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Sunday, September 24, 2017

The Writer's Life 9/24 - Compulsions

The following were gleaned from today's NY Post: Jonathon Trugman focuses on Harvard's endowment, which earned $3 billion in 2016, upping its kitty to $37 billion. It's tuition is $72,000 per year. The endowment is not taxed. Does this seem kosher?... Rachelle Bergstein cites a new book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, who profiles a new, low-cost labor pool made up largely of transient older Americans who have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers and vans, forming a growing community of nomads: migrant laborers who call themselves “workampers.” (Adapted also from Amazon's summary.)... I'm totally square when it comes to drugs, but the following made me laugh. Lee Child, whose 22nd Jack Reacher novel will be released in November, is fond of marijuana. He told High Times magazine: "I don't want it to be legal. I want it to be compulsory."... A Jersey doctor has admitted to signing prescriptions for patients he never saw, cheating the government and other insurance entities out of $25 million. And that was accumulated during a period of only 14 months! It is frightening to think of how much fraud goes undetected - or ignored because the single incidences don't amount to much. I'd bet billions are stolen in small increments.



Last night the Svengoolie program, 33 on Cablevision in NYC, ran the 1931 Universal classic, Frankenstein. I'd probably noticed before but forgotten long since - Dwight Frye, magnificent as Renfield in Dracula (1931), was equally adept as the sadistic hunchback Fritz. Unfortunately, his brilliance in those two roles led to typecasting, despite the fact that he'd been very successful in the theater. There are 63 titles listed under his name at IMDb. He is quoted as having said: "If God is good, I will be able to play comedy, in which I was featured on Broadway for eight seasons and in which no producer of motion pictures will give me a chance! And please God, may it be before I go screwy playing idiots, half-wits and lunatics on the talking screen!" Alas, he never got the chance. He had a weak heart and succumbed to a coronary at 44, leaving a wife and son behind. Here he is as the hunchback assistant to the good doctor:



Although I think the privileged characters in pro sports who are protesting during the national anthem are silly, I believe President Trump is wrong to call for their firing. Free speech is one of the cornerstones of our society, even that of mental midgets. I no longer tune in to NFL games, but not because of the controversy. I hate the preponderance of commercials, the flagging of hard hits that to me look legit, the inability of officials to get pass interference right consistently and, above all, the boorishness of so many of the players. I now view game highlights, which run five to seven minutes each, on the web. It will be interesting to see how far the defiance goes, whose side the majority will support, and if the issue will cause a rift among teammates. The Golden State Warriors will not be going to the White House. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who I believe are all white, say they are going. I expect they will be coming under enormous pressure to back out. I wouldn't be surprised if they did, though I would be disappointed, even though I always thought these photo ops were silly. I wonder what the poor around the world think of the protests of these rich athletes. Then again, how many care about American football?



My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases on this hot day, and to the gentleman who donated a bag of books, four of which I brought back to the apartment and put in the Christmas box.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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