CHANUKAH, ANTI-SEMITISM, ETC., ETC.

Tonight is the 8th and last night of Chanukah. I lit my candles. Meanwhile, at a Chanukah party in Monsey, NY, five people were stabbed in the rabbi's house. Anti- semitic attacks have escalated to a scale I have never seen in my life in this country. It is really scary and horrifying. Tree of Life synagogue, kosher market in Jersey City.

It's on a global scale. Protestors are in the streets all over the world too fighting for Democracy, Hong Kong, etc. I predict we will see that here too, very soon. In times of such economic inequity the anti-Semites come out. We have a president who is stoking the flames. We are living in dangerous times with no leadership, no statesmen (statespeople ?) The best leader we have now is Nancy Pelosi. The female lawmakers are speaking up louder than the men. I have hope in young people. We need their idealism and strength, i.e. Greta Thunberg. I seriously admire her. She is angry about climate change and has no problem yelling at world leaders about their absolute inertia regarding doing anything about it. Go Greta !

As I am pushing 70, I have the long view. History or progress is not linear. Rather it's cyclical. It

swings to the right, the center, to the left. In the 60's and early 70's, young people protested in the streets, on college campuses and effected Change. We got womens' rights, civil rights, black rights, etc. Now it's swung the other way. I watched almost every Representative cast their vote, yea or no to Impeach the president. The Democrats are white, black, brown, beige, Asian, Hispanic and Indian American. The Republicans are almost ALL WHITE MEN. They don't want anybody else to have any rights, they don't want women to have control over our own bodies, they are against pro-choice, it's so repugnant. We will see thousands of women and people of all genders in the streets in America very soon.

Chanukah celebrates religious freedom, a victory over the desecration of the Temple by the Syrian
Greek kings led by the rebel band of Maccabbees, guerilla fighters of their day. It didn't last long but we are still talking about it. We are reliving it too. Assimilation was rampant in those times. Israelites went to the gymnasiums too and adopted Greek customs. Fast forward to America, same thing. I once commented to Roby that in my research on synagogue architecture I learned a lot of jewish history I didn't know before. I did not know we were thrown out of so many countries. And I said to Roby, "it seems the only time the jews unite is if they have a common enemy, otherwise we are constantly bickering, arguing and debating amongst ourselves." He said that was a good insight and agreed with me.

I got some nice Chanukah gifts. Dorothy gave me a 'smart wool' neck warmer and a subscription to Lion's Roar, a Buddhist magazine. Laurie gave me a great pair of chanukah socks !

Happy holidays to everyone. I've watched a lot of Star Wars movies lately, The Force Awakens, Rise of the Jedi..... May the Force Be With You......

ADDENDUM

The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 BCE, led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. Wikipedia

The Temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Romans c. 70 A.D./A.C.E.

FIFTH NIGHT, RON + PAM

Tonight is the fifth night.

Ron and Pam sent photos from Willits, CA.

WINTER SOLSTICE, CHANUKAH

HAPPY CHANUKAH. 

Tonight is the first night. 12.22.19.

3:40 PM

Winter Solstice, 3:39 PM....here is the dim, milky light we get in Boston. Winter Light.12.21.19.

WINTER SUNSET

For some reason our winter sunsets
are more spectacular than any other time of year. 

Paintings in the sky.

4:09 PM

4:26 PM

4:29 PM

4:29 PM

4:30:03

 

POLITICS, IMPEACHMENT

So much is going on. The President is Impeached. I can't believe I have lived through three presidents getting impeached. Just as I was glued to to the TV during the Watergate hearings and the titillating Clinton impeachment, I can't tear myself away from the debacle otherwise known as our government, i.e. the Intelligence Committee hearings led by Adam Schiff, the Judiciary Committee hearings led by Gerry Nadler and the Articles of Impeachment hearings being discussed before the Judiciary Committee. And I was spellbound watching our elected representatives casting their vote, yea or no to impeach along with commentary.

LIFE IS NOT THE SAME living in a Monarchy or a Fascist Dictatorship, take your pick.
It looks the same, (although we are seeing effects of climate change.) but it isn't.

It's hard to believe watching the Republicans denying reality and the FACTS. Put another way, the Republican party is officially a FACT FREE party. Denying the facts. In fact the Republican party has defaulted to the Party of Trump. It's become a cult. It's viscerally painful to watch Democracy go down in tatters. We are hanging on by a thread. We are out on a historical limb that we have never been before.

I remember learning about the separation of powers in the Robert Treat Paine School in Dorchester. The history book (yes we had books back then in the stone age) said we have an Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch. Today, the only functioning branch we have is the House of Representatives led by my hero, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. The Executive branch is corrupt. The Judicial branch is corrupt led by William Barr, a Trump toadie.

I feel like we are living in a real life version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. (the best version is the original with Kevin McCarthy, Shirley and I loved it.) Listening to the Republicans casting their vote throughout the day, I marveled at their denial of facts, their complete willingness to not care about the president asking the Ukranian president to "do us a favor though" while he held up financial aid and weapons WHILE THEY WERE FIGHTING A WAR AGAINST THE RUSSIANS IN CRIMEA. UKRANIANS DIED while he held up the aid.

My Zaidy is twirling in his grave. Bubbe and Zaidy schlepped from Russia to live in a Democracy in 1910. 109 years later, Democracy is hanging on by a thread, not just here in America but all over the world. Democracy is taking a hit while Fascist dictatorships are making a comeback.

Everyone wants their Empire back. Russia, the Muslims want their Caliphate (Jihadists), North Korea and South American dictatorships. AND WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO ADMIRES THEM and not western democracies.

GREED. CORRUPTION.

Trump should be tried for Treason. I don't know why he gets away with denying Russian interference in our elections. He quotes Putin ! "Well he said he didn't do it..." YIKES !

ANALYSIS
We are going backwards. Coming of age in the 60's brought civil rights and social change. Sixty years later. I am watching the Republican party, consisting of almost ALL WHITE MEN overturn rights for everybody except WHITE MEN. It's hard to take. They don't want anybody else to have any rights, not women, not people of color, only white men. Many of those republican men spoke of the 'rights of the 'unborn'. Such hypocrisy makes me want to throw up. Where are those people when unwanted babies are born ? Nowhere to be found ! And this is all about overturning Roe v. Wade which might actually happen in my lifetime. It is unbearable for women not to have control over our own bodies. Why do men think they have a right to dictate what women can and cannot do ? Are Republican women brain dead ? More and more draconian laws have passed limiting or restricting abortion by MEN. That's all they seem to do;pass laws about taking control of womens' bodies.

Trump has packed the courts with 187 conservative judges and counting. The conservative agenda will continue long after Trump is gone. Frightening.

THINKING OF ROBY

Roby passed away nine years ago, 12.17.10. His yahrtzeit according to the Jewish calendar is Tevet 11 which corresponds to January 8, 2020, lighting the candle the night before.

Bad news regarding my friend Joan in Oakland. She has stage 4 lung cancer and it is not going in the right direction after three months of chemo. She was such a good friend to me when I lived in Berkeley. She stayed with me for a couple of weeks in 2013 when she came to attend a conference.

SUMMER HALFTIME

Thinking of Shirley.....seven years have gone by, June 27, 2012. By the jewish calendar, the date is July 11th. Her birthday was July 5th. Perhaps I will start blogging about the Malden years.

Aunt Ruth's yahrtzeit, July 11, 2016. Three years ago. Her birthday was July 14th - Bastille Day ?

On June 15th I went to a Bar Mitzvah. My friend Bette's grandson got Bar Mitzvahed at TBZ next door. It was very different than most in a really good way. The Bar Mitzvah boy, Nate did a fabulous job chanting his Torah portion. In addition he sang three songs by popular singers including the Orthodox rapper Matisyahu with musical accompaniment. I've never seen that. Very original and creative.

I was invited to the party at 7:00. It was the best time. It was in the backyard, hanging lanterns, tables, a D.J., dancing and the food was delicious. I love parties in the backyard instead of a formal venue. I even danced with Miriam, another good friend of Bette's. We had a blast !

I met an interesting woman there, Paula K. Turns out she also lived in California for a long time. She worked at NASA HQ and Boeing ! Wow. I think she is a journalist. She is writing a book about the future which she thinks of as 'reality-based science.' I said 'science fiction' ? No. When I mentioned I read a lot of science fiction in my youth, Ray Bradbury, A. E. van Vogt, Isaac Asimov, she casually said she had met a lot of them. Color me impressed. :) That night the moon was almost full, big and bright. I noticed it during the party. As we were leaving, I saw Paula standing by herself looking at the moon. We had a short exchange about it.....interesting woman.....we've exchanged emails. I'd love to talk to her again.

POLITICS

YIKES ! Yes I've become a news junkie, breaking news on a daily basis as we struggle to cope with a Presidency which governs by sowing chaos and discord. Whoever thought one man could single handedly dismantle our Democracy and our democratic institutions, i.e., the Senate, the Judicial Branch, the Supreme Court. Our Democracy is hanging on by a thread, it's in tatters. The titillating story of the summer, Jeffrey Epstein and 20 Democratic candidates trying to beat T***p. I hope someone does. As of this writing I am not sure they can pull it off. I wish they would stop fighting amongst themselves, unite and come up with a strategy of how to beat him. Reporters sometimes ask the WOMEN about their 'Electability.' All candidates should be asked that question, not just the women.

What's going on at the Southern Border, as well as being immoral and inhumane, requires a whole other post.

My one positive caveat is seeing more women being elected to Congress, six female presidential candidates.....I think they will make a difference even if I don't agree with everything "the Squad" says, it is refreshing to see more women in positions of power.

WORLD SERIES 2019 TROPHY

I got a call to come down to the community room and have my picture taken with the 2019 World Series trophy. So...I did !

I asked to see the inside, wondering what was there. Turns out there is a baseball, edged in gold ! I asked the Red Sox representative why the trophy has those vertical poles. Answer, they represent all the teams in baseball ! Trivia question :)

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2019

It's supposed to be 85 degrees today. Finally a sunny, warm day. Breaking news. I got a phone call last week from Kathy, the girlfriend of Michael's brother Curt. Wow, unexpected; contact with the Robinett family. It did feel good to talk about Michael with a family member. She told me Curt is so emotional that he can't talk. I get that since when I think about Michael I start to cry. She volunteered to call me and I do appreciate it. She said his computer was swiped clean. There go the Dwg. files. l have one more place to look, my old laptop that won't boot. Will have to take it someplace for file retrieval.

Politics. I am obsessed with the Mueller report and the outrageous attacks on womens' rights, i.e. Roe v. Wade. Last week a total stranger, a woman around my age spoke to me after I gave some money to a young woman looking for donations for Planned Parenthood. She told me she could not believe what has happened after fighting so hard for these rights in the '60's. Old, white, Republican men are looking to overturn Roe v. Wade by passing anti-abortion bills in their legislatures. They really do want their women to remain barefoot and pregnant. The hypocrisy is visceral. Where are those folks when unwanted babies are born ? Agencies designed to deal with unwanted children, foster care, etc. are woefully underfunded and those kids often end up on the street, doing drugs and finally prison. I hope more women run and get elected in state legislatures and then they can pass laws outlawing Viagra. Justice.

The Mueller Report. Gerry Nadler, Chair of the Judiciary Committee stated that Mueller does not want to testify in public, only behind closed doors so that he can remain apolitical and 'not part of a circus.' Our Democracy is hanging on by a thread due to the current autocrat, monarch who resides in the White House. Nancy Pelosi is dancing around the I word, Impeachment while her caucus is divided re. how to proceed. The calls for Impeachment are growing louder. The current 'monarch' has to go. He has committed 'high crimes and misdemeanors' and even Mueller stated "if he was not the president he would be indicted."

The Red Sox are beating the Astros right now, around 5:00 pm in Houston. They lost the first two games, trying to avoid a sweep. Last night David Price was taken out of the game in the first inning. The bull pen did pretty well even though we lost by one run. We are 7 games behind the Yankees who are in first place in the Eastern Division with Tampa Bay behind them. We're 3rd in the Division. Ok, that's May baseball. At least they played better than April/spring training baseball.

What's "easy cheese" ?  Ask Dennis 'Eck' Eckersley.

SPRING, RAIN AND BASEBALL

Spring finally has come to Boston, sort of. We have spring-green leaves on the trees, flowers and a riot of color although the temps have remained winter-like. I was wearing my down parka this week while hardier types dressed for the calendar and froze, I was warm and comfortable in mid-May. It has rained practically non-stop in April and in May. April showers bring May flowers and it did but it kept on raining every day this week and last week.

Watching the Sox play the Astros tonight. The three man booth with Jerry Remy, Dennis 'Eck' Eckersley and Dave O'Brian, announcer is working great, very entertaining. The Sox 'stunk' in April after being babied/rested in Spring Training. We all expected them to pick up where they left off after winning the World Series in November. They Did Not. Terrible baseball in April, last place, just awful. They are playing much better in May. Rick Porcello is pitching tonight. In the seventh inning the score is 0-0. And the Astros are really good.

Mother's Day, Barry's birthday and Michael's yahrtzeit on May 10th made for a tough weekend.  I went to Shabbat services at TBZ next door. I was with a group of people from my building, Gerry and his wife Ruth, another Gerry and Laurie. Gerry recently moved in. He recycles his New Yorkers and The Atlantic magazines to me. Interesting fellow. Worked for the AP in Russia, speaks Russian and also worked in Israel and Little Rock, Ark.

Happy Birthday to Ron of Ron and Pam of Willits, CA. 

JONI MITCHELL + DAVID HOCKNEY

Joni Mitchell and David Hockney at L.A. Louver gallery in Los Angeles, where Mr. Hockney’s solo exhibition is on view.CreditJacob Sousa, via L.A. Louver, Venice, CA.

 

I love Joni Mitchell and the work of David Hockney. Brightly colored paintings, child-like and magical. This impromptu photo is wonderful on so many levels. 

JEWISH BASEBALL BOOK

Bernie Wax, retired historian and resident in my building gave me an unexpected gift, The Jewish Baseball Card book.

"The Board of Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc. has been consistently enthusiastic about this book project. Board members Bob Ruxin and BERNARD WAX helpfully commented on working drafts, and Bob has taken the lead in developing a marketing plan , with sage advice from Marty Appel."

 It's a terrific coffee table book. I learned that Ian Kinsler, second baseman played for the Red Sox last year in the World Series and is Jewish. I never collected baseball cards when I was a kid but a lot of guys did, Roby, Ken and my friend David. I know guys who have been following baseball since they were five years old like my friends Ron and David. I was not paying attention until August rolled around.

That changed when I moved to Berkeley and couldn't watch them at all. When I returned to Boston, I started watching the games from spring training to the end to make up for all the years I couldn't see them.

NICK CAFARDO LONGTIME RED SOX SPORTS WRITER RIP

OMG, bad omen. Nick Cafardo, beloved,  Boston baseball writer unexpectedly passed away yesterday while watching the players at Jet Blue Park....today is the first game, playing Northeastern University....This is not good, not a good way to start the season. Very good tribute in THE ATHLETIC.

Listening to Randy Meisner of the Eagles singing Take It To The Limit on youtube....  10 second high note, with Glen Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Henley and Don Felder.....rock and roll does not get better than that song....1977 LIVE version. Randy Meisner, 'voice of an angel'. Also rockin' out to George Harrison's posthumous induction ceremony to the rock and roll hall of fame with Tom Petty, George's look-alike son Dhani, and Prince on guitar. Awesome....also Traffic, Stevie Winwood, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, never gets old.....it is gratifying to read the comments from young people who are discovering 'classic rock' from my generation. THE BEST ! Listening to rock and roll elevates my mood. I use it as a coping mechanism - it works to keep moving.

Redsox.com has a video remembering Nick Cafardo here.

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES WITH CAROL

Last night I showed A League of Their Own in honor of Penny Marshall who directed, co wrote and co produced the film. She passed away on December 17, 2018, just two months ago. The cast includes Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell and Geena Davis and Tom Hanks as an alcoholic manager, past his prime. Penny's brother, Garry Marshall also has a small role as the owner of one of the first All American Girl Baseball teams which played during W.W. II when most of the men were away fighting. It is a fictionalized account of the real team and league. Very heartwarming, it operates on many levels, beautiful cinematography....

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 24TH

The Sox won today, second Spring Training game against the Minnesota Twins in the Grapefruit League. :):) Yesterday they beat the Yankees !  :):) So that's good, but.....a little overshadowed by the unexpected passing of Nick Cafardo. He is missed.

SPRING TRAINING BROADCAST SCHEDULE 2019

HOORAY ! BASEBALL IS BACK !

Three games are televised this weekend.  Go Sox !

Fri., February 22 vs. Northeastern Univ., 1:05 p.m., NESN/WFXT*
Sat., February 23 vs. NY Yankees, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN+
Sun., February 24 vs. Minnesota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Mon., February 25 at Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Tues., February 26 at Toronto, Dunedin, 1:07 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Wed., February 27 vs. Baltimore, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM; at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.
Thurs., February 28 vs. Washington, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN/WFXT*
Fri., March 1 at Minnesota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, MLBN
Sat., March 2 vs. Baltimore, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Sun., March 3 vs. Minnesota (SS), 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
Mon., March 4 at NY Mets (SS), Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, MLBN
Tues., March 5 at Washington at 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Wed., March 6 vs. Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, ESPN
Thurs., March 7 vs. Minnesota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, ESPN
Fri., March 8 at Baltimore, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, MLBN
Sat., March 9 vs. NY Mets, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
Sun., March 10 at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Tues., March 12 vs. Detroit, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Wed., March 13 vs. Minnesota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Thurs., March 14 at Detroit, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, MLBN
Fri., March 15 at NY Yankees at, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN/WFXT*
Sat., March 16 vs. Atlanta, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
Sun., March 17 vs. Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN; at Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m.
Mon., March 18 at Minnesota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Tues., March 19 vs. Toronto, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN/WFXT*
Wed., March 20 at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Thurs., March 21 vs. Tampa Bay (SS), 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN+
Fri., March 22 at Minnesota, 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Sat., March 23 vs. Pittsburgh (SS), 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
Mon., March 25 at Chicago Cubs, 9:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN+
Tues., March 26 at Chicago Cubs, 3:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
(SS) - Split Squad
- Home Games are played at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Lee County, Florida
* Games broadcast on WFXT in Boston DMA and on NESN through the rest of New England

WINTER FILM SERIES

My way of dealing with freezing cold temps is to show movies on saturday night, my Winter Film series. This season I showed romantic comedies with strong female leads.

Some of them include, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean with Cher, Karen Black, Cathy Bates and Sandy Dennis. It is not a romantic comedy but a strong female ensemble cast directed by Robert Altman. The whole film takes place inside a 'five and dime'. To me it's the closest to Woolworths which I sorely miss.....nostalgic and powerful performances. Very powerfully told, with flashbacks and memories....

We started with Moonstruck, one of the best romantic comedies with Cher, (playing Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper) Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis who has a famous line " do you love him Loretta ? Yes, says Cher. "That's too bad, they will hurt you because they know they can." You have to love the beautiful Brooklyn, multi-story townhouse the Castorinis live in. Vincent Gardenia is the father who is a plumber. That explains the gorgeous townhouse.

Another 'black comedy' and one of my all time faves, Harold and Maude, a cult classic, starring Ruth Gordon (from Boston) and Bud Cort. I love it - she plays a 79 year old character who is incredibly feisty while she teaches the 20 something young Harold how to LIVE, "give me an L, give me an I, give me a V" and so on - music by Cat Stevens.

One of the best so far is Something's Gotta Give, written and directed by Nancy Meyers, starring Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves and Frances McDormand. Just fabulous, plus the beautiful house in the Hamptons - very smart, adult film.....

to be continued....

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2019

What a surprise ! A happy valentine from Ron and Pam and Keith, Pam' dad....

IT'S TRUCK DAY !

FEBRUARY 4th, 2019

Signs of Spring. So far, we're having a mild winter snow wise, see photo below - no snow in sight on Feb. 4th. We've had a couple of days of frigid, minus 5 degree temps but overall, milder, thank you universe. Truck Day always puts a smile on my face.....Feb. 12th, pitchers and catchers report to Jet Blue Park for Spring Training :):) All the starting pitchers were there in advance.

View image on Twitter

BREAKING NEWS

JAN. 25, 2019
Open up, it's the FBI. Familiar words. This time they went to Roger Stone's house, hauled him out of bed and arrested him in shackles at 6:30 am. Over a dozen friends of the the president have pleaded guilty and gone to jail. "Witch hunt" says the prez. "The noose is tightening" says MSNBC.

I was living in Wash.D.C. during the Watergate hearings. The best political theater no one could dream up - Woodward + Bernstein, All The President's Men, Robert Redford. We were all glued to our TVs watching those hearings. I was working at Georgetown University library in the Government Documents department. Usually a snoozefest in terms of library users. Imagine my surprise when I got to work and found a line outside the door ! Folks were lining up to read the transcripts of those hearings ! Pre-internet if you can possibly imagine it. If you were a Hollywood script writer all they had to do was write down the events occuring daily.

Fast Forward - 2019. Same thing only worse - Global, 'colluding' with a foreign power, Russia - my Zaidy is turning in his grave. He fled Shepetovka to get away from the Czar's army - now they are messing with our elections and our President - YIKES    YIKES AND YIKES AGAIN !

When will he get 'the hook' ? Tried for Treason ?!  Robert Mueller, hurry up !