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Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/14 - Deniability

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, retired Army Colonel Ralph Peters sheds light on a story that was not handled in detail by the media. Here's the gist, edited by yours truly: "It was inevitable. Russian “mercenaries” attacked a forward base in Syria where they knew American advisors were stationed. It was a test. And our military passed. The group functions as an auxiliary of the Russian military.  It previously operated in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. It exists to give Moscow (barely) plausible deniability. It is comprised primarily of ethnic Russians. Our ground-attack aircraft and drones struck back promptly to protect our troops. The crucial difference between our pilots and theirs is that we hit our targets. It was not a banner day for Mother Russia. Almost simultaneously, Iran tested Israel by sending a drone into Israeli airspace - and fared even worse than the Russians. The Russians are at war with us, and we’re at war with them, but both sides would find an admission inconvenient. Putin’s henchmen calculate how best to wound us, from attacking our elections to killing Americans in uniform. We passed a test last week. But it was a pop quiz, not the final exam..." In a similar vein, a Post article cites a warning from the Director of National Intelligence that the Russians will continue to use social media as a weapon against the U.S.: "... it's relatively cheap, it's low-risk, it offers what they perceive as plausible deniabilty, and it's proven to be effective in sowing division."

How will the left and the mainstream media handle the deniability on the following?: The Treasury not only collected record taxes in the month of January, but has now collected record tax revenues for the first four months of a fiscal year (October through January). So far in fiscal 2018, the federal government has collected a record $1,130,550,000,000 in total taxes. I suppose they'll say it would have been even higher without the tax cuts, or that the previous administration's policies created the windfall. Unfortunately, the swamp will likely squander it. (Info from cnsnews.com)

Comedian Chris Rock will release his first special in ten years today on Netflix. A second will follow. He will be paid $20 million. Racism strikes again in America. Fear not, deniability will be found and expressed. Racism is universal. Fortunately, in America 99% of it is benign.


My thanks to the sweet elderly woman who purchased two books in Russian, to the middle aged woman who bought three paperback thrillers, and to the gentleman who selected vinyl albums by Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka and Ronnie Milsap. Special thanks to Mother Nature for the break from wintry weather.

Happy Valentine's Day.




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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/13 - From the Neighborhood

RIP singer/actor Vic Damone, 89. Born Vito Farinola to Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, he sang in the choir at St. Finbar's Church in Bath Beach. When his father was injured at work, Vito had to drop out of Lafayette H.S., my beloved alma mater. Working as an usher and elevator operator at the Paramount Theater in Manhattan, he met Perry Como, stopped the elevator between floors, sang, and asked his advice. Impressed, Como said: "Keep singing!" and referred him to a local band-leader. Vito would name his first child Perry. He decided to call himself Vic Damone, using his mother's maiden name. Although many of his songs cracked the charts, only one, You're Breaking My Heart in 1949, reached #1. His matinée idol looks were a natural for the big and small screen. He has 17 credits listed under his name as an actor. Most of his roles were related to music. In '62 & '63 he hosted a summer television variety series on NBC called The Lively Ones, which showcased jazz, pop and folk performers, as well as comedians. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any video of it. Like many celebrities who had a long career, he had ups and downs. He married five times. He declared bankruptcy in the early 1970s, but subsequently earned enough as a casino performer to clear up his difficulties. His autobiography is titled Singing Was the Easy Part. In 1997 he received his diploma from Lafayette H.S. when officials granted him credits for life experience and asked him to give the commencement address. He advised graduates to "Have spiritual guidance. Don't lose God. There is a God. Trust me." Well done, sir. (Facts from Wiki & IMDb) Here's a live clip of Damone doing a Gershwin medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVrIPVqpyKw And here's a pic:


After seeing President Trump's budget proposal, it begs the question: Does the deficit and debt even matter? Apparently no more than the debt ceiling, which was raised seven times under Dubya and five under Obama, 74 times since it was first instituted in the '60s. What a neighborhood Washington D.C. is.

The NFL is not the only league with an attendance problem. Since 2008 attendance at major college football games has dropped 10.1%. Fans are leaving those neighborhoods.

My thanks to Natalya and Benedict, who purchased four books in Russian, and to Al the Mensch, who bought In the Land of Giants: My Life in Basketball by Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues and David Levine. Bogues is one of the most remarkable athletes in the history not only of the NBA but all sports. Standing only five-three, he played 14 seasons for four different teams, averaging 7.7 points and 7.6 assists per game. He coached one season in the WNBA - and each woman on the team was taller than him by at least three inches. Here's some perspective on Mr. Bogues and his neighborhood:



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Monday, February 12, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/12 - Old Girl Crush

Born Charlotte Gercke in 1932, blue-eyed blond beauty Susan Oliver was a mainstay on prime-time TV from 1955-1988, piling up 163 credits, the fantasy of many a baby boomer, including yours truly. She was a series regular only twice, in 49 episodes of Peyton Place before her character was killed off, and for a year on the day time soap opera Days of Our Lives. She was equally at home on the stage, as well as the silver and small screen. Last night I happened to catch The Menagerie: Part II, the twelfth episode of the first season of the original Start Trek, in which Oliver and Jeffrey Hunter were paired. Hunter had played the Captain of the Enterprise in the pilot, shot in 1964. His scenes were culled from that. When NBC wanted to shoot a second pilot, Hunter decided to concentrate on his movie career, the best thing that ever happened to William Shatner. Tragically, Hunter passed away at 42 from complications of strokes he suffered. Oliver not only excelled in front of the camera, she did some work behind it as well, directing an episode each of MASH and its offshoot Trapper John, M.D.. She wrote, produced and directed a short, Cowboysan (1978), about a Japanese actor starring in westerns. She'd spent a couple of years in Japan in the late '40's, living with her dad, a journalist. In 1959 she was aboard a Boeing 707 on a transatlantic flight from Paris to NYC when it dropped from 35,000 feet to 6000 feet. It happened on February 3rd, the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper were killed. The events caused a paralyzing fear of flying in her, which required extensive hypnosis to overcome. In 1964 she was reintroduced to flying during an evening flight over Los Angeles in a Cessna. The next day she began training for a Private Pilot certificate. She survived the crash of her own Piper Cub plane in 1966. In 1970 she and her partner, Margaret Mead (not the anthropologist), won the Powder Puff Derby, a women-only cross country air-race. 98 planes were entered. Oliver was named Pilot of the Year. Although she never married, she lived with actor Jim Hutton in 1963. I recall how disappointed I was that her characters frequently were smokers. She died of lung cancer at 58 in 1990. Here's a quote attributed to her: "I want to be the best actress I can. But most of all, I want to be myself." Here's a pic:


Facts from IMDb, Wiki and other sources.

I thought the floating book shop would be a snap today, but 50 degrees felt more like 30, a raw kind of cold. My thanks to the woman who donated four books in Russian, to the gentleman who bought one of them; to the guy who calls me Irv, who purchased his third Anne Rice novel from me, The Witching Hour; and to Ira, who selected a Princess Diana bio, The Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols, a family guide to law published in 1974, and Eat Fish, Live Better: How to Put More Fish and Omega-3 Fish Oils into Your Diet for a Longer, Healthier Life by Anne M. Fletcher and Jean Mayer.
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Sunday, February 11, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/11 - Fair Market Value

Most parents do a lot for their children. How much is too far? Here's a summary of a NY Post article by Kathianne Boniello: A Hanoi woman and her daughter are being sued by a college admissions consultant. The woman agreed to pay $1.5 million to help get her kid into a prestigious prep school and Ivy League college. The fee was charged by The Ivy Coach, a Manhattan-based independent education consultant, which claims to have received only half of what it is owed. Independent consultants charge anywhere from $85 to $350 an hour, and comprehensive packages range from $850 to $10,000. The daughter was accepted into the Solebury School in Pennsylvania, which costs more than $55,000 a year, and a social-media post suggests she has gained early admission into Dartmouth. Is that fair market value?

More school-related madness from Yahoo's Odd News: A Tokyo public school has adopted Giorgio Armani uniforms for students, triggering criticism in a country where hefty school fees are burdening young parents. A complete set of the new uniform option will cost more than the equivalent of $730 U.S. dollars.

How many times has it been said on cop shows: "Eyewitness accounts are unreliable."? Here's something from Yahoo's Odd News that disproves it in a humorous way: A simple sketch helped police ID a man suspected of stealing money from a market. Although it was cartoonish, it helped remind an investigator of a potential suspect - great police work. Here it is:


Free agent pitcher Yu Darvish has signed with the Chicago Cubs, six years, $126 million. I believe he is vastly over-rated. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the hitter-friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

This doesn't mean much but it's a fun fact: This week 18 of the 25 top ranked college basketball teams were defeated.

The floating book shop was rained put today, which allowed me time to finalize my tax return. I've been doing it piecemeal the past few weeks in order to lessen the annoyance. My results are almost identical to last year. I owe zero to the Feds, and will receive about $140 from the gangsters who run the state and city of NY, up one dollar from last year. That's after Turbo tax takes its cut, which came to about half. For the past two years I've been taking the funds in a Net Spend card. Since those slimes deducted five bucks here and there, I was going to go a different way. I wonder if there were complaints about them. This year TT is offering a re-loadable card through a bank. I won't be surprised if similar shenanigans take place. It's all about the money.
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Saturday, February 10, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/10 - Butting Heads

Beatrix at Dinner (2017) is listed as a comedy/drama. I watched it last night courtesy of Netflix and don't recall laughing even once. Maybe that's simply a reflection of my own personality. Anyway, it is an interesting though unsatisfying film. Salma Hayek, apparently sans makeup, looking her age, 51, stars as a holistic healer/masseuse whose car won't start after a house call at a wealthy client, played by the ubiquitous Connie Britton. She is invited to dinner, which is attended by two other well-to-do couples. John Lithgow plays a hard-nosed developer/big game hunter. As Hayek's character downs a few glasses of white wine, she begins to speak out against the businessman, the standard Hollywood stereotype of rapacious corporate types. Ironically, he proves more tolerant than she, probably because he doesn't take her seriously, see her as a threat. The situation becomes tense. How far will Beatrix go? Screenwriter Mike White handles the matter intelligently, although the narrative never loses its leftward bias. A combination of factors - Beatrix's humble origins and personal sorrows, her work with dying cancer patients, and the alcohol help explain her actions and mitigate what otherwise would have been a black and white screed. And Lithgow's character, although a bit overbearing, is not unlikable. White has extensive credits that include the wonderfully entertaining School of Rock (2003) and the TV series it inspired. Beatrix at Dinner is much more successful as a character study of a woman who is suffering than as an argument about lifestyles. While watching, I was reminded of another film that tackled a similar theme fairly, that understood the need for both the titans of industry and the rank and file: The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (1957), which was adapted by Nunally Johnson from the novel by Sloan Wilson, and starred screen legends Frederic March and Gregory Peck. It's an hour longer, padded by WWI experiences, than Beatrix at Dinner, which comes in at less than 90 minutes. Beatrix... was directed by Miguel Arteta, who has extensive credits, mostly in TV. 5700+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 6.2 on a scale of ten. Its release was limited. It brought in $7 million+ worldwide. Unfortunately, I was unable to find how much it cost to produce. The biggest outlays had to be the salaries of the stars. Those with a conservative bias should probably steer clear, although there are films that go much further left than this one. Fans of Hayek should definitely check it out. Since I don't know when filming took place, I'm not sure if it is a jab at President Trump. Here's an off-screen pic of the flick's two antagonists:


Sprinkles put the kibosh on the floating book shop today.
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Friday, February 9, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/9 - Big Bucks & More

In the wee hours of the morning, while the government was temporarily shut down during yet another last minute budget argument among its bag men, Rand Paul made a speech on the floor of the Senate. Here are highlights: "When the Democrats are in power, Republicans appear to be the conservative party. But when Republicans are in power, it seems there is no conservative party... The dirty little secret is that, by and large, both parties don't care about the debt... it's a big ball rolling down a hill grabbing up your dollars... it gets bigger and bigger... But nobody has the guts to stand up and say no..." Kudos, sir. 

 

There were interesting doings in the sports world yesterday. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been to the NBA Finals the past three years, winning the title in 2016, have been struggling mightily of late. Management decided a dramatic makeover was due. They traded six players and two draft picks. Among those sent packing were future Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade and young star Isaiah Thomas. Damn, pro sports is a cold business. I wonder how much input Lebron James had in the transactions... QB Jimmy Garoppolo, a second round draft pick several years ago, has started about ten games in his NFL career, throwing 12 TD passes against five interceptions. His efficiency rating is a solid 99.7. The 49ers acquired him from the Patriots in mid season. With JG at the helm, they won their last five games to finish 6-10. JG has been rewarded with a five-year deal worth $137.5 million. Annually, he will be the highest paid player ever - at least until Kirk Cousins signs a contract. Like a top draft pick, JG is being compensated for potential, not performance. I'll be surprised if he becomes a star, but the team can definitely win with him under center. Think Nick Foles... The mother of Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz has been kidnapped in the socialist paradise of Venezuela. This is something Russian mobsters did to great effect with the families of NHL players.

Last evening I received the updated copy of my ninth book, Present and Past. I looked through it last night, paying particular attention to the most recent changes. It looks good. Here's the novel's blurb: "Brooklyn born and raised, Freddie and Tony are lifelong friends, despite having very different personalities. After settling scores, they embark on a cross country trip. When not on the prowl for women, they engage in long conversations in which present and past merge. In such close proximity, the relationship is threatened. Will it sever? Sex, violence, locker room talk, political incorrectness. Set in early 1987. Mature audiences only." In the narrative's conversations I mention instances that I either experienced or observed personally, heard from others, or a combination thereof. In a recollection about Catholic school, I didn't remember why a friend was battered by a nun, so I incorporated it with an incident wherein I was launched into the blackboard in much the same way. I hope readers will find the instances as fascinating as I do. 


It was a cold session of the floating book shop. My thanks to Barry, who bought a Henry Fonda bio, to the sweet elderly woman who purchased two books in Russian, and to the gentleman who selected Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, February 8, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/8 - Beloved Sons

In 2003 a Fairfield University football player, Mark Fisher, 19, was murdered while partying in NYC. John Giuca, now 34, was convicted of the crime and has served ten years on a sentence of 25 to life. He has been granted a re-trial on a technicality, his lawyer arguing that the jury that convicted him was not informed that a key witness had received a promise from the D.A.. Giuca's mom worked tirelessly to free him, at one time going so far as to go "undercover" to try to catch jurors, post-trial, in lies. She even handed out fliers on the street. She gave me one about five years ago while I was selling books in Park Slope, not far from where the body was discovered. She bought Close to the Edge for her son, whom she said was in jail, and asked me to sign a web petition for the reopening of his case. I immediately surmised who she was, although she looked far different from the dolled-up woman whose picture appeared in newspapers and online. Was her purchase a sort of bribe? I suppose so. I felt sorry for her, as she seemed so desperate. If I recall correctly, I signed the petition, as it did not involve his release. I had no reason to disbelieve the court's findings. I simply saw no harm in the case again going to trial. I don't know if she believed in his innocence or if she were merely working to free her beloved son despite his guilt. She has her wish, although her son will remain behind bars. Imagine how Fisher's parents must feel. They thought they knew the circumstances of their beloved son's death. Now they may never have closure.


Having heard that the DJI has suffered another 1000 point drop. I looked at a list I keep of two of my retirement accounts. The third is an annuity. For the past eleven of twelve months, my Schwab account hit an all-time high. It was eight of twelve at Fidelity. Let's hope this is simply a correction and not something worse. Pop icon Usher created a firestorm with a satiric tweet he attributed to President Trump in 2015: "If the Dow Joans ever falls more than 1000 ‘points’ in a Single Day the sitting president should be 'loaded' into a very big cannon and Shot into the sun at TREMENDOUS SPEED! No excuses!" The astute among us realized the message contained more than 140 characters, which wasn’t possible in 2015. There was no point in deleting it, as it went viral quickly. It's everywhere. It's not a good idea for a President to take credit for a rise in the stock market, as it sets himself up for ridicule if it tanks.

Despite the beautiful day, business was extremely slow at the floating book shop. My thanks to the elderly couple who bought a thriller in Russian.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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