything and teaching hacktivist elective courses Obama goes into politics. Only the multiply fired Norman Finklestein exceeded Obama's sloth in failing to produce peer reviewed articles.

Meanwhile Obama attends a racist church led by a crack pot.  Somehow he missed sermon after sermon of crackpot classics like the US Government created Aids, race baiting  and God Damn America for 20 years
and suddenly dismisses his preacher as a "nutty Uncle".

Obama does absolutely nothing to distinguish himself. His buddies in the media release sealed divorce papers from a foe at the last minute and derails his opponent. He gives an Okay speech that is over hyped by the same media friends and is turned into a Presidential candidate. His media and academic friends conspire to slant coverage during an election. Obama does little more than blather hope and change behind a Pepsi logo and stand next to a really stupid person making himself look smart in comparison to Joe Biden. Biden in a rare lucid moment asked Obama to please stop wearing the I'm with stupid T shirts in public.

The media examined every aspect of Gov Palins life while ignoring Obama's life. Palin was actually more qualified to be President than Obama, Biden or McCain. The media never discussed Biden's stupidity that is only exceeded by Bernie Sanders. I may not like Charles Schumer or Bill Clinton but neither can be called stupid.

Obama without doing an actual thing gets awarded a Nobel Prize. How one lives a life of sloth and does this is unknown. Perhaps the life benefits of standing next to really stupid people can perform miracles. If Hillary had walked around with Charlie Rangel and offered him the VP job she might be in the White House today.

How this race is even close given the train wreck economy is unknown.  If Romney gains in the polls Obama will start wearing the I'm with stupid shirts again.

Barak Obama is the Ultimate Slacker.

Talk of a freer time but was it really so

My daughter asked what it was like to spend summers in the mountains. It was a different time as there were no computers or cell phones. The children would walk the woods with no fear as Bears were gone. It was before the era of the Eastern Coyote.

On our trips the eight year olds traveled with Rusty. Rusty was mostly Shepperd with some collie mixed in. I never saw a dog that loved kids so much. We would walk through the woods like it was a  mini Eden. Look at Waterfalls and visit tiny caves, but Rusty was always there watching the group never far.

The children walked into a meadow and gentle Rusty looked different. There was a huge Black dog snarling at the frightened children. Rusty ran forward and chased the much larger dog. The larger dog ran, but Rusty returned to us as soon as it was safe. He was far better than any baby sitter. We never had to put a leash on him as it may sound funny but Rusty was guiding the kids like a flock of sheep.

I told my daughter that we never had a little dog like the Maltese, but even at home Rusty was special and never far from the children. Even as an old dog he would play like one of the toy breeds. I remember being so sad the summer he passed.
Chico was a good dog a black lab- cocker spaniel mix. The kids were older and the walks longer. He would venture off bring a woodchuck back. He was there when you needed him, but not much more. Maybe if he didn't follow such a great dog we would have appreciated him more. Chico would get mischievous
and steal the baseball and we would chase him.

There wasn't much there just a few baseball a great dog clean swimming holes, warm camp fires and gooey marshmallows. The night time had CBS radio mystery theatre that we could get on a huge tube radio.
My uncles would talk of WW1, WW2 and Korea. My grandfather would come up and fell huge trees and make items with the wood. He would talk of his lost relatives and his time in the cavalry and how he hated horses.

The food was all home cooked from scratch and plentiful. We would sneak steaks to Rusty.

May sound funny, but there wasn't many items and if my daughter looked at us she would think we were poor. People just lived differently. Listening to your Uncle describe WW1 was more entertaining than watching a silly kids show. It was a different time a freer time when parents didn't worry as much. You went away with your extended family and enjoyed the open spaces.

Different time and for me a better time. Sometimes, I look around and wonder if I imagined those days.
It was a better time to be a kid in the twilight of the dusk of the Borscht Belt days of the Catskills. I would get to be an early 20 something in the last moments the resorts were healthy. I would see them as guest and worker. Its sad to see empty lots where hotels thrived and abandoned buildings.

Nothing lasts forever and I am sorry my daughter will never know the land or magesty of the hotels. The place is a shambles and only the woods have survived. The Black Bear and Coyote roam the woods and poor people dwell in the vacation homes.

My dream is to retire to Western Maine along the Kennebec and winer in Berbice Guyana away from the coast. I could travel both rivers with a simple craft. Grow Mulberries and Make Maple Syrup in ME and have fruit and rubber trees in Guyana.

I no longer dream of the big car or the big home. I dream of the hamock and open sky. I dream of a campfire and soft music and seeing the stars at night. I dream of the freedom to read great epics and perhaps a chance to pen one of my own.

I think of stronger families and friendships of those days. Marriages lasted and people didn't look over their shoulder for impending pinkslips. We have computers and gadgets, but I wouldn't trade one day of those warm memories for the progress.

Lost art of the mini series

I don't know why but all of the sudden I am nostalgic for the sweeping miniseries. Maybe it is a lost art form but after watching most of Centenial I kind of miss the sweeping generational epic. We have channels for everything else, but I would love a channel dedicated just to epics. Maybe they would produce new ones as well. We could watch Centenial, the Winds of War, Shogun, Roots and so forth.

I am thinking how it would be good to see faithful reproductioms of the entire Northwest Passage and Arundel books. There could even be an after show segment where readers can discuss the book with English and history proffessors.


Some day.

Movies On Line

I watched a couple of old Tony Curtis films. They really don't stand the test of time but remain enjoyable. The great pretender in its day was likely hysterical. Sadly, as identity theft is far more odious this film doesn't translate well. It is a wholesome reminder of another era with loveable scoundrels and rouges. I think that type of film is passe.

Onto 40 lbs of trouble.

This film has been made before and since. It is familiar yet looking at the inner workings of a big hotel and early Disneyland are well worth it. It is good to see Larry Storch, Phil Silvers and other small screen stars in an earlier time. Not really special just strangely fun.

Maybe they did make them better in the 60's.

Back to 1984

I want to express my understanding on a small scale with the abuse that Stacey Dash has been subjected to. In 1984 when  I registered as a Republican some people in the community did hurl garbage at me for what was then very rare. Now Jewish Republicans are not so rare especially amongst the young.

It is wrong to vote for or against Obama on the basis of race. While much attention was paid to creeps that sum Obama into every Black stereotype, zero attention was paid to the messiah nuts.

All of us should have the freedom of choice to decide our own political identities.

Been away with my daughter

I have been spending time with my daughter as she just celebrated birthday number nine. Being a father is my favorite role and I love the kid. On my own birthday, I take the day off and spend time at an amusement park or museum. In general the time I spend with her is the most fun time in my life.

I don't talk much about those matters because they are so ordinary. I don't grasp the fun part but on the rare occaision I cook it is a big deal to the daughter.  She sees her mother cook each and every day and the results are predictable. I go in and create a Roast Turkey or lasagna and she wants to know how I did it. Making a lasagna with Turkey products wasn't easy and it was superior to the resturant up the block.

The family has come to expect a Thanksgiving feast, but in reality only the little dog and I eat much of the turkey. I keep promising this will be the year I make two chickens but it never happens. I also do not like to make a second one on Christmas. The poor Maltese had his paws around a massive drumstick that was almost his size. I didnt see him for a few hours and anyone who went near the drumstick got a nip.

There isn't much to say about politics. Obama is a joke, but the joke is on us. When he falls on his face in a debate it becomes the moderators fault. The truth is Obama is not even in the same galaxy with Bill Clinton or even GW Bush. He has been socially promoted on the basis of family connections and race. We hear about his days as a Professor but he taught a political class and published nothing of note. In relations to his peers he underperformed.

Does Obama come with a laugh trak

I am floored that his comments at the debate are not comedic. He has done zero to decrease the cost of Health Care or higher education. What jobs has he created ???

Four more years and the jokes on us.

I want to thank the Red Sox for hirring Bobby V. Bobby V is interesting but probably has the worst people skills of any manager in recent memory. Hopefully, he gets a gig in radio and stays there.

RIP Irving Cohen

I want to take a moment to mourn the passing of a giant of a man Mr. Irving Cohen. He was one of the first bosses I ever worked for and a visionary. He turned boys into men in summers. He made more matches and repaired more family fueds than anyone I ever met.

I remember I was despondent about a real lost first love. Hey kid life is long and you never know what is around the corner. First one's the worst, and no it doesn't get to be old hat after a while. In your case better now than later. You won't ever do worse.

The truth is that Cohen's words were true. The girl I fell in love with was on her way to a life that was interesting but predictable. At the time I had naive notions about class snobbery. The truth was Cohen was right. My life took me to many wonderful adventures and intersting chapters.  The person I fell in love with did not belong in my world nor could I be a townie.

Many years later I returned as a guest. I thought he had forgotten me in a sea of names. We spoke and he recalled the conversation. I had to thank him for telling me what I did not want to hear. 

In our lives we never stop and say thanks. Those that met Mr. Cohen never forgot him. Those that knew him professionally and on a personal level were blessed.

Mr. Cohen thanks for everything.