Remember back in the days when World Series, the October classic, was actually played in October? For you non-baseball fans, the World Series, a best of 7-games contest, took place in the month of October back when October was an autumn month. Fans were satisfied in those days with a 6 month long regular baseball season. And the weather always seemed to be cool on those October days 'cause that was back when we had an autumn season of the year. You had to wear a sweater or jacket to those early October World Series games of yesteryear-- maybe even a coat. The weather got cooler in mid-September in those days. That was before global warming added an entire extra month of summer to most of the United States. I just got back from Montana on Oct. 12th and it was still balmy up there.
For example, the 1961 World Series pitted the New York Yankees (American League) against the Cincinnati Reds (National League). The series only lasted 5 games. The Yankees won four of five games and the last game was played on October 9th! Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record that year by hitting 61 home runs.
But now let's check out the weather changes between 1961 and 2015! Temperatures have increased dramatically. Now we can play baseball all the way to November.
From the official weather records for New York City: "The hottest day of 1961 was July 26, with a high temperature of 87°F."
Here are your temperatures for a single week this summer in New York City for the 6 days from July 26-- July 31, 2015.
July 26: 90 degrees
July 27: 86 degrees
July 28: 95 degrees
July 29: 96 degrees
July 30: 87 degrees
July 31: 89 degrees
New York City temps in the final week of July 2015 exceeded the 87 degree high temperature for New York City for 1961-- on just about every day! That's hot, hot, hot...
Today is Oct. 14, 2015 and we are in the midst of playoffs, the preliminaries to the World Series. But not to worry. Conveniently, thanks to global warming, the temperatures will likely stay warm for the next three weeks. The World Series will be played between Oct. 27-- Nov 4, and fans can watch comfortably anywhere in North America.
Conceivably.... we might see the Kansas City Royals play the New York Mets or Chicago Cubs. Baseball in those cities on Oct 27? No problem. Maybe you'll need a sweatshirt for the game. You'll be fine. Or maybe not? Major League Baseball seems confident the temps will be plenty warm enough.
The only logical conclusion-- baseball is causing global warming!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Missoula, Montana--15 reasons (or so) to love it
Missoula Notes
Higgins Bridge-- “A river runs through it” and from the
Higgins Ave Bridge you view the amazing
panorama.
Dining Out, Etc.
· Biga Pizza—top-notch
pizza, great cheeses, fresh local ingredients
· Le Petit Outre—really
good pastries and breads, friendly environment with large tables for patrons to
sip cappuccinos, lattes etc. brewed with artistic flair.
· Catalyst—healthy
breakfasts and lunches, good vibe, right on Higgins Ave, the main drag through
town.
· Red Bird—great Art
Deco space to have a glass of wine. Or dine at the upscale at the
restaurant/wine bar.
· Green Hanger Laundromat—146
Woodford, best Laundromat in America. Clean, friendly with good machines. And
say hello to Midnight, the house cat.
· Good Food store—great
quality health food, along the lines of Whole Foods, and with lots of beautiful
customers and employees to add joy to your day.
· Hob Nob—good
breakfasts and lunches, good prices, located on the Hip Strip on South Higgins,
a great place to meet and greet.
· Scotty’s Table—upscale
dining in a awe-inspiring room.
· Charlie B’s
(photographer—Lee Nye)-- Esquire named Charlie B’s one of the “15 bars you should drink
in before you die,” and if you become a regular at
Charlie’s you’ll probably hasten your demise from liver failure. The Lee Nye
portrait photos of Missoula’s hard-living denizens of years past are worth the
price of admission.
· Big Dipper—homemade
ice cream, great array of flavors served in generous portions on sugar cones,
homemade waffle cones or in cups, truly delicious
· Missoula Club—a sturdy
wooden bar with old-time photos of Montana sports heroes, from the days before
ESPN. Great crew of bartenders make every visit a fun experience and serve you
the largest burgers known to mankind.
· James Bar and Alan
Vick’s— Missoula is a beer drinking town and great beers and friendly
conversation is a feature of these nearby pubs on the north side of town.
· Wood’s Second Hand
& Pawn Shop—first pawn shop in Missoula, run by a couple of wise-cracking
proprietors, the crowded shelves provide a glimpse into the goods and materials
needed for survival in Missoula through the generations.
Missoula Art Museum—a lively museum and museums are not usually
such lively places, the curator of these exhibits knows the artists that will pull
you in, make you smile and think.
Riverside Trail—one of the best urban walking, hiking and biking
trails in America, you walk around the river that runs through it, see the
trees reflected in the water, look around and view the mountains above. Truly
spectacular
Sunday, September 20, 2015
shape shifter
Watched a movie called "Con Man" about an imposter, James Hogue, admitted to Princeton University under the alias Alexi Indris-Santana. Hogue, a talented distance runner, posed as a "self-educated" man and requested the Princeton give him serious consideration as a freshman applicant, despite the absence of a high school transcript. He scored significantly well on standardized tests to meet the criteria of a legitimate applicant. And he posted remarkable times as a distance runner. Princeton liked the package-- he was an exotic from the heartland and possibly could help the track team. He deferred his Princeton admission so he could assist his dying mother in Switzerland through our final days. Except the real reason was-- James Hogue was completing a jail term in Utah for theft and check forgery. Princeton found out about Hogue being an imposter. They not only dismissed Hogue, but turned him over to the local police and he ended up serving another jail sentence.
Hogue did well as a Princeton student prior to the bust. It was actually his third time to college and he had strong science and math skills. But a former classmate from Palo Alto High School recognized Hogue at a Princeton track meet. He was the same guy who has enrolled at Palo Alto High School, as Jay Huntsman and posted amazing distance running performances-- before getting exposed by a suspicious local reporter.
What do we share with James Hogue?
1) He wanted to go to a great school-- Princeton.
2) He wanted a brand new start-- just what going off to college is all about.
3) He wanted to exploit a talent (running) to achieve his goals and win the applause of the crowd. The Hogue was known to be modest about his sports achievements.
4) He liked the idea of re-invention (see Madonna).
What do we not share with Hogue?
1) We cannot comfortably shift identities.
Hogue changed his name, occupation, his personal history, his locations, his social class... with impunity. Most of us struggle with changing our wardrobe.
2) Our ethics are more grounded and rooted in the Ten Commandments-- thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal... The imposter lies with flair and a little bit of genius. James Hogue was also a thief.
3) The con man is a shape shifter. Hogue loved change-- changed his look-- left Kansas and went to three or four different schools-- University of Wyoming (track scholarship winner) as himself, Palo Alto High School, as Jay Huntsman, the University to Texas at Austin, and Princeton University (full scholarship) as Alexi Idris-Santana.
4) James Hogue was almost totally cut-off from his family-- in Kansas. The separation from his family seems like a red flag for dysfunction and mental illness.
5) James Hogue, though a shy person, had tremendous confidence in his abilities. The shyness combined with confidence is a unique combination.
Hogue did well as a Princeton student prior to the bust. It was actually his third time to college and he had strong science and math skills. But a former classmate from Palo Alto High School recognized Hogue at a Princeton track meet. He was the same guy who has enrolled at Palo Alto High School, as Jay Huntsman and posted amazing distance running performances-- before getting exposed by a suspicious local reporter.
What do we share with James Hogue?
1) He wanted to go to a great school-- Princeton.
2) He wanted a brand new start-- just what going off to college is all about.
3) He wanted to exploit a talent (running) to achieve his goals and win the applause of the crowd. The Hogue was known to be modest about his sports achievements.
4) He liked the idea of re-invention (see Madonna).
What do we not share with Hogue?
1) We cannot comfortably shift identities.
Hogue changed his name, occupation, his personal history, his locations, his social class... with impunity. Most of us struggle with changing our wardrobe.
2) Our ethics are more grounded and rooted in the Ten Commandments-- thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal... The imposter lies with flair and a little bit of genius. James Hogue was also a thief.
3) The con man is a shape shifter. Hogue loved change-- changed his look-- left Kansas and went to three or four different schools-- University of Wyoming (track scholarship winner) as himself, Palo Alto High School, as Jay Huntsman, the University to Texas at Austin, and Princeton University (full scholarship) as Alexi Idris-Santana.
4) James Hogue was almost totally cut-off from his family-- in Kansas. The separation from his family seems like a red flag for dysfunction and mental illness.
5) James Hogue, though a shy person, had tremendous confidence in his abilities. The shyness combined with confidence is a unique combination.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Crazy in Love and 5 Red Flags
Last night I was Toastmaster at a meeting of Laughing Matters Toastmasters, my club here in Austin. I picked the theme of "Young Love"-- and felt quite insecure about handling such a broad topic. I was too many years removed from "puppy love" to summon any insights.
Whoa... what do I do? Who do you call? I called Ken, my comedy consultant.
Ken encouraged me to think about the pitfalls of falling in love.
* We get little clues in the early stages of relationships, red flags.
* We barely notice the red flags, even though they indicate trouble down the road.
* We ignore the red flags because of infatuation, our crazy love, with the new person.
Things to consider about the other person when you're in the early stages of falling in love-- some areas include:
1) Money-- do they pay bills?
2) Relationship history-- did this new lover date married people in the past?
3) The Law-- did they call the cops on an ex-boyfriend? You could be next.
4) Language-- do they cuss like a sailor? not good
5) Addiction-- do they drink, do drugs? Pay attention to this red flag.
Ken's guidance was helpful. Everybody has a relationship story to tell. Toastmasters is all about participation of the entire group. I resolved to bring everybody into the conversation.
Remember to pay attention to those red flags in the early days of a relationship. Sure you're wearing the rose-colored glasses. You're crazy in love but try to be objective. See the other person more clearly and save yourself some grief further down the road.
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Whoa... what do I do? Who do you call? I called Ken, my comedy consultant.
Ken encouraged me to think about the pitfalls of falling in love.
* We get little clues in the early stages of relationships, red flags.
* We barely notice the red flags, even though they indicate trouble down the road.
* We ignore the red flags because of infatuation, our crazy love, with the new person.
Things to consider about the other person when you're in the early stages of falling in love-- some areas include:
1) Money-- do they pay bills?
2) Relationship history-- did this new lover date married people in the past?
3) The Law-- did they call the cops on an ex-boyfriend? You could be next.
4) Language-- do they cuss like a sailor? not good
5) Addiction-- do they drink, do drugs? Pay attention to this red flag.
Ken's guidance was helpful. Everybody has a relationship story to tell. Toastmasters is all about participation of the entire group. I resolved to bring everybody into the conversation.
Remember to pay attention to those red flags in the early days of a relationship. Sure you're wearing the rose-colored glasses. You're crazy in love but try to be objective. See the other person more clearly and save yourself some grief further down the road.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Why do legends die... so quickly
Talking to my daughter tonight. Commented how quickly people move out of the conversation, go from being household names to afterthoughts-- in the blink of an eye.
Think of Jay Leno? Remember him? Just barely right. He was The Tonight Show host. Had the best job a comedian can get. Then his tenure ended. He's forgotten. Or so it seems.
David Letterman? A comedy genius. The man who introduced irony. And that's the key to comedy performance-- a total revolution. Well, he ended a few months ago and is not completely forgotten. But almost.
Jon Stewart. You loved him. But you'll probably forget him. Can't see him every night. He doesn't exist.
Maybe if you were just the right age to savor Jon Stewart he will continue to resonate and hold a magic place in your heart and your memory bank. I didn't fall into that demographic. So Jon takes a minor role in the repertoire of characters filling the back rows of my consciousness.
Frank Gifford passed away, a football star and Monday Night Football broadcaster. The cool thing is he was immortalized in the literary annals by Frederick Exley in his incomparable A Fan's Notes-- must be read to be believed. Oxley is like Holden Caulfield, all grown up and still fucked-up as hell. A brilliant and wonderful book and with a strong Frank Gifford motif.
But I like Gifford. I was a 10 year old kid in NYC when he was a young gazelle for the NY Football Giants as they were called back then. Not to be confused by the baseball team NY Giants from up in the Polo Grounds.
And then for a kid who loved media... what could be better than The Hick, The Prick and Gif... the "irreverent county-boy" Dandy Don Meredith, "the contentious" Howard Cossell, and Frank Gifford "with his low-key persona"... calling the Monday Night football games at the behest of Roone Arledge. Gifford was the rational one, keeping track of the ball and the flow of the game. But they're all gone now and soon to be forgotten. (Quotes are from the NY Times obituary of Frank Gifford on August 10, 2015.)
That's the nature of this beast, this thing called mortality. You have to reach a certain age to realize just how cruel it is, and how beautiful... we all dance to the tune of the Grim Reaper.... the kings, the peasants, the butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and football announcers too.
Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio,
A nation turns its eyes to you (woo, woo, woo)
(Simon and Garfukel, Mrs. Robinson lyrics)
![]()
Think of Jay Leno? Remember him? Just barely right. He was The Tonight Show host. Had the best job a comedian can get. Then his tenure ended. He's forgotten. Or so it seems.
David Letterman? A comedy genius. The man who introduced irony. And that's the key to comedy performance-- a total revolution. Well, he ended a few months ago and is not completely forgotten. But almost.
Jon Stewart. You loved him. But you'll probably forget him. Can't see him every night. He doesn't exist.
Maybe if you were just the right age to savor Jon Stewart he will continue to resonate and hold a magic place in your heart and your memory bank. I didn't fall into that demographic. So Jon takes a minor role in the repertoire of characters filling the back rows of my consciousness.
Frank Gifford passed away, a football star and Monday Night Football broadcaster. The cool thing is he was immortalized in the literary annals by Frederick Exley in his incomparable A Fan's Notes-- must be read to be believed. Oxley is like Holden Caulfield, all grown up and still fucked-up as hell. A brilliant and wonderful book and with a strong Frank Gifford motif.
But I like Gifford. I was a 10 year old kid in NYC when he was a young gazelle for the NY Football Giants as they were called back then. Not to be confused by the baseball team NY Giants from up in the Polo Grounds.
And then for a kid who loved media... what could be better than The Hick, The Prick and Gif... the "irreverent county-boy" Dandy Don Meredith, "the contentious" Howard Cossell, and Frank Gifford "with his low-key persona"... calling the Monday Night football games at the behest of Roone Arledge. Gifford was the rational one, keeping track of the ball and the flow of the game. But they're all gone now and soon to be forgotten. (Quotes are from the NY Times obituary of Frank Gifford on August 10, 2015.)
That's the nature of this beast, this thing called mortality. You have to reach a certain age to realize just how cruel it is, and how beautiful... we all dance to the tune of the Grim Reaper.... the kings, the peasants, the butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and football announcers too.
Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio,
A nation turns its eyes to you (woo, woo, woo)
(Simon and Garfukel, Mrs. Robinson lyrics)
Monday, August 3, 2015
Breaking Up with Nature...
How can we stay connected to nature? Probably a lost cause. We have broken up with Nature, and ending a relationship can be painful and fraught with confusion and denial. Breaking up is hard to do... (Breaking' Up Is Hard to Do, Neil Sedaka, 1962)
Nature is gone now, surrounded by man and his technology. The world is encompassed by satellites. Marshall McLuhan called the satellite--surround a the proscenium arch... turning the world into a stage and all of us into actors. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. (As You Like It, Act II, scene VII, William Shakespeare, 1599) McLuhan said Nature becomes an art form under such conditions. Earth photographed from space looked like a blue marble. The image indicated the whole world was in our hands.
Politicians have become actors fighting for the spotlight. Twitter and facebook postings provide us an identity... a global audience. And back on earth... well, Nature has become an art form.
Why did the death of Cecil cause us such pain? Many lions have been hunted down. The numbers dwindled down to such a point that every lion is now a Van Gogh, a Picasso, something treasured. Cecil's death signals our complete separation from Nature. We long for Nature, feel a nostalgia.
Why the proliferation of pets? Veterinarian shows are all over cable TV. We long for the natural world.
Why all the references to feces in movie comedy in recent years-- our obsession with shit is yet another expression of a disconnect from nature. Our bodily functions still involve the natural world.
A friend of mine states that our dreams remain our only connection to nature. Dreams cannot be controlled. The run free like lions across the savannah.
![]()
Nature is gone now, surrounded by man and his technology. The world is encompassed by satellites. Marshall McLuhan called the satellite--surround a the proscenium arch... turning the world into a stage and all of us into actors. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. (As You Like It, Act II, scene VII, William Shakespeare, 1599) McLuhan said Nature becomes an art form under such conditions. Earth photographed from space looked like a blue marble. The image indicated the whole world was in our hands.
Politicians have become actors fighting for the spotlight. Twitter and facebook postings provide us an identity... a global audience. And back on earth... well, Nature has become an art form.
Why did the death of Cecil cause us such pain? Many lions have been hunted down. The numbers dwindled down to such a point that every lion is now a Van Gogh, a Picasso, something treasured. Cecil's death signals our complete separation from Nature. We long for Nature, feel a nostalgia.
Why the proliferation of pets? Veterinarian shows are all over cable TV. We long for the natural world.
Why all the references to feces in movie comedy in recent years-- our obsession with shit is yet another expression of a disconnect from nature. Our bodily functions still involve the natural world.
A friend of mine states that our dreams remain our only connection to nature. Dreams cannot be controlled. The run free like lions across the savannah.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Baltimore-- The Revolution Will be Televised
Remember Gil Scott-Heron's famous song-- The Revoultion Will Not Be Televised? He produced the song in 1970, and maybe started Rap music with that poem spoken to congas and bongo drums. A brilliant song, no doubt. But I think Scott-Heron guessed incorrectly on one point-- the revolution actually will be televised.
Marshall McLuhan, the brilliant media philosopher, felt print media, books, newspapers, etc. had not been especially kind to the situation of African-Americans. The electronic formats-- radio, television, computers, cellphones, Twitter, etc.-- make things more immediate and personal than the traditional forms of written communication. Digital communication has changed all of us in profound ways, as McLuhan correctly surmised.
The Civil Rights movement really got started in the Sixties with the rise of television. Now we have an array of communication formats- and individuals participate on their own through Twitter and Facebook.
CNN covers the race riots in Baltimore and Ferguson and amazingly nobody, or very few, get killed. Everything is up close and personal and moves in an instant-- the news creates news. The digital world of instant communication brings us all closer. Changes happen faster. The digital universe seems a add an element of compassion for fellow human beings that was lacking in the pre-digital days. If television ended the Vietnam War, maybe the social network and electronic vortex ends racial discord-- or at least turns the corner on racial divisions.
We see a cellphone recording of Eric Garner being killed on the streets of Staten Island. Demonstrations happen. Some police officers are ambushed and murdered, seemingly in retaliation for Eric Garner's death. The demonstrations subside. The information comes to us in a steady stream. Each event becomes a media event and another event rises from it. Ferguson, Missouri follows a similar pattern but the demonstrations turn violent.
The next development is a recording that shows Freddie Gray being arrested on the streets of Baltimore. He screams for help. His legs seem immobilized and he mysteriously dies while in police custody. The immediacy of the horror brings people to the streets almost instantly. Young kids communicate via cellphone and organize a plunder of the local mall. But, the riots end in a single day. Everything moves quickly. The peaceful leaders of the African-American community move into the streets. College kids come to Baltimore and immediately start sweeping the streets clean of debris. The Bloods and Crips put their hatred aside and work together! We meet an impressive "Mom of the Year" popping her son in the head and successfully getting him out of the riot. We admire her courage. We learn about each other quickly and suddenly community leaders take control of the streets.
Baltimore does not get burned to the ground-- like the neighborhoods that went up in flames following the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. The violence never reaches the epic proportions of the riots in Los Angeles in 1994, following the Rodney King beating.
The revolution actually is being televised-- along with a million other forms of coverage by the citizens-- but it still is a revolution, a revolution of compassion. Mr. McLuhan got it right! But he said there would be all kinds of disharmony and a cacophony of voices and opinions rising in the new environment-- just like any other village.
Marshall McLuhan, the brilliant media philosopher, felt print media, books, newspapers, etc. had not been especially kind to the situation of African-Americans. The electronic formats-- radio, television, computers, cellphones, Twitter, etc.-- make things more immediate and personal than the traditional forms of written communication. Digital communication has changed all of us in profound ways, as McLuhan correctly surmised.
The Civil Rights movement really got started in the Sixties with the rise of television. Now we have an array of communication formats- and individuals participate on their own through Twitter and Facebook.
CNN covers the race riots in Baltimore and Ferguson and amazingly nobody, or very few, get killed. Everything is up close and personal and moves in an instant-- the news creates news. The digital world of instant communication brings us all closer. Changes happen faster. The digital universe seems a add an element of compassion for fellow human beings that was lacking in the pre-digital days. If television ended the Vietnam War, maybe the social network and electronic vortex ends racial discord-- or at least turns the corner on racial divisions.
We see a cellphone recording of Eric Garner being killed on the streets of Staten Island. Demonstrations happen. Some police officers are ambushed and murdered, seemingly in retaliation for Eric Garner's death. The demonstrations subside. The information comes to us in a steady stream. Each event becomes a media event and another event rises from it. Ferguson, Missouri follows a similar pattern but the demonstrations turn violent.
The next development is a recording that shows Freddie Gray being arrested on the streets of Baltimore. He screams for help. His legs seem immobilized and he mysteriously dies while in police custody. The immediacy of the horror brings people to the streets almost instantly. Young kids communicate via cellphone and organize a plunder of the local mall. But, the riots end in a single day. Everything moves quickly. The peaceful leaders of the African-American community move into the streets. College kids come to Baltimore and immediately start sweeping the streets clean of debris. The Bloods and Crips put their hatred aside and work together! We meet an impressive "Mom of the Year" popping her son in the head and successfully getting him out of the riot. We admire her courage. We learn about each other quickly and suddenly community leaders take control of the streets.
Baltimore does not get burned to the ground-- like the neighborhoods that went up in flames following the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. The violence never reaches the epic proportions of the riots in Los Angeles in 1994, following the Rodney King beating.
The revolution actually is being televised-- along with a million other forms of coverage by the citizens-- but it still is a revolution, a revolution of compassion. Mr. McLuhan got it right! But he said there would be all kinds of disharmony and a cacophony of voices and opinions rising in the new environment-- just like any other village.
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