tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40501442754938345872024-03-14T10:06:56.973-04:00The Finto FileThanks for visiting the Finto File. On this blog I'll be showing you some of my published writing; displaying a good photograph or two; serving up large helpings of political views; delving deeply into law enforcement issues; writing an occasional love letter to New York City; and touching lightly yet brilliantly on music, art, literature, sports and other cultural matters. Your comments welcomed. (All text and photographs copyright 2017 by George Molé.)George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-13963173552573593162017-07-22T20:29:00.000-04:002017-07-23T18:22:27.963-04:00Op-Ed: NYPD Hero Represented Real New Yorkers<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">(<i>An <a href="http://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/hero-represented-real-new-yorkers,63025?" target="_blank">edited version of this article</a> appears in the July 20, 2017 issue of</i> The Riverdale Press.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Less than a mile from the now-hallowed
location on East 183</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Street where Detective Miosotis Familia lost
her life is the five-story Bronx walkup where I was raised. Both are in
troubled neighborhoods near the Grand Concourse, the faded but still regal
boulevard lined with Art Deco architecture that once symbolized middle-class
elegance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Coming of age in the Bronx,
I knew that most of its residents were workers and strivers, people trying to
get bills paid and kids schooled, and maybe get a little bit ahead tomorrow or
next year or someday. That remained true even as communities “changed”—to use the
standard euphemism—with many of the long-time Irish-American and Jewish and
Italian-American residents finding better lives in the suburbs as the old
neighborhoods sank into violence and squalor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And it was still true later
when I worked those same and similar areas on an EMS ambulance or wearing an
NYPD uniform. To the casual observer, the rough crowd loitering on the streets at
all hours may seem to be the face of the neighborhood; but the people who really
make the community work are less visible, seen only when trudging to or from
bus stops or subway stations on their daily or nightly commutes, or holding
their children’s hands on the walk between home and school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">One of New York’s best-kept
secrets is the high level of support for law-enforcement by residents of
crime-afflicted predominantly-minority neighborhoods. In my years serving such communities,
I’ve rarely attended a public meeting or had a conversation where folks
demanded that cops be less assertive; almost invariably, they implore the
police to address the quality-of-life issues that plague them, and to remove
the hoodlums and drug-dealers from their hallways, from in front of their
buildings, and from the parks where their kids play. And they are thrilled when
they see results.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But those who appreciate the
police don’t get much press, sadly, being too busy taking care of their
families to become protesters or activists. And, perhaps, because they don’t
fit the anti-cop narrative that dominates so much of the media. They’re just
ordinary New Yorkers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">We all know now, of course,
having learned much about her since her death, that Det. Familia was an
ordinary New Yorker herself, striving to support and nurture her family as a
working mother in the Bronx.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Det. Familia’s wake and
funeral took place at the World Changers Church, which occupies the old Loew’s
Paradise Theatre on the Concourse, one of New York’s stunningly ornate
golden-age movie palaces. The name of the church, and its majestic setting,
were fit for laying to rest a warrior queen whose example may yet change the
world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">At a Sunday vigil in front
of the nearby 46</span><sup style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Precinct, and the next day at her wake, the
community was out in numbers to pay respects, holding up candles at the vigil
or lined up for hours to file past her casket in the church. And on the day of
her funeral, as thousands of cops from across the world filled the Concourse
for a final salute, and police helicopters and motorcycles shook the wide
boulevard, the people were there too, coming out to say goodbye to a martyred
protector who was also an ordinary New York woman.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGCd2CcC1Xhg4mQFXNJoiIHAJi9ZXz32sA101ZCkOBA6El3cvhNKN2QHyx12oDBap67qlP7q-D5LP7E36YwZZ93pvyIMvNYnfYfgDW-t3rnvMiGZPm72A0QlQtMSM09fFuWCZYn8jp3d_/s1600/THV_Memorial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGCd2CcC1Xhg4mQFXNJoiIHAJi9ZXz32sA101ZCkOBA6El3cvhNKN2QHyx12oDBap67qlP7q-D5LP7E36YwZZ93pvyIMvNYnfYfgDW-t3rnvMiGZPm72A0QlQtMSM09fFuWCZYn8jp3d_/s320/THV_Memorial2.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A tradition at a police
funeral in our city is that the legendary NYPD Pipes and Drums, making no sound
but a muffled drumbeat, their instruments covered in mourning drapes, leads the
procession as it leaves the church, bound for the cemetery where the hero will
rest. But when they’ve keened a farewell dirge, and the procession is on its
way, the band turns and parades back again, past the rows of mourners, bringing
</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">renewed spirit with them. And so they marched strong up
the Concourse on that Tuesday, swagger back in their step, wailing old songs of
lament and resilience—“Hard Times Come Again No More,” prays one—into the weary
Bronx streets.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3x6KNQtSIUMMdnxCWfgXsdjiLzLzM5F8qUrtwhyH2OQk3YO5gQmfSW1IrXmqy2cd3lfIqrFi-k3qDWdQrsCuFveTkNf1Uf98S9s2J64b_Oq72CDkr5VEJgsbv3qtWqkY_2qldEH8_V3Cu/s1600/CroppedPipesAndDrums.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="419" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3x6KNQtSIUMMdnxCWfgXsdjiLzLzM5F8qUrtwhyH2OQk3YO5gQmfSW1IrXmqy2cd3lfIqrFi-k3qDWdQrsCuFveTkNf1Uf98S9s2J64b_Oq72CDkr5VEJgsbv3qtWqkY_2qldEH8_V3Cu/s320/CroppedPipesAndDrums.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">We prevail, the music says; death
doesn’t win. We’re better because she lived, and because we knew her, and
stronger for what we’ve endured.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">She lived, we knew her, and
we endured. Good reasons to work for a better, stronger city.</span><br />
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George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-83472600414007647472014-07-24T22:45:00.000-04:002014-07-24T22:47:56.510-04:00Theater: Rocky refs stop the fight, but the show is a winner<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><i>Rocky</i>, the Broadway musical version of Sylvester Stallone's 1976 boxing film, is closing next month. It shouldn't be.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjpZfeIFg_gKWL_Rw40XnQjjAj65LAW6rqFp21ud5dd5vN1SjOQK-AGOtAXM7FBypmR7vmeydUSJebPjq_NlivuY3p0oNUfoJijRZ8_bnkN0bsHoOmgt5XO7zCNLkxzGPVlW79z7OOCci/s1600/RockyPic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjpZfeIFg_gKWL_Rw40XnQjjAj65LAW6rqFp21ud5dd5vN1SjOQK-AGOtAXM7FBypmR7vmeydUSJebPjq_NlivuY3p0oNUfoJijRZ8_bnkN0bsHoOmgt5XO7zCNLkxzGPVlW79z7OOCci/s1600/RockyPic1.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent">I had been intending to see it for a while, but finally got in gear and
caught Saturday's matinee at the Winter Garden when I heard it only had a few weeks to go. It's
not q<span class="text_exposed_show">uite a masterpiece, but it's very
well done, and carries much of the energy, pathos and inspirational
power of the original film.</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">The two excellent leads--Andy Karl and Margo Seibert--evoke Stallone and Talia Shire without quite imitating them. The sets
are brilliant, bringing the audience into working-class 1970s Philly
with masterful detail, down to the old-style console TV in the living
room.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span><span class="text_exposed_show">I don't think any standards will come out of this
musical, but the songs are still very good. And the climax of the play
is amazingly done--a boxing ring is projected out from the stage, taking
up the first several rows of the seating area, and the audience members
from that section are brought onstage to sit in bleachers. And then the
fight takes place, perfectly choreographed and realistic as hell.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSt6vdZbd6Y0CFmQx-YdlKCOPiNcR6boO-mblMeO38gSj2I2fNz-Wn9bHgtEDuzaeQmbNNYe1RKf3_uy2fwhTdo4NsPR43N_dMFxKtnKEmJGyNL5jFKEpETPfq1FGBEGwnI8I3P7OzSSz/s1600/RockyPic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSt6vdZbd6Y0CFmQx-YdlKCOPiNcR6boO-mblMeO38gSj2I2fNz-Wn9bHgtEDuzaeQmbNNYe1RKf3_uy2fwhTdo4NsPR43N_dMFxKtnKEmJGyNL5jFKEpETPfq1FGBEGwnI8I3P7OzSSz/s1600/RockyPic.jpeg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">I also like the very subtle Christian imagery, as Rocky, afraid and
believing he may end up crippled or otherwise irreparably damaged from
the fight, prays, as a pattern of light in the background unmistakably
evokes a cross. Someone in this creative team understands Christ's role
as brother to the underdog.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show">Whatever anyone may think of
Stallone's later work, <i>Rocky</i> is the quintessential American fable. And
it's been brought to the stage quite effectively in this production. If
a musical based on the work of ABBA can run for years and years on
Broadway, then this show should have had a chance. I'm sorry to see it
go.</span></span></span><br />
<br />George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-14342132481440454152014-07-10T19:30:00.000-04:002014-07-19T21:59:57.048-04:00New York: Fried dumplings and Five Points<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photo by George Molé</b></span> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">Many of my friends in New York law-enforcement (Manhattan's courts being rather close by) will know the storefront on the right in this photo: FRIED DUMPLING.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigV3lArNcf6w46x9QxX4uPXfstPpGzMGIDC1L_gpIgNC7y56Lic0nvORwMp5ir-SRmaP5OH3lIgBG81jbqY5oXXuNRPovqzKuVqaRuw8CeDRjj0siGzB5HwKyGFKoMN35y0tuBHOhQJ9_w/s1600/FriedDumpling_07-09-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigV3lArNcf6w46x9QxX4uPXfstPpGzMGIDC1L_gpIgNC7y56Lic0nvORwMp5ir-SRmaP5OH3lIgBG81jbqY5oXXuNRPovqzKuVqaRuw8CeDRjj0siGzB5HwKyGFKoMN35y0tuBHOhQJ9_w/s1600/FriedDumpling_07-09-14.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">It's on Mosco Street, Chinatown, New York
City, USA. Behind the counter in the closet-sized restaurant, a couple
of Chinese ladies crank ou<span class="text_exposed_show">t delicious
dumplings by the hundreds, all day long, and sell them at five for a
dollar. You can get them to go, or perch on stools along a narrow shelf
and eat there.<br /> <br /> The park you see at the end of the block,
Columbus Park, occupies what once was the heart of the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points,_Manhattan" target="_blank">Five Points</a> slum, made famous in the movie "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAWIZFqE6L4" target="_blank">Gangs of New York</a>." If you follow
Mosco Street into the park, and follow the street's trajectory to the
other side of the park, you will be at the formerly-five-pointed
intersection that gave the area its name.<br /> <br /> In the 1800's, Five
Points was notorious throughout the nation as a place squalid and violent beyond
imagination. A photojournalist named <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAWIZFqE6L4" target="_blank">Jacob Riis</a> wrote a book called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Other_Half_Lives" target="_blank">How the Other Half Lives</a>," and focused so much attention on the area's
conditions that the center of it was razed and replaced by the park. But
on the streets surrounding the park, you can still see rows of
tenements old enough to have witnessed it all.<br /> <br /> This area is one of the very best places to get a feel for old New York. And be sure to have some dumplings while you're there.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-16651637462874776052014-04-02T23:00:00.000-04:002014-04-05T01:41:53.894-04:00Op-Ed: "The Fair Plus 50: Time to preserve icons of 1964" (New York Post, Tuesday, April 1)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">I was thrilled to have the <i>New York Post</i> run my opinion piece, <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/31/time-to-preserve-icons-of-1964-worlds-fair/" target="_blank">"The Fair Plus 50: Time to preserve icons of 1964,"</a> in yesterday's edition (Tuesday, April 1). As you might infer from the title, the piece advocates for preserving and restoring the landmarks of the
1964 New York World's Fair that are still to be found in Flushing Meadows Corona Park--most notably, the New York State Pavilion and the Fountain of the Planets (sometimes called the Pool of Industry).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">This is a great cause, and I hope adding my voice helps it along. You can <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/31/time-to-preserve-icons-of-1964-worlds-fair/" target="_blank">click here</a> to read the article. And below are a few excerpts, with present-day photos of some of those landmarks.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"I was amazed, several years ago, when my work took me to Flushing
Meadows Corona Park, site of the Fair, for the first time in decades. As
I approached the walkway from the Willets Point subway station to the
park entrance, I suddenly was three years old again, awash in a memory I
didn’t know I had: We’d just gotten off one of the special
blue-and-white Fair trains, kids in Hertz-provided strollers made to
look like Corvettes, everyone making their way toward the Fair,
inexpressible anticipation in the air . . ."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoEML2U9euPD3W1w-3veSJS2CeoSqAhOkDbn4mfnIr1R6pu-a-AKSHBGNlKhgSm6sLRlRXGcN2Z4ffumyRWKyPozFr-PTGV8WRD7lX0xEV2XN311ihY9g6K7vhb0fOJwvUhfUjxZAjU0z/s1600/WorldsFair1_IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoEML2U9euPD3W1w-3veSJS2CeoSqAhOkDbn4mfnIr1R6pu-a-AKSHBGNlKhgSm6sLRlRXGcN2Z4ffumyRWKyPozFr-PTGV8WRD7lX0xEV2XN311ihY9g6K7vhb0fOJwvUhfUjxZAjU0z/s1600/WorldsFair1_IMG_1286.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The New York State Pavilion and the Unisphere rise above the Number 7 subway line, as seen from Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1_eyFhBaKh3zveTKeIHiUKuihrBzdDT7idn6KbIGE5RWE_ieQGg3V_Hnt6hDZe5Zo5B1bzwvjbRKTMcZX10GDLwMJUxdl37pxNUcMXYRaxdKBTWKn9xYBSSpaqhAOPtCO_5Rg-ROP7JM/s1600/WorldsFair2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1_eyFhBaKh3zveTKeIHiUKuihrBzdDT7idn6KbIGE5RWE_ieQGg3V_Hnt6hDZe5Zo5B1bzwvjbRKTMcZX10GDLwMJUxdl37pxNUcMXYRaxdKBTWKn9xYBSSpaqhAOPtCO_5Rg-ROP7JM/s1600/WorldsFair2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The Fountain of the Planets (sometimes called the Pool of Industry). The Fountain / Pool is actually a segment of the Flushing River, which is partially covered; the two openings in the wall, and two matching openings on the opposite side, allow the river to flow through.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"More recently, working inside the park, I came upon what looked like a
duck pond surrounded by an iron fence — and then recalled standing by
that fence in the dark as a kid, waiting for the fireworks to begin. This was the Fountain of the Planets, a wonder of its time, where crowds
were awed by nightly pyrotechnics combined with breathtaking water
displays..."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3VKm19mjN9nZCDXrua5QN6pJmzZXJrbru-c0j5KHe63sogVDb4dkf56-zwryMNyxdzXsGsSiESFO5nnvSnOvrquj4JhkgaLQfEIxKcpqntum-nC4XwLP6g28YA9Ma_rkXxek_B25o5Y1/s1600/WorldsFair3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3VKm19mjN9nZCDXrua5QN6pJmzZXJrbru-c0j5KHe63sogVDb4dkf56-zwryMNyxdzXsGsSiESFO5nnvSnOvrquj4JhkgaLQfEIxKcpqntum-nC4XwLP6g28YA9Ma_rkXxek_B25o5Y1/s1600/WorldsFair3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The Fountain of the Planets / Pool of Industry, with the Unisphere visible in the background. The island in the Fountain / Pool once held equipment used to create high-tech displays combining water, light and pyrotechnics.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Many of the great corporations, thriving then, were at the Fair —
Ford, Chrysler, Kodak, Sinclair, General Electric, DuPont — each with a
spectacle that seemed like imagination itself. Disney’s 'It’s a Small
World' ride embodied the Fair’s motto of 'Peace Through Understanding.'</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Then there was the Vatican’s exhibit, in which people stood on moving
walkways and were brought slowly past Michelangelo’s Pieta.."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IWv5gyrbUP0NBVHlLGVIXNekIWkmz9_l4FxKx_45-NbDUtCHUzjo6zEJmLzi6Ab4j8zC6oqH_sD3BtGdhFz2Vt_ovdWw4miI_gViQIounHQx04W9v96wfsb1HGmEZPVpRZi77LmiYhqL/s1600/WorldsFair6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IWv5gyrbUP0NBVHlLGVIXNekIWkmz9_l4FxKx_45-NbDUtCHUzjo6zEJmLzi6Ab4j8zC6oqH_sD3BtGdhFz2Vt_ovdWw4miI_gViQIounHQx04W9v96wfsb1HGmEZPVpRZi77LmiYhqL/s1600/WorldsFair6.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Monument marking the site of the Vatican Pavilion.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVycnjiY04UMpLL0zPiCUxn14pojeFCLDUn09q1226rw72a2KrObvBTeqJUD0IT6hYKk2FXOYuS-hl70oekn_a7aYmY7ASJUmXrTzBC45oRAiu03sUNJ2kGfR9isj5IfGau4muLfomiymu/s1600/WorldsFair4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVycnjiY04UMpLL0zPiCUxn14pojeFCLDUn09q1226rw72a2KrObvBTeqJUD0IT6hYKk2FXOYuS-hl70oekn_a7aYmY7ASJUmXrTzBC45oRAiu03sUNJ2kGfR9isj5IfGau4muLfomiymu/s1600/WorldsFair4.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>New York State Pavilion.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"And the New York State Pavilion, with its three space-age towers and huge mosaic map of the Empire State...</span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfjHym1iNcAtRlqkLMkDc52N58bClx1XnyQTuLz7JxmQzjHyhnZG1KKdcEnZ_J4EhJNJYji9tv_3AwJArXB371zFZJksXawXSc67aAM3U-p8-u9D0XhBukOnDgFPpr0l8d2pQHBTfoRfa/s1600/WorldsFair5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfjHym1iNcAtRlqkLMkDc52N58bClx1XnyQTuLz7JxmQzjHyhnZG1KKdcEnZ_J4EhJNJYji9tv_3AwJArXB371zFZJksXawXSc67aAM3U-p8-u9D0XhBukOnDgFPpr0l8d2pQHBTfoRfa/s1600/WorldsFair5.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>New York State Pavilion.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The iconic Unisphere is well-loved and well-kept..."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8qd7SkuKeyOr45RTMXC0lVheedw-OoCKYqwjBcU5pblXj2Kg4oECAFIM5Cb3-kg4dThgrFDQlf2YfKJcoYau4KLDWdi4Liuc-afr9PPhCG4JTU8wAlsaegx0sjqAJAbRErlE2KpTat0z/s1600/WorldsFair7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8qd7SkuKeyOr45RTMXC0lVheedw-OoCKYqwjBcU5pblXj2Kg4oECAFIM5Cb3-kg4dThgrFDQlf2YfKJcoYau4KLDWdi4Liuc-afr9PPhCG4JTU8wAlsaegx0sjqAJAbRErlE2KpTat0z/s1600/WorldsFair7.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The Unisphere--"largest model of the Earth ever created."</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Fifty years since the Fair opened, you can still feel the electricity as
you walk the park, on the same paths fairgoers strolled. Yet too many
of the treasures from that magic time have been left to deteriorate..."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkSOnwJaVGAfj9geAVlvaalYmLY5lPABbHsllB_AJKMcSD49V5G77NNhusUUY7dDLSg1SAmFJ0rJmjv71-oQWWakwTYs3IIrhnY6HsU7U6x7CaG5_s67uPW0f9CaHp6PUsegmfgHtgy6B/s1600/WorldsFair8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkSOnwJaVGAfj9geAVlvaalYmLY5lPABbHsllB_AJKMcSD49V5G77NNhusUUY7dDLSg1SAmFJ0rJmjv71-oQWWakwTYs3IIrhnY6HsU7U6x7CaG5_s67uPW0f9CaHp6PUsegmfgHtgy6B/s1600/WorldsFair8.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>This stone near the Fountain of the Planets marked the Court of the Universe, one of the "courts," or plazas, at the Fair.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Imagine the park as it could be, a recreational oasis with some of its
World’s Fair swagger restored. Markers everywhere to show visitors the
site’s history...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOAyIgxXJvN5H0DkUBvT-_BYXidWQ_Jbpg5ARUfxc07YcEobpiDF-_mft6Tqcz3mF_OKhZWKNY-xOM3VDyYCIZfGRjAAeQL31NDgZSJ-RpBnJEbWR_Hwb0-VxX4lCsgS0r-bAK3jKnt5j/s1600/WorldsFair9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOAyIgxXJvN5H0DkUBvT-_BYXidWQ_Jbpg5ARUfxc07YcEobpiDF-_mft6Tqcz3mF_OKhZWKNY-xOM3VDyYCIZfGRjAAeQL31NDgZSJ-RpBnJEbWR_Hwb0-VxX4lCsgS0r-bAK3jKnt5j/s1600/WorldsFair9.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Time capsules deposited in 1938 and 1965, intended "to endure for 5,000 years."</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But enough of these excerpts--if you find this topic as interesting and important as I do, go to <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/31/time-to-preserve-icons-of-1964-worlds-fair/" target="_blank">the website of the <i>New York Post</i></a>--one of New York's, and America's, great newspapers--and <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/31/time-to-preserve-icons-of-1964-worlds-fair/" target="_blank">read the whole article</a>. And then speak up for the preservation of these irreplaceable treasures--a good place to start is the <a href="http://www.nyspavilion.org/" target="_blank">website</a> of the organization <a href="http://www.nyspavilion.org/" target="_blank">People for the Pavilion</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And then, since summer's coming, go explore the park yourself. You'll find a bit of history around every bend in the path.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-42867072295304524612014-03-23T23:00:00.000-04:002014-03-31T23:31:18.513-04:00Cops: 2014 NYPD Holy Name Society Breakfast educates and uplifts<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photo by George Molé </b></span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">Below are the <a href="http://www.nypdpipesanddrums.com/" target="_blank">Pipes & Drums of the NYPD Emerald Society</a>, one of the best pipe bands in the nation, arrayed this morning on
Sixth Avenue, in front of the New York Hilton, for the annual
NYPD Holy Name Society Mass and Breakfast.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">This annual event begins with Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, often presided over by New York's Cardinal, as it was this morning. His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, was his usual warm and gracious self as he acknowledged the members of the NYPD in attendance who, with their family and friends, filled much of the great cathedral.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqBN895K_Yc3n8uv1tu4PgY_mxS615dlBC0lFfA2B-vUJLNeYZH0ScM0zP4QheHIdwmG9R5upksOOPaiR-dYgvcKvdO_hXuy3P5x4eSugEDR6rbiyPC90DPg5VUnivBLTKHewsCEsbG5m/s1600/HolyNameBreakfast2014_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqBN895K_Yc3n8uv1tu4PgY_mxS615dlBC0lFfA2B-vUJLNeYZH0ScM0zP4QheHIdwmG9R5upksOOPaiR-dYgvcKvdO_hXuy3P5x4eSugEDR6rbiyPC90DPg5VUnivBLTKHewsCEsbG5m/s1600/HolyNameBreakfast2014_1.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">NYPD Emerald Society Pipes & Drums</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">After
Mass, a few blocks of Fifth and Sixth Avenues were closed to allow the
entire assemblage to march from St. Pat's to the New York Hilton for
breakfast, led by this very same pipe band. Last year's Breakfast
featured two amazing speakers--Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and
former Senator James Buckley--who would have been hard to top. Nonetheless, this year's speakers were excellent, and addressed related
themes. A detective from the NYPD Cold Case Squad <span class="text_exposed_show">recounted
the successful investigation into the years-old Baby Hope murder case. And a nun from the Sisters of Life order described her group's ongoing
battle against the institutionalized murder of babies through the
abortion industry. Moving, thought-provoking, uplifting, this event,
almost 100 years old, always is, and was again today.<br /> <br /> The
funniest moment came from legendary talk-show host Joe Franklin, who
appears at the breakfast every year, upon receiving a plaque to show the
organization's appreciation. "I'd just like to say that out of all the
awards I've ever received, this one is the most recent."<br /><br />And,
yes, whenever I attend this event, I can't help but remember one of the
greatest privileges I've yet had in life--attending in 1998 and hearing
the late, great John Cardinal O'Connor incorporate into his homily at
Mass an article I had written on the challenges and satisfactions of
police work. I hope to have a copy of that homily with me at the Pearly
Gates, just in case there are any quibbles about my getting in--and <a href="http://cny.org/stories/Praise-of-Police,2520?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=stories&town_id=" target="_blank">here's the digital version</a>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-74961369599583571662014-03-22T21:00:00.000-04:002014-03-31T23:02:43.778-04:00Links to samples of George's published writing<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To see samples of George Molé's published writing, click</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/foreword.pdf"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for George's foreword to the fun and useful book, <span id="btAsinTitle"><i>Secrets, Tips, and Tricks of a Powerful Memory: The Memory Shock Oh-So-Easy How-to-Remember User's Guide for Your Brain</i> by Barry Reitman (and click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Tricks-Powerful-Memory-Remember/dp/0985113316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/175-7904180-2822464?ie=UTF8&qid=1339040578&sr=8-3">here</a> for purchase inf0); or</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Point-of-view-Rand-more-than-worth-a-read,44391?page=1&" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for a few thoughts on a New York woman whose work continues to entertain, educate, inspire--and get some folks rather annoyed (<i>The Riverdale Press</i>); or</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/08/14/2009-08-14_saving_yankee_stadiums_gate_2_preserves_new_yorks_rich_history.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for a persuasive (but ultimately unsuccessful) plea to save an American landmark (New York <i>Daily News</i>); or</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.norwoodnews.org/id=2593&story=save-a-piece-of-yankee-history/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for a longer and richer version of the same piece (<i>Norwood News</i>)<i>;</i> or</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/17/opinion/the-working-people-springsteen-doesn-t-understand.html?scp=1&sq=the%20working%20people%20springsteen%20doesn%27t%20undersand&st=cse"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for a dated but still interesting dissection of a particularly offensive Bruce Springsteen song (<i>The New York Times</i>).</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-9179420650660465932014-01-08T15:51:00.000-05:002014-01-08T16:04:21.972-05:00Music: Jay Traynor, RIP<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><b>by George Molé</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">Just about a month ago, on Saturday, December 7, I attended quite a colorful doo-wop
concert at St. Athanasius Church, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. In the house
was what you might call the old Brooklyn--a lot of white-haired guys
sporting their black leather Fonzie jackets, and yellow-h<span class="text_exposed_show">aired
ladies rocking their leopard-prints and furs. And a nice enough crowd
to make you wish the old Brooklyn wasn't being replaced so rapidly by
the new.<br /> <br /> After the show, I got to take a photo with a highly respected singer--<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Traynor" target="_blank">Jay Traynor</a>, who, back in the
days of early rock, replaced Paul Simon as lead vocalist of the Mystics, and then went
on to be the original "Jay" of Jay and the Americans. That photo is below (and, no, it's not blurry, it's soft-focus, like an Impressionist painting). And Traynor's voice can best be heard in this 1962 hit by Jay and the Americans, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBpm8tITIiE" target="_blank">She Cried</a>."<br /><br />Traynor performed at the December show as a member of Jay Siegel's Tokens (yes, another Jay), with whom he had been touring, and who were among the best of all the great groups to grace that school auditorium that evening. The original Tokens, with Siegel as the
lead singer (but long before Traynor was on board), were best known for
their 1961 hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." They did that song that night, and Siegel got all the notes, with the able assistance of
Traynor and the rest of the group.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Now it's been announced that <a href="http://ultimateclassicrock.com/jay-traynor-dies/" target="_blank">Traynor has passed away</a>, on January 2, having succumbed to the liver cancer he had been battling. This is not an original observation--but, man,
life is short and fragile. RIP, Jay Traynor, and thanks for the fine music.</span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="Photo: Less than four weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take a photo with this respected musician, Jay Traynor, the original "Jay" of the early rock group Jay and the Americans. He was currently touring with The Tokens, best known for the old hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." This photo was taken after their December 7th appearance at a doo-wop show in Brooklyn.
Now it's been announced that Mr. Traynor has passed away, having battled liver cancer. This is not an original observation--but, man, life is short and fragile. RIP, Jay Traynor, and thanks for the great music.
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/jay-traynor-dies/" class="scaledImageFitWidth img" height="300" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/p480x480/1528747_708347469198347_1830949047_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Singer Jay Traynor (right) with yours truly at the December show in Brooklyn.</i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-84195823744992742022014-01-07T21:58:00.000-05:002014-01-07T22:18:25.259-05:00Radio: Bob Grant, RIP<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><b>by George Molé</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" style="font-size: small;">I'm mourning <a href="http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1564561" target="_blank">the passing</a>, on New Year's Eve, of New York radio icon <a href="http://www.bobgrantonline.com/" target="_blank">Bob Grant</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" style="font-size: small;">When I was a kid, long before I was out in the world
myself, or had gotten to know the city, I knew Bob Grant. His program was always on in our apartment--at first because talk radio was my mother's constant companion, later because I developed a taste for that medium myself. And Grant was the best of talk radio, a pioneer of the format. <span class="text_exposed_show">He talked to everyone and discussed everything, and no one could top his passion about the issues of the day.</span></span><span class="userContent" style="font-size: small;"> The city and the world, their swirling controversies, sounded as exciting as could be through his<span class="text_exposed_show"> microphone.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" style="font-size: small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br />
Just as I was discovering some of the great conservative writers and
thinkers in print, here was a man applying the same ideas to what was
going on in the streets of New York. And, although he clearly wished
the best for everyone, he became in particular a spokesman for New York's
white ethnics, who were then fleeing the city and the area in huge numbers.<br /> <br />
Later, when I was involved with Curtis Sliwa's Guardian Angels, Grant came on a midnight subway patrol with us. Apparently, he had had a
few pops to prepare himself for the ordeal, and I was quite surprised
to learn that he was rather on the short side. Perhaps it was just as
well that none of the callers to his radio show ever took him up on his
frequent threat to "punch your nose right down your throat"--he probably couldn't
have reached anyone's nose.<br /> <br /> Around that time, I had the good fortune of getting to interview him for a community newspaper I wrote for.
And, many years later, when I began to place op-eds in the major New
York papers, he interviewed me twice on his program, both times in the
most complimentary terms.<br /> <br /> He wasn't perfect--he sure could be
obnoxious to a caller he didn't like (he's best known for his phrase
"Get off my phone!"). But that was part of his shtick, and you knew
what you were getting into when you dialed that phone.<br /> <br /> I love
the fact that he worked on the radio almost until the end of his life.
And I'm going to miss him. A great New York character who loved this
city, and supported it by telling the truth about what was being done to
it, and the politicians who were doing it (he used to refer to Mayor
Lindsay as "the Tower of Jelly"). I have a feeling we'll wish we had him
around during the next four years. RIP.</span></span></span><br />
<br />George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-68013599053610577992013-08-08T16:54:00.001-04:002013-08-08T20:17:41.060-04:00Observation Posts: Prince George--the real story<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span class="userContent"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now that all the fuss about <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/07/24/royal-baby-name-announced/2581511/" target="_blank">the royal baby's name</a> has died down a bit, I believe I'm at liberty to reveal the real story. You haven't seen this on Page Six or in Cindy Adams' column--it's a<i> Finto File</i> exclusive.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOTC_QNPyoaTSAlNUuj1h7zawwyVwSpNEE1hRYGgCi_Nkf51uWSM3ylxYvykOiS0-07hNiRhnpmb8J4O16BQSHrZILJqrTme6cT_h2JM_zpyWIz2jEob_6P8ebtx35N1_VuL4auCgfxbq/s1600/CroppedIMG_3718_PrincessBlogPost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOTC_QNPyoaTSAlNUuj1h7zawwyVwSpNEE1hRYGgCi_Nkf51uWSM3ylxYvykOiS0-07hNiRhnpmb8J4O16BQSHrZILJqrTme6cT_h2JM_zpyWIz2jEob_6P8ebtx35N1_VuL4auCgfxbq/s320/CroppedIMG_3718_PrincessBlogPost.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZs_t0ozu4r-QneeZXEYLI3Ie7KXzOiDUo1xW9wbN0HQz9cnDwtUsb-IY9EoTRLAw9ux0hh1Stq7_jpTxpSgZULNDnxxunqYvehKCplHQcUCHjHySJYEGl7h6X3vq5q9bJ28-lIuSl0CY/s1600/CroppedIMG_0925_PrincessBlogPost-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZs_t0ozu4r-QneeZXEYLI3Ie7KXzOiDUo1xW9wbN0HQz9cnDwtUsb-IY9EoTRLAw9ux0hh1Stq7_jpTxpSgZULNDnxxunqYvehKCplHQcUCHjHySJYEGl7h6X3vq5q9bJ28-lIuSl0CY/s320/CroppedIMG_0925_PrincessBlogPost-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">One day in the fall of last year, Her Highness the Duchess, aka Kate, had left a charity ball in Manhattan, and was on her way to a polo match in
Connecticut, when her limousine broke down in the Bronx. Sort of like in <i>The Bonfire of the Vanities</i>, except they didn't hit anyone. Of course, seeing a motorist in distress, I stopped to offer my assistance. After a bit of introductory conversation - which proceeded swimmingly, I might add - Her
Highness most graciously suggested tha<span class="text_exposed_show">t
while we were waiting for AAA to come to fix the limo, we might take in
one of those Yankee baseball games she had heard about.<br /> <br /> I daresay Her Highness was rather uptight at the beginning, but after a few
Budweisers she loosened right up. "Get yourself some bloody spectacles,
you bloody wanker," she screamed at the umpire. Then she turned a bit pensive. "It's most unfortunate about all that unpleasantness between
you colonies and us, regarding the tea and so forth," she mused. "I wish
there were something I could do, even though it is a couple of centuries
later, to bring my people and your people closer together."<br /> <br />
"Well..." I replied. One thing led to another. And now a baby named
George has been born. I just wish she'd stop calling me every day to buy
her more damn Pampers.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-89981199811225199492013-08-01T18:34:00.001-04:002013-08-06T13:50:17.331-04:00Music: Gordon Lightfoot at B.B. King's<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">Canadian singer-songwriter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Lightfoot" target="_blank">Gordon Lightfoot</a> appeared at the B.B. King Blues Club on 42nd Street on Wednesday, July 24, and bonded with an enthusiastic audience of more fans than I ever imagined he would have in New York.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-w9qbVwJaImAgjEZqR3MX_MxzoTgyk7k7up-H3KToEVPUkkvVUGes8Vya-dvK0Tm8NoQeNNSWzA5xfUGHM7UhPcTV28cU6_YXh8rVFkb0eQFmNZ0AQ8FdHSLDzF6aPHNPrK_KS-6fUiV/s1600/Cropped_IMG_1574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-w9qbVwJaImAgjEZqR3MX_MxzoTgyk7k7up-H3KToEVPUkkvVUGes8Vya-dvK0Tm8NoQeNNSWzA5xfUGHM7UhPcTV28cU6_YXh8rVFkb0eQFmNZ0AQ8FdHSLDzF6aPHNPrK_KS-6fUiV/s400/Cropped_IMG_1574.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Looking a bit gaunt--the singer suffered from several serious medical issues over the last decade or so, including a stroke--and backed by an excellent four-piece band, Lightfoot, 74, gave the packed house two hours of his trademark melodic folk-rock, including several of his most well-known songs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S9748lAEj4wruGLLH5px4-N-XhN5QvEYgkcVgP3rVQKPfpE0MfzgWcQWc5LK-Wn6aHxuCjfOSvvlm4O3jxgaFQ-RvAYXg_PVQNzNPje_WFGc7-a_Xc9bGYjJ-AJmyYmZawgyiZM32uDn/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S9748lAEj4wruGLLH5px4-N-XhN5QvEYgkcVgP3rVQKPfpE0MfzgWcQWc5LK-Wn6aHxuCjfOSvvlm4O3jxgaFQ-RvAYXg_PVQNzNPje_WFGc7-a_Xc9bGYjJ-AJmyYmZawgyiZM32uDn/s400/IMG_1596.JPG" width="400" /> </a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lightfoot's distinctive voice, if not quite as robust as on the recorded versions of his work we've all heard for years, nonetheless more than carried his finely-written tunes. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "Sundown," "Carefree Highway" and, of course, "If You Could Read My Mind," were interspersed with less familiar and, at least to this listener, less interesting folk numbers.<br /><br />The haunting "Edmund Fitzgerald," in particular, raised goose bumps, as Lightfoot sang:<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Does anyone know where the love of God goes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">when the waves turn the minutes to hours?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">if they'd put fifteen more miles behind her."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCDq9iaMpphhIBZVjgSmrNz984fSRMY76ClMHhNV7JGx9fECXoDTzwXucKvZvego9Z9aaZ7glkuGbsPlx1PG-3vXNNfmYwW5XK_VlKX4-H31J94ZkKqGc248h1XhtcYk44-8zPtTq28Iy/s1600/IMG_1633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCDq9iaMpphhIBZVjgSmrNz984fSRMY76ClMHhNV7JGx9fECXoDTzwXucKvZvego9Z9aaZ7glkuGbsPlx1PG-3vXNNfmYwW5XK_VlKX4-H31J94ZkKqGc248h1XhtcYk44-8zPtTq28Iy/s400/IMG_1633.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Gordon, yaw the man!" someone in the audience called out at one point, in a perfect Brooklyn accent. "That sounds good from a New Yorker," Lightfoot joked.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWUD3ZCmL_Pwj8A5XnRjvCWtxxdxzEpLS2EmV6WWpHm6GAikCAl7-3vSEy7IEHXHrA7A6d7EA6rwwV5SVd1jgj2bh1Uz2jbRzlI8slr9KFw0aVq0w1FMHuKNiSW3Vc4gSHC4oyUuXzEe4/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWUD3ZCmL_Pwj8A5XnRjvCWtxxdxzEpLS2EmV6WWpHm6GAikCAl7-3vSEy7IEHXHrA7A6d7EA6rwwV5SVd1jgj2bh1Uz2jbRzlI8slr9KFw0aVq0w1FMHuKNiSW3Vc4gSHC4oyUuXzEe4/s400/IMG_1635.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"I don't like to mess around too much onstage with the guitars," Lightfoot mused absently, while tuning one of his instruments. But he seemed to enjoy letting the audience in on a few technical points of the musician's craft. "I'm using a capo now," he told us at one point. "See, I brought it down a tone."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Speaking of craft, I hadn't realized before what a gem of songwriting craft is his biggest hit, "If You Could Read My Mind." But I saw it on this night, through his understated but deeply-felt performance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"If I could read your mind, love<br />What a tale your thoughts could tell<br />Just
like a paperback novel<br />The kind that drugstores sell.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />"When you reach the
part where the heartaches come<br />The hero would be me<br />But heroes often
fail<br />And you won't read that book again<br />Because the ending's just too hard
to take."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's writing like this that resulted in Lightfoot's songs being recorded by artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand and many others. <span class="st">“I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't
like," <a href="http://www.lightfoot.ca/influcby.htm" target="_blank">Dylan once said</a>. "Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last
forever."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjrumvVHFcQ1ieMsrIXOzSPmsWQKwB2OasTBUho4leMq52wOFyC6klwf8K6Fcras7PVrbbbMcvwN6FgfthLsxE4AxidLCug_WzaAUVURBJj5Q-g7w7w_RM2dw1o4a1p_8wou9ykXuyDcP/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjrumvVHFcQ1ieMsrIXOzSPmsWQKwB2OasTBUho4leMq52wOFyC6klwf8K6Fcras7PVrbbbMcvwN6FgfthLsxE4AxidLCug_WzaAUVURBJj5Q-g7w7w_RM2dw1o4a1p_8wou9ykXuyDcP/s400/IMG_1658.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was a pleasure to see that Lightfoot, as ingrained a part of our culture as decades of radio play could make him, and whose career spans more than half a century, is still going strong, and still receives copious respect and affection--even from New Yorkers, who may not seem like the most natural audience for his music. As we waited after the show for him to come out from backstage and chat--which he did, most graciously--one guy told me, "I've seen him live about 15 times."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm not sure yet if I'd want to see him 15 times. But I sure would like to see him again if he comes back to New York for another gig.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhdEfnQQ3iKKaOkSruFy1CZOKgZdkGNI9Gsz-nWt_q1tIXDPLoHFETn_5S4qsne5sfODuEr-eF85xtK8Y3WkXi-9kM5Qs3A_q4nH50XqBXi_d0OUbNMIXtFM2Wa1EGo1GQSY-iLyp70ZA/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhdEfnQQ3iKKaOkSruFy1CZOKgZdkGNI9Gsz-nWt_q1tIXDPLoHFETn_5S4qsne5sfODuEr-eF85xtK8Y3WkXi-9kM5Qs3A_q4nH50XqBXi_d0OUbNMIXtFM2Wa1EGo1GQSY-iLyp70ZA/s400/IMG_1660.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-83599251423155533572013-07-27T18:57:00.001-04:002013-07-27T19:03:36.471-04:00Boxing: Emile Griffith, R.I.P.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><b>Text and photo by George Molé</b></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWo3G7a6msFMkiIqUJSDFKrrtPbyxEb5DpWlOoztpHxM_EpPDoEMbipcXLAnA6FSDwOW9SBYok_waR6_3HcDFgEEZI4CP0QMAX5ACE60938lvaJkMfFhCgB9iQRxi05gEYssLgtXmJLSO/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWo3G7a6msFMkiIqUJSDFKrrtPbyxEb5DpWlOoztpHxM_EpPDoEMbipcXLAnA6FSDwOW9SBYok_waR6_3HcDFgEEZI4CP0QMAX5ACE60938lvaJkMfFhCgB9iQRxi05gEYssLgtXmJLSO/s400/IMG_0687.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Former boxing champion Emile Griffith in December, 2010</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Emile
Griffith, a former welterweight and middleweight boxing champion, and a
member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/sports/emile-griffith-boxer-who-unleashed-a-fatal-barrage-dies-at-75.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=sports&adxnnlx=1374958885-AcdNhprj3Vup2cknu4eZyg" target="_blank">passed away</a> in a Long Island nursing home on Tuesday, July 23, at age 75.<br /><br />Griffith may be best known for a
tragic 1962 fight in which his opponent, Benny Paret, died after being
pummeled by Griffith--an incident that is said to have haunted Griffith
ever since. He was also known for his openly gay lifestyle, a rarity in boxing. In his later years, the boxer suffered from pugilistic dementia--a
neurological problem, sometimes called being "punch-drunk," caused by
blows to the head.<br /><br />I had the opportunity to meet Griffith briefly in December of 2010, at the holiday party of <a href="http://www.ring8ny.com/" target="_blank">Ring 8</a>, one of two Veteran Boxers Associations in New York that help support retired fighters and other members of the boxing community who are experiencing medical and financial problems (the other is <a href="http://ring10ny.com/" target="_blank">Ring 10</a>, of which I'm a member). At the event, it was clear that Griffith suffered from memory issues--for example, he did not appear to recognize a friend of mine who greeted him, although he had known her well in better days. And he had obvious difficulty in chatting and signing
autographs, although his painful struggle to do both for each person who
approached was an indication of what was, by all accounts, his warm
and generous nature.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Rest in peace, Mr. Griffith.<br />
</span></span>
George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-66732097947300120212013-07-06T20:02:00.000-04:002013-07-10T14:15:31.417-04:00Music: Rush at Jones Beach Theater<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><strong>Text and photos by George Molé</strong></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I've heard about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_%28band%29" target="_blank">Rush</a> for years without ever quite knowing who they were.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">I'm talking about Rush the band, of course, not radio host <a href="http://www.fintofile.com/2011/12/new-york-rush-limbaugh-at-town-hall.html" target="_blank">Rush Limbaugh</a>. Thankfully, I've long known who Limbaugh is--the "doctor of democracy," as he calls himself, who injects three hours of common sense daily into America's diseased body politic.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">But I never had a true sense of the musical Rush. Just a few hints. "I love seeing Geddy Lee"--Rush's bassist, keyboardist and lead singer--"throw himself on his back and kick his legs like a bug!" my niece told me a few decades ago. A male cousin, sometime back in the day, gave me a Rush cassette tape, which I never quite got around to listening to. More recently, Facebook brings me from family and friends periodic rave reviews of Rush shows they've attended.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">So seeing Rush live became yet another item on my bucket list--and I finally did, two Sundays ago, July 23, at the Jones Beach Theater, still one of the best places to see a summer concert.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWe8PMPdBUl0bQ7ckxhFcA-22oRb-ZWdxwwadWreQdpDoOGDbE_I_xyp1SdsQuU0K4qDfwLFyTu8Obr19S9TnUfsaK3kKJxvx6hi672y5vckGCobYdLB5pI-H8E0yqEdtCKI7XE27bkx4/s1600/Cropped_IMG_0656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWe8PMPdBUl0bQ7ckxhFcA-22oRb-ZWdxwwadWreQdpDoOGDbE_I_xyp1SdsQuU0K4qDfwLFyTu8Obr19S9TnUfsaK3kKJxvx6hi672y5vckGCobYdLB5pI-H8E0yqEdtCKI7XE27bkx4/s400/Cropped_IMG_0656.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Geddy Lee of Rush at Jones Beach Theater</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">My reaction--mixed.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Rush consists of only three guys--Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart--although they had some backup musicians at times during this show. But with or without backup, they make music of amazing richness and density. It's not an exaggeration to say that they play at a virtuoso level, with an ease and unity that reflects having worked together almost four decades.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m-K7rM1m4VJXqsf9lQqscMqFat7Y7IVmnQWsqQODOwqsB3TSqBSj-fKUQXV9N1G6j4c482GkJ8sWFiLxYp8gX_tsVY2A4fNthKu6vGQKT4NkP-L3quZ0Bc9TO7bTd2ImiX3ONEXtZP56/s400/Cropped_IMG_0676.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rush in concert at Jones Beach Theater</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But, for those not familiar with it, the music is somewhat inaccessible, and suffers from a bit of sameness. They launched into their signature sound from the first song and, great sound though it is, sinewy and seductive, it didn't change much throughout the generous three-hour show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Onstage patter was limited to remarks like, "It's great to be back in this area," which I guess saves Lee from having to remember exactly what area he's in on any given night. Pacing and variety, and there wasn't much of either, were provided by images and videos projected on the stage's large screens, occasional on-stage fire-and-smoke pyrotechnics, and one song that began with some powerful acoustic guitar by Lifeson. Lee's high, wailing, heavy-metal-style voice, which has been compared to "a munchkin giving a sermon," is fascinating to listen to--but forget about trying to catch the lyrics if you don't already know them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwZdFpIk_74HzoXuQgiHBVt69vOEqDB7zjfxXCE8EwVmOGhyphenhyphen-j_ZzFSiXCNpSRr2U-uTU_1bezafvtDh-PGXaDH_xS4Bv5eU8BgbIfGj_rEgTbRz0cLud5bqfb3N5ypvKDGEb3FJpwsW8/s1308/Cropped_IMG_0698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwZdFpIk_74HzoXuQgiHBVt69vOEqDB7zjfxXCE8EwVmOGhyphenhyphen-j_ZzFSiXCNpSRr2U-uTU_1bezafvtDh-PGXaDH_xS4Bv5eU8BgbIfGj_rEgTbRz0cLud5bqfb3N5ypvKDGEb3FJpwsW8/s400/Cropped_IMG_0698.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>From left: Lifeson, Peart and Lee</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">But this is not to say I didn't like the concert--only that I didn't know enough about their work fully to appreciate it. I did recognize "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANiaZvdGO8U" target="_blank">Tom Sawyer</a>," with its distinctive keyboard riff, and I would have recognized the gracefully-written "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57UDyHOW6fc" target="_blank">Closer to the Heart</a>," if they had done it. That's a start. And I've read since that Peart, who writes much of Rush's lyrics, considers himself a libertarian and has been influenced by the writer <a href="http://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/Point-of-view-Rand-more-than-worth-a-read,36295?page=1&" target="_blank">Ayn Rand</a>, one of my own favorites. Once you know this background, lines like "No, his mind is not for rent / To any god or government" begin to come into focus.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So I think I have more Rush concerts in my future, but a bit of study as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-6311465727401982342013-06-21T11:55:00.003-04:002013-06-21T11:58:25.290-04:00Observation Posts: Can you hear me now?<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My
Samsung phone has an app called "S Voice." It allows you to talk to the
phone and give it instructions or ask it questions--the equivalent of
the iPhone's Siri. Here's a tip: Lock your phone before you put it in
your pocket, because it hears everything.</span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Trust me, it can be a bit
awkward to be at the counter at Subway, telling the guy what you want on
your sandwich, and have a voice from your shirt pocket loudly announce, "I WILL SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR AN ANSWER TO 'GREEN PEPPERS!'"<br /><br /> Then again, maybe that was the operator on duty at the NSA trying to be helpful.</span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-62608302762680470872013-06-10T20:30:00.000-04:002013-06-11T15:52:37.647-04:00Music: Swingin' with Daddy G. and Gary U.S. Bonds at the B.B. King Blues Club<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></strong></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong><br />
<span class="userContent" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Wednesday night, June 5, I made what turned out to be a happy last-minute decision, and went after work to see the classic R&B singer Gary U.S. Bonds at B.B. King's, the great music club on 42nd Street.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bonds is best known for his 1961 hit <span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoopfp5iaKw" target="_blank">"Quarter to Three"</a>...</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzqk62v4lZgHho-6VmXPrS-F9nsiuR5tcezVYyfsXNsqBxISIZL77FxquXGWUVxFrH4-JhycBtvzJEvqP383gTRUQaIUYK0NW6UJYFTbA7f_DFXVqfPmZy3ywyDS45nJhaAv2S7uMH6e5/s1600/IMG_0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzqk62v4lZgHho-6VmXPrS-F9nsiuR5tcezVYyfsXNsqBxISIZL77FxquXGWUVxFrH4-JhycBtvzJEvqP383gTRUQaIUYK0NW6UJYFTbA7f_DFXVqfPmZy3ywyDS45nJhaAv2S7uMH6e5/s320/IMG_0573.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Gary U.S. Bonds</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...which, I hadn't realized previously, is sort of a paean to the saxophonist Gene "Daddy G." Barge, and Daddy G.'s band, the Church Street Five. And it is Daddy G. who does the unforgettable sax work on that song. Check out the lyrics:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Don't you know that I danced, I danced till a quarter to three</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With the help, last night, of Daddy G.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He was swingin' on the sax like a nobody could</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And I was dancin' all over the room.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Oh, don't you know the people were dancin' like they were mad,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was the swingin'est band they had ever had.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was the swingin'est song that could ever be,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a night with Daddy G.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Let me tell you now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I never had it so good</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yeah and I know you never could</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until you get hip with that jive</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And take a band like the Church Street Five.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Oh don't you know that I danced,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I danced till a quarter to three</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With the help last night of Daddy G.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Everybody was as happy as they could be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And they were swingin' with Daddy G.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Blow Daddy!..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, Daddy G., now 86 years old, still works with Bonds, and was there at this show. And, wow, he still makes that saxophone walk and talk.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Bonds (l.) with Gene "Daddy G." Barge</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">At one point Bonds left the stage and Daddy G., joined only by a bassist and, later, a guitarist, sang and played a long meditation called "Way Back Home," that could only be compared to some of Van Morrison's deepest work for otherworldly beauty.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Daddy G.</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The entire show was otherworldly, Bonds at the top of his game and joined by a few noteworthy friends. At one point Southside Johnny (apparently without any Jukes) dueted with Bonds.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimooIQ_a1njCuNAasCkQh3BsWyXDUmE_SW0MbsHDv1bVGZUWL8nNWlPj0O0oy55n8mjbD7iaxDr6xXcKw7-LscfQ0_v_Zr2c27A5d_p0q3j_owdweIFZGNAezq4T68BudCXzH85nbajLyx/s1600/IMG_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimooIQ_a1njCuNAasCkQh3BsWyXDUmE_SW0MbsHDv1bVGZUWL8nNWlPj0O0oy55n8mjbD7iaxDr6xXcKw7-LscfQ0_v_Zr2c27A5d_p0q3j_owdweIFZGNAezq4T68BudCXzH85nbajLyx/s320/IMG_0592.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Bonds (l.) with Southside Johnny</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Later, Chubby Checker came out and did "The Twist."</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf8OjUFV8_jC-CJnrASdcGetq6txHKJxshQXzv_5bJ4dGR0CkhyphenhyphenyqhYUVZfeOLrlIIak9QZMZtr6t02-1xgogDzc8VnDKEgHeF5G54P5SY26K26R5KCuk14cN4CLwa_XmxN8D5zqOU7mh/s1600/CroppedIMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf8OjUFV8_jC-CJnrASdcGetq6txHKJxshQXzv_5bJ4dGR0CkhyphenhyphenyqhYUVZfeOLrlIIak9QZMZtr6t02-1xgogDzc8VnDKEgHeF5G54P5SY26K26R5KCuk14cN4CLwa_XmxN8D5zqOU7mh/s320/CroppedIMG_0593.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Left to right: Chubby Checker, singer Dee Dee Sharp and Bonds</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I hadn't realized that this song was anything but pop fluff, but Checker is a deceptively serious and powerful performer in person, and "The Twist" ran through the small room like a locomotive.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Chubby Checker</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A great show overall. And afterwards, I hung around and got to chat with both Bonds and--even cooler in a way, he being Bonds' muse--Daddy G. himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizf30-ZbK-RjDSKaul7laJF59oi5bWeNazymJG268bcAVaRLtQ9Mydbj6D4wr3Qi27lTe1KNhRjwaQxT7MkjdgG49eeSJwBMelqmHZXCNg-5PK3YA6jUzFmBJzzhWHA0wbvhy7aiQiSZa/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizf30-ZbK-RjDSKaul7laJF59oi5bWeNazymJG268bcAVaRLtQ9Mydbj6D4wr3Qi27lTe1KNhRjwaQxT7MkjdgG49eeSJwBMelqmHZXCNg-5PK3YA6jUzFmBJzzhWHA0wbvhy7aiQiSZa/s320/IMG_0619.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Your correspondent with Daddy G.</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-14836441873801102142013-06-07T23:45:00.000-04:002013-06-08T17:08:20.573-04:00Theater: Extra, extra--Lucky Guy is New York tabloid journalism brought to life<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photo by George Molé</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For me, growing up in New York, the day was
never complete without spending a little time with the great Gotham
tabloid newspapers, the <i>Daily News</i> and the <i>Post</i>. And the highlight of
the papers was always the columnists, condensing the craz<span class="text_exposed_show">y
life of the city into 700-word mini-novels. Pete Hamill and Jimmy
Breslin were the kings, of course, but I'm old enough to remember Bill
Reel and Beth Fallon, and many other good ones.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br /> So no way was I
missing <i>Lucky Guy</i>, the Broadway play written by Nora Ephron--and
running for a very limited time at the Broadhurst Theater--about the life of the columnist Mike
McAlary. I never thought McAlary was the equal of Hamill or Breslin as a
writer--those guys could write a sentence that sounded like they
composed it on a bar napkin at closing time, yet would be running
through your head three weeks later. But McAlary was a good reporter
who was always entertaining, focused on important cop issues--and broke
the Louima story, one of the biggest police scandals ever.<br /> <br /> I
saw <i>Lucky Guy</i> two weeks ago, and it doesn't disappoint. Ephron's
dialogue captures the color and wit of New York journalism, and Hanks
portrays McAlary as an ambitious and immature--but good-hearted and
talented--guy that you can't help but like. Maura Tierney is brilliant
as McAlary's wife--if Tierney's funny, strong and supportive family
woman is an accurate portrayal, McAlary was indeed lucky.<br /> <br /> I'm
rooting for <i>Lucky Guy</i> to win as many Tonys as possible this Sunday--I
can't imagine that any of the other nominees could equal it in writing
or performance. And since I'll probably be working right outside Radio
City Music Hall when the awards ceremony is going on, I'll be in a
strong rooting position. </span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBE3DowC7w7K6Sx9ybRdkUAebqu63GgjzEAEmVgRNyKm4M-dWrfn_gsiSt60GYtscH3XwlUWHn0SSnevREBmXICtYfgXdrEWKz4IbDjqmOoDGDB5z4mS95EX9Hw7XM2rlyw9fiFSIDgia/s1600/Cropped_TomHanks_LuckyGuy_05-25-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBE3DowC7w7K6Sx9ybRdkUAebqu63GgjzEAEmVgRNyKm4M-dWrfn_gsiSt60GYtscH3XwlUWHn0SSnevREBmXICtYfgXdrEWKz4IbDjqmOoDGDB5z4mS95EX9Hw7XM2rlyw9fiFSIDgia/s400/Cropped_TomHanks_LuckyGuy_05-25-13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Tierney and Hanks (center) with other cast members at May 25, 2013 performance.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-46372063387539020502013-05-27T18:26:00.000-04:002013-05-27T18:34:21.310-04:00New York: Memorial Day, 2013 <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Memorial Day, 2013, a New Yorker rides past a small monument on East 23rd Street that reads: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THE EAST SIDE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE WORLD WAR." <em>(Photo by George Molé)</em></span> </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-20781617435157101002012-12-30T23:30:00.000-05:002012-12-30T23:35:22.163-05:00Politics: The corner of Truth and Reality, and step on it<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soon
after last month's election, the media began to explain to us that
President Obama had been reelected largely because African-Americans,
Hispanics and other members of minority ethnic groups comprise a growing
segment of the electorate--and they support liberalism and the
Democrats overwhelmingly. Most of the media appeared quite thrilled with
this state of affairs. And, of course, polling seems to bear it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But maybe it's my good fortune that I tend to encounter people of independent mind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
a Thursday evening in mid-November, I got into a yellow cab in midtown,
almost late in meeting a friend for dinner. The driver, a black man,
was listening to WABC, the AM radio station that carries Rush Limbaugh,
Sean Hannity and other conservative hosts.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"You're listening to my favorite station," I said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"We lost," he said, with an accent I pegged as African.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Excuse me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"If this is your favorite radio station, then I can say to you--we lost."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
meant the election, of course--he was a Romney supporter, and we
started chatting about the state of the world. I asked where he was
from.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Nigeria," he said. "I know what inflation is about."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Well, inflation comes from debt," I ventured.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"From debt!" he almost shouted. "We are at 16 trillion. Are you hearing me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Oh, I'm hearing you, pal."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Obama
cares," he said sarcastically. "But after 'cares' comes facts. He is
giving out the goody-goods. But from where? And the rich men, who they
demonize, will not invest."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I glanced at his hack license. His last name was as similar to the last name of the president as it's possible to be.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Well,
let me ask you this," I said. "They say the Republicans have trouble
reaching immigrants. What do you think is the answer to that?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"There
are few channels for the message," he answered. He gestured at the
radio. "Rush is a very intelligent man. But ABC is liberal. By grace
they allow Rush and Hannity to speak, but they are few."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We
happened to be rolling past the building on Sixth Avenue where Fox News
is headquartered, and he gestured toward it. "Fox is the only channel
propagating conservative ideology. We need more. Are you hearing me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
not only heard him, I could have wept from hearing him. Free thought,
real thought, of the kind you won't see in the media, from a real person
of the kind you won't hear about from the pundits, amid the canyons of
Manhattan. Almost a religious experience.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then,
more recently, during my work day, I got talking with a man in an
outer-borough neighborhood diner. More intelligent conversation takes
place in New York diners, by the way, than on any television chat show.</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
gentleman was African-American, a bit older than me, having his lunch
at the counter. After I ordered my coffee to go, he asked me a bit
about what I do as a cop, then told me he's an elder at a nearby
church. People talk to him about their lives, he said, and their
choices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"So
many different kinds of problems," he said. "Some of these young women
can have three or four babies from two or three different fathers. I
don't know why they think they can conquer these guys by having a baby.
A lot of these girls are still in school, and they can't pay attention
because their babies are at home." The babies, in turn, he said,
develop behavioral problems as they grow, and are then given medications
to deal with those problems, "which just messes them up."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
seemed exasperated that so many would take paths that can lead only to a
life of struggle. And this led to his view that some government
programs provide incentives for those poor choices--for example, by
providing increased benefits, and sometimes apartments, for young women
who have babies they can't support. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"I
try not to be political, Republican or Democrat," he continued. "But
the Republicans talk about people trying to do something, put some money
together, start a business, and the government takes it to help people
who aren't trying to do anything. I see what they're saying."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being in my official capacity, I tried to be noncommittal. "Well, that's an interesting point," I said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"On
one block in the area you can have 10 apartment buildings," the older
man marveled, "with 50 or 60 apartments in each--and they're all Section
8! Where can that money come from?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The waitress gave me my coffee and my check.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Come visit our church," the man said, handing me his card. And I will.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
only takes one pin to puncture the biggest balloon. Can it be that
each time someone thinks for themselves, looks at the world with fresh
eyes, says something the media didn't tell them to say, it lets some air
out of the balloon of our corrupt liberalism? And if that someone is a
member of a group that the left most arrogantly considers to be in
their pocket, maybe the air rushes out a little faster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let's
hope that 2013 brings us a lot more truth-telling--and if it's just a
couple of guys kicking it around in a New York City taxi or diner,
that's not a bad start.</span><br />
<br />
George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-10342392975240152772012-10-06T16:00:00.000-04:002013-06-26T18:13:21.760-04:00Cops: Sgt. Kevin O'Rourke, R.I.P.<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kevin O'Rourke, a retired NYPD sergeant working as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan, was </span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/military-death-toll-war-afghanistan-reaches-2000-article-1.1171447"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">killed in a firefight</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> on Saturday, September 29.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I learned of his death on the following day, on the homeward leg of a bus trip to a football game. I checked my Facebook page on my phone, only to see a posting about the "green on blue" incident--an attack from ostensibly friendly forces--that took him. And I was awash in sadness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kevin was a former coworker of mine, and one of my favorites. I can't pretend to a close friendship with him, but I liked him a lot. I had the good fortune of working with him in the 23rd Precinct in East Harlem for about two years, more than a decade-and-a-half ago. He was there when I arrived as a newly-promoted sergeant in late 1995, and was still assigned there when I transferred out in mid-1997.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As a brand-new supervisor, I depended on the advice and guidance of those who had more time in that position. Being a boss in the NYPD is more an art than a science, I discovered, and quite a challenging art if one cares about doing it well. There are some who attain pretty high rank without ever really getting the hang of it. Many people were helpful to me as I worked to learn what I had to know, but I soon found that Kevin's feedback was always particularly incisive, thoughtful and sincere, and given without a trace of judgmentalism--even if now and again, or more than that, I wasn't quite clear on the best way to handle some fresh bit of craziness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Many others received the benefit of Kevin's knowledge and experience as well.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One day, a story goes, a young female officer, trying to subdue a rowdy prisoner in the holding cell, discharged a blast of pepper spray. Any cop can tell you how that worked out; the spray covered the officer herself, the other cops who were trying to assist her, the other prisoners--everyone but the intended target. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After the original problem had been placed under control and instructed in the error of his ways, after all the crying and blinded cops and perps had been cleaned off as well as possible, Kevin considered the situation.<br /><br />"Do you think we have to do a big report?" another sergeant asked him. He thought about it. "No, just another day in the office," he said in his low-key manner. "But it's really not a good idea to use pepper spray in the cell. There are better ways. I'll talk to her about it."<br /><br />But before he could have that conversation with the cop who sprayed the spray, she took the other sergeant aside. "Is Sgt. O'Rourke mad at me?" she asked nervously. But Sgt. O'Rourke wasn't mad at her. How could he ever be mad at fellow cops trying their best to do the job, but making the occasional mistake?<br /><br />Help them? Yes. Teach them? Absolutely. Care about them? Always. But be angry at them? In Kevin's world, unthinkable. "Did Sgt. O'Rourke ever talk to you?" she was asked later. She smiled. "Yes, he explained what I should do when something like that happens." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm still in the NYPD, a captain now, and Kevin continues to be one of my role models as a police supervisor.<br /><br />In a way, I knew Kevin before I met him. I had worked with, and liked, similar people in both the New York City Emergency Medical Service and in the NYPD. Indeed, I was one of them, and still am on most days.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kevin was a buff.<br /><br />A buff, as I use the word, is someone who still thinks the job of helping people is fun and exciting--someone for whom cynicism hasn't replaced idealism. A buff hears the radio dispatcher announce that some big, crazy, dangerous incident is taking place at this very moment out in the untamed streets, perks up like a hunting dog, looks at his or her partner...and <i>goes</i>. Maybe smiling a little bit--because here is an opportunity to apply years of training and experience, and a whole lot of passion, to solve a problem, to get someone out of trouble, to protect someone. This was Kevin when I knew him. And, from what I've read about <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/military-death-toll-war-afghanistan-reaches-2000-article-1.1171447">the way he spent the remainder of his life</a>, it continued to be him.<br /><br />I recall Kevin telling me that he had been in the Emergency Service Unit at the police officer rank, and hoped to get assigned there again as a sergeant. ESU is a combination SWAT team, rescue squad, hazmat unit and all-purpose bunch of problem-solvers--they're the ones we cops call when things really get ugly. "It's hard to get back there as a boss," he said, because there were so few openings, but he planned to keep trying. And, if he made it, not to take any more promotional exams, because another promotion would mean having to leave again. "I'll retire with an 'E' patch on my arm," he said. And he did.<br /><br />After I left the 2-3, I saw Kevin only once more, running into him when I was out at Emergency Service headquarters at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn for some training. He had finally made his way back to Emergency, and seemed to be having a fine time. We chatted a bit, and he paid me a compliment that meant a lot to me then, and means more now. Since I had seen him last, I had written an article called "Why I'm Still Proud to be a Cop," which had appeared in the New York <i>Daily News</i>. "I saw your article," Kevin told me. "It was great. I hung it up in my locker."<br /><br />I'm moved today to know that Kevin read that piece and liked it. Because, in a way, though I didn't realize it at the time, it was about him. The values I was trying to describe--the beauty and meaning of our profession--are the values he lived. And the big reason I was, and am, proud to be a cop is that I've gotten to work with people like Kevin O'Rourke.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rest in peace, brother. And thanks for everything.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>In Kevin's memory, reproduced below is the article that he told me he liked the last time I saw him. Those who knew him will recognize instantly that every word describes the way he worked as a cop, and the way he continued to live his life after his retirement from the NYPD. This piece originally appeared in the New York </i>Daily News <i>on Thursday, August 28, 1997. (The reference to "the accused Brooklyn officers" concerned the Louima incident, which was in the news at that time.)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Why I'm Still Proud to Be a Cop</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>by George Molé</b> <br /><br />New York <i>Daily News</i> <br />Thursday, August 28, 1997<i> </i><b> </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I still remember why I became a cop: I wanted to walk down a dark street and make everyone feel safe. I wanted to see the kids crowd around, and the girls smile, and the hoodlums slink off the corners, and the old people unlock their doors and come outside on a summer night. All because I was there.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWL9Qn_uYU4MCrL6aKCIY0BFHCW3-GN9ovuXg7cZYvq-8B7Bjv_Ka2qkHgcxyVvSFuBM7bY3ftFbjQfolC6RraXFyTJpUK7WLZPoITVzyc2K8S4CPJQWYSsAICrfgAF8hTYRgWOjrLKBB/s1600/Kevin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWL9Qn_uYU4MCrL6aKCIY0BFHCW3-GN9ovuXg7cZYvq-8B7Bjv_Ka2qkHgcxyVvSFuBM7bY3ftFbjQfolC6RraXFyTJpUK7WLZPoITVzyc2K8S4CPJQWYSsAICrfgAF8hTYRgWOjrLKBB/s320/Kevin2.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Every good cop starts with that enthusiasm, that heroic vision of police work--but it's not always easy to hold on to. The maddening bureaucracy of the job, the lack of support from the public and courts and politicians, and the distorted view of the police often presented by the media can disillusion the most idealistic cop.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And the great, tragic scandals that at long intervals roil the department--like the ongoing horror at Brooklyn's 70th Precinct--can shake a cop's sense of pride, the confidence of being respected by law-abiding people. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But I have worn an NYPD shield for seven years, and every day makes me more, not less, proud to be a New York City police officer. Because every day I see my co-workers doing the world's hardest job with skill and humor and extraordinary grace.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although I don't speak for anyone but myself, I believe that most cops are, like me, attempting to keep an open mind about the innocence or guilt of the accused Brooklyn officers. But the horrible allegations against them--false or true--are so far outside anything I've seen in my career as to seem the stuff of fiction.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's what I have seen:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cops of all races and both sexes work together with a mutual respect and affection that should be an example for the rest of society. Cops know that the ethnicity of the person who's watching your back in a dark alleyway or on some desolate rooftop is quite unimportant.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cops will go out of their way to talk to or play with or comfort a child. Perhaps thinking of their own children, they try constantly to counter the negative influences, the lack of love and guidance, that many of our city's kids experience.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cops will almost always, even at the risk of their own safety, try to resolve a situation with words instead of force. "Let's talk about it..." or "Try to calm down, pal..." are always preferred to a stick or a gun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And sometimes, while they're doing their jobs, they die. Unexpectedly, violently, painfully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If cops ask for respect, or the benefit of the doubt when they take action, that request has been paid for, many times over, in blood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I think of Police Officer Vincent Guidice, killed last year with shards of broken glass while trying to protect a battered woman. Don't bet the rent money that Al Sharpton will organize a march to protest his death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Guess what: Cops are people. They're subject to the same weaknesses, temptations and dark impulses as anyone else. But what's remarkable is not that, on rare occasions, they succumb to them--but how rare those occasions are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So let's condemn the very few corrupt or brutal cops. I do. But then let's salute the rest of my 37,000 brothers and sisters in blue, who humble me with their patience and bravery, their incredible decency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Because right now, somewhere in the city--maybe even in the 7-0--a cop is handling some tense, potentially violent situation, keeping everything cool with cynical wisdom and a sense of humor, common sense and the right words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He or she wears the NYPD uniform, and so do I. Nothing could make me prouder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Molé is an NYPD sergeant and freelance writer.</span></i><br />
<i><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyekXEFjMyP2xdobxaxiDaZkKWdYcmuoTJVHbxQCSn2WAZQgBvl3IB9YlRgZWO8iZMpe4pNDp4ze-vGKwqfm7MbBPJJlM3hikKyp8QRYR4sJPAmh3tuuCQukzprKbU9u1m3vYigHqNLZNt/s1600/Kevin4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyekXEFjMyP2xdobxaxiDaZkKWdYcmuoTJVHbxQCSn2WAZQgBvl3IB9YlRgZWO8iZMpe4pNDp4ze-vGKwqfm7MbBPJJlM3hikKyp8QRYR4sJPAmh3tuuCQukzprKbU9u1m3vYigHqNLZNt/s320/Kevin4.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In memory of Sgt. Kevin O'Rourke, New York City Police Department (retired).</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1959-2012. Rest in peace.</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-75110251988142880052012-09-01T13:00:00.000-04:002012-10-19T18:50:35.837-04:00Boxing: Two icons of the ring take the New York stage<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Two former boxing champions, Mike Tyson and Jake LaMotta, known as much for their over-the-top personalities and tempestuous personal stories as their exploits in the ring, chose an unusual way to present themselves to New Yorkers this summer--stage shows in which they recounted key episodes of their lives, cracked jokes and, in LaMotta's case, did a little song-and-dance.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />And, yes, the </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Finto File</i> made the scene at both of them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Tyson's show, called </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth</i> -- held in a real Broadway theater, the Longacre, and directed by well-known film director Spike Lee--was more slickly produced and high-profile. But LaMotta's <i>Lady and the Champ</i>--held in a shoebox-sized off-Broadway house, and co-starring his fiancee and a few others--was far more engaging.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Truth</i>,<i> </i>written by Tyson's wife, Kiki, had a run of only 12 nights, closing on August 12.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2uLBx9fXuQTr3SE_ulF04jhQOz8_Djqtv8AwBSHxuLX_B4pv6RcQqHJTrGFDMDpDG3gIPiDrOxU3-WgHZ8zqMuV9_VuL0A9X7NMdMeyF1rEZJkNoYd3WxPzcu6eceNx0o4nXvF62LJnO/s1600/IMG_5243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2uLBx9fXuQTr3SE_ulF04jhQOz8_Djqtv8AwBSHxuLX_B4pv6RcQqHJTrGFDMDpDG3gIPiDrOxU3-WgHZ8zqMuV9_VuL0A9X7NMdMeyF1rEZJkNoYd3WxPzcu6eceNx0o4nXvF62LJnO/s400/IMG_5243.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I attended the penultimate performance--Saturday, August 11...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC-yBvhNEMTsUFfXOh9bWQ74cWbKgQjfZSXCuJqwURMSCnW5nYMLs11ilEeANza3l7LflZNZtpb0NtP50qPcUzFg5rnafB5hv3SuUM9wjJHwFBNEdVkWNl8ftO7ywdCbr_E_gFk_2v8dS/s1600/IMG_5249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC-yBvhNEMTsUFfXOh9bWQ74cWbKgQjfZSXCuJqwURMSCnW5nYMLs11ilEeANza3l7LflZNZtpb0NtP50qPcUzFg5rnafB5hv3SuUM9wjJHwFBNEdVkWNl8ftO7ywdCbr_E_gFk_2v8dS/s400/IMG_5249.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">...and sat in what appeared to be a full house, festively decorated with Brooklyn-themed signs and banners--no doubt a Spike Lee touch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQt21H20Zg_ojxjxxPMX3bwliRmdZ0KyVL-3IXX2X3m1QQMacPUM7KpEKLrvZSf1Ul1yKNprWEOr8eiBLfH3Keyv2MKg2Z9FNKjx9DnjfywY4gwfKJVIqwy9dCuJ3OwnkMetyC8adabUM/s1600/IMG_5255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQt21H20Zg_ojxjxxPMX3bwliRmdZ0KyVL-3IXX2X3m1QQMacPUM7KpEKLrvZSf1Ul1yKNprWEOr8eiBLfH3Keyv2MKg2Z9FNKjx9DnjfywY4gwfKJVIqwy9dCuJ3OwnkMetyC8adabUM/s400/IMG_5255.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The lights came up to reveal a seated, nattily-attired Tyson in silhouette, as Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" played in the background--"There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy..." There followed about two hours of mumbled (I caught about 85% of what he said), profanity-laced monologue, aided by large photographs projected on the back of the stage.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQd9QmO6LQ4J68tCc7BHZkfQ_eBHxEYoeuUeOTo3P9BgS_Ax97_znmZogdYfIKhC4sC__Bs-MYXAzEw8f5W3wlGgw9fMww77mz4QlPSPf_GmXYebSFS1XpBRMTyMrpGhw9zONcHlhujRt/s1600/IMG_5263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQd9QmO6LQ4J68tCc7BHZkfQ_eBHxEYoeuUeOTo3P9BgS_Ax97_znmZogdYfIKhC4sC__Bs-MYXAzEw8f5W3wlGgw9fMww77mz4QlPSPf_GmXYebSFS1XpBRMTyMrpGhw9zONcHlhujRt/s400/IMG_5263.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Many of Tyson's comments were humorously self-deprecating, referring wryly to his many well-publicized misadventures, including his biting of opponent Evander Holyfield's ears during a 1997 boxing match. "Everyone will leave here with two ears tonight," he promised the audience.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And he didn't fail to mention his life as a young street thug. "This is not my first time on Broadway," he said. "I got arrested on this very same block."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAVlhawSBM44c9b3QqY-FtfJU78jZX2w7mwQZl6lEoGWUhXF9L5xWbaz9AJpykGSZXyPS0O5IPgM1DQNtO1k66BGqZRflNwSCSApzWvOWkl3MwIgRbKKb_fPBvxJFJX0DRihZ0pSeapEi/s1600/IMG_5264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAVlhawSBM44c9b3QqY-FtfJU78jZX2w7mwQZl6lEoGWUhXF9L5xWbaz9AJpykGSZXyPS0O5IPgM1DQNtO1k66BGqZRflNwSCSApzWvOWkl3MwIgRbKKb_fPBvxJFJX0DRihZ0pSeapEi/s400/IMG_5264.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But much of Tyson's monologue was on the sentimental side. He discussed his deceased mother, whom he described as a substance abuser ("I was born with the addictive gene," he said), and his late sister, who helped raise him. Photos of their graves accompanied these stories, a touch that seemed a bit maudlin, although the audience applauded on cue.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />The most interesting part of Tyson's show concerned his accounts of his problematic interactions with women, including his 1992 conviction for raping 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington--a crime he strongly denies.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />"There were a lot of things I should have gone to prison for, but this wasn't one of them," Tyson said. "I wasn't a nice guy back then and I deserved to be punished for the pain and humiliation I caused many women, but this wasn't one of them."</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />The champ looked straight at the audience, mustering all the sincerity at his disposal.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />"I did not rape Desiree Washington," he concluded, "and that's the final thing I'm gonna say about that."</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />It's difficult to know what to believe when a person like Tyson is accused of an anti-social act. There's no question that for much of his life he was--and perhaps still is--a troubled, unstable and violence-prone man. And for that reason alone, one might easily believe that any allegation against him is probably true. But it's also not difficult to imagine that at least some of the women who have accused him of harassing or assaulting them may have done so in search of sympathy, money, career advancement or a bit of media attention.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />I don't know if that's the case, but that's the point--where a guy like Tyson is concerned, how can you know? Perhaps as good a reason as any not to live one's life as Tyson has lived his.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51AIjEqErhDQDg3d90SyYvqA2XSS1yR7k9zjvuVB1ILLKoi_r6LFduTqTbEXDakgTgpohV0WXA0Ym4P-8FCAzJu-tVvNnKgpiEAyNEZGoGCDU2ba9tm89Lk41lngflbK9fBxhq7UcZrxS/s1600/IMG_5267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51AIjEqErhDQDg3d90SyYvqA2XSS1yR7k9zjvuVB1ILLKoi_r6LFduTqTbEXDakgTgpohV0WXA0Ym4P-8FCAzJu-tVvNnKgpiEAyNEZGoGCDU2ba9tm89Lk41lngflbK9fBxhq7UcZrxS/s400/IMG_5267.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">LaMotta's </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Lady and the Champ</i>, whose week-and-a-half run ended on July 29, only a few days before Tyson's show opened, took place in the 80-seat Richmond Shepard Theatre on East 29th Street, a facility I hadn't known existed. When I called for ticket information, a rather grouchy-sounding Richmond Shepard himself answered the phone. (A little Googling revealed that Shepard, an actor and painter, is the father of <a href="http://vondashepard.com/">Vonda Shepard</a>, the fine singer and musician best known for her appearances on the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ally_McBeal"><i>Ally McBeal</i></a> series). When I arrived for the Friday, July 27 performance, the theater turned out to be a cramped but homey space whose narrow vestibule overflows with chairs, equipment and Shepard's paintings, and in which the audience has to walk across the edge of the stage to reach their seats.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">LaMotta took the stage, to huge applause, following a short film of his career highlights. If it wasn't clear how far back that career goes, the fact that much of the film consisted of black-and-white newsreel footage brought it home.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6EGmP5JQa9Kcc7H4jPLtISUFacKpUXDirFvw6B7B8xG3ydQ29A7ppAo9iHO-YmOA0KGpNyuOkXsfzjYow-zcnJxJDwVMNzVdu_g_b7l72KapDV-V8KnA17-WcmLcGzVFyOF75lDKBpJa/s1600/IMG_5118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6EGmP5JQa9Kcc7H4jPLtISUFacKpUXDirFvw6B7B8xG3ydQ29A7ppAo9iHO-YmOA0KGpNyuOkXsfzjYow-zcnJxJDwVMNzVdu_g_b7l72KapDV-V8KnA17-WcmLcGzVFyOF75lDKBpJa/s400/IMG_5118.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A major part of the evening involved LaMotta, seated at a table with an actor playing the role of a journalist, being interviewed about his life--a useful technique, perhaps, for helping guide the 90-year-old champion through his script. But despite (or maybe because of) the unpolished feel of the production, there was no escaping the power of the experience--watching and listening as this legendary athlete, sitting a few feet away, recounted his long life and iconic career. In that sense, the show was riveting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMnAwet72WLBfCYNeTcm7TkRjU4CDjaxJhwKn8J2c0_nF8CztwyXEMZAZpMYzy7v9E6GleH3kUt3o6FlMdZBXMmRjkqICKW7v5P7lY2yWxYi8R75VUNIt7geKEbBT1jzeOhu3nYL3u7-5/s1600/IMG_5123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMnAwet72WLBfCYNeTcm7TkRjU4CDjaxJhwKn8J2c0_nF8CztwyXEMZAZpMYzy7v9E6GleH3kUt3o6FlMdZBXMmRjkqICKW7v5P7lY2yWxYi8R75VUNIt7geKEbBT1jzeOhu3nYL3u7-5/s400/IMG_5123.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As Tyson would do the following week, LaMotta interspersed his monologue with wisecracks. About his six famous bouts with Sugar Ray Robinson: "I fought Sugar Ray so many times, it's a wonder I don't have diabetes." About Robert DiNiro's Oscar-winning portrayal of him in the 1980 film </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Raging Bull</i>: "I told the producers I want to play myself in the movie. They said I'm not the type." About his many marriages: "My first wife divorced me because I clashed with the drapes."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_g11OjHnTCoxm4ap0ZrOzUW1HAiwPYsxFxRN2jUxiXW3SFlCwE-9FqAusKibnvejn_2dHKibGRf0Rlbocod7UYw33YRByJ0bjqTLqgPe70wG2XWwUxbAlsUYQITkt6Oixb2esW9rbyhz/s1600/IMG_5124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_g11OjHnTCoxm4ap0ZrOzUW1HAiwPYsxFxRN2jUxiXW3SFlCwE-9FqAusKibnvejn_2dHKibGRf0Rlbocod7UYw33YRByJ0bjqTLqgPe70wG2XWwUxbAlsUYQITkt6Oixb2esW9rbyhz/s400/IMG_5124.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And LaMotta described his friendship with fellow boxer Rocky Graziano: "We went to the same reform school. We were friends from the same neighborhood. We were doing all the things we shouldn't. We were stealing all the things that began with 'a'--a bike, a car..." What would have happened if they had fought? "No contest," LaMotta said. "I would have beat him easy."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">LaMotta also expressed the view that his six fights with Robinson, of which the latter won five, should really have been "three and three." And he discussed having fought many of the African-American boxers of his day. What made some of the black fighters so good? "They were hungry," he said.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />LaMotta also delivered up a good dose of inspirational speaking: "Anything can happen--all you gotta do is believe. I don't mean believe. I mean believe, believe, believe."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdBIldkhqtn2MKy8KPBtUnOwSfUvTEUsoYGF7rQFskc4DDbcQRqlXrqSmkR98ch3_WArKVs_kOJJR-968D6bzaCPQOYeit1qiiP4vf6H3UNIp_7XNg0pBqrYNHxXt3nsMBhe_vFF1VqfR/s1600/IMG_5127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdBIldkhqtn2MKy8KPBtUnOwSfUvTEUsoYGF7rQFskc4DDbcQRqlXrqSmkR98ch3_WArKVs_kOJJR-968D6bzaCPQOYeit1qiiP4vf6H3UNIp_7XNg0pBqrYNHxXt3nsMBhe_vFF1VqfR/s400/IMG_5127.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In addition to LaMotta's tales, we were treated to some Vegas-style singing from Denise Baker, the champ's fiancee and longtime companion. A good, though perhaps not remarkable, singer, she delivered kitschy, entertaining renditions of "Can't Help Falling in Love</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">," "New York, New York" and "The Boxer."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdW_g6OBu8DxQhoJ1qzKImyOSysKHSXDdnyeKDcOSdRTNcNU1YKyk6h0Da9zCj6gs-mMisyXNNZbjgNXWa9HSP1abKml2scbe80bCHf-4_sCyxJUtQml_NopCNW3Nkj06SwFTDtKguJ9W/s1600/IMG_5131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdW_g6OBu8DxQhoJ1qzKImyOSysKHSXDdnyeKDcOSdRTNcNU1YKyk6h0Da9zCj6gs-mMisyXNNZbjgNXWa9HSP1abKml2scbe80bCHf-4_sCyxJUtQml_NopCNW3Nkj06SwFTDtKguJ9W/s400/IMG_5131.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />At another point, LaMotta got up to cut a rug with Baker. "I can take it or leave it," LaMotta said about hitting the dance floor</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, "but sometimes I take it."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tMgXOfCkv_GFdChGO4Pg0rYKOEjfN4kKjm-ysPAddJsAzlKsAk3KYPI0xmkdVpx-VPpQxfHPzyLb2i_lcsbgrIBIwOTmFX_XQSHHyMaXDjmTX9lhACwpXEOYrSZkWf1hMlWg6X4ibFrN/s1600/IMG_5144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tMgXOfCkv_GFdChGO4Pg0rYKOEjfN4kKjm-ysPAddJsAzlKsAk3KYPI0xmkdVpx-VPpQxfHPzyLb2i_lcsbgrIBIwOTmFX_XQSHHyMaXDjmTX9lhACwpXEOYrSZkWf1hMlWg6X4ibFrN/s400/IMG_5144.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">LaMotta's performance was rounded off with a spoken rendition of the song </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>My Way</i>, the "I coulda been a contender" speech from <i>On the Waterfront</i>, and a bit of shadowboxing. He then retired to his dressing room for a short rest, after which he reemerged to greet audience members and sign autographs in the theater's vestibule.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4rYfi4teK2qc2A2CHs4Xh9lumzbJxtHMwDnjWLP1pliDaPgLk8PCD2aNr-6kbNMAXqLTwpdI_os5JR-yFMxEfp1FXF3iUNDLxa9G5oq9OACDLqtbSBCjdBkjlXwiIUopZj56E5atW694/s400/IMG_5178CroppedSecondVersion.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>LaMotta poses with your correspondent.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As amateurish as LaMotta's revue may have been, it was more enjoyable than Tyson's show. This may have been due to the variety provided by the interview format and the musical interludes; the immediacy of seeing LaMotta up close in the small theater; the historical interest resulting from LaMotta's career being beyond most people's memories; the fact that LaMotta, a rough character in his day, now looks grandfatherly, while Tyson still might be mistaken for a thug; or the fact that LaMotta's show took itself a lot less seriously.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In any case, the Raging Bull's extravaganza never stopped being fun and fascinating, while the Biting Bull's shtick got old about halfway through.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaP_3xnfbrBP2yGrG65U0UTP0DSIYi21Z1PK90aN07AYWyHJFjCkUpzYz4Pa2Imd60XOAr6nlc2iuYbBn-fRtuYJtal_EYG7eJRiZQF_Dkqa5QhUKBmx2TNczhDqdKI9Mx_2PW4Rurl5w/s400/IMG_5179.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>LaMotta and Baker leave the theater.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-90844874945839945462012-08-07T16:53:00.000-04:002012-10-19T15:39:07.268-04:00New York: The soul of Queens (Get it? See, Aretha Franklin was called...ah, never mind)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Perhaps some of the other boroughs are a bit more iconic. The Bronx--Yankee Stadium; the Bronx Zoo; Howard Cosell telling everyone that it's burning. Brooklyn--Ebbets Field (knocked down); Coney Island (partly knocked down); Thomas Wolfe telling everyone that only the dead know it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But Queens has some soul of it's own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I don't know how youse do it anymore," a guy in Queens says to a cop. "It's so crazy out there..."</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoxoJryZ3C34NhPWMSOznNRcavEmDsjgkFX87HYmp61dLHwAbYZSamqGHjrudOOcREfsqdUa6G8E_80hiZU3-W8-KXD0oPOVSsY_vokH2ylKYjyJLLKD6MyKr5_2BkcEaHuM9rzimmjl4/s1600/IMG_5205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="225" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoxoJryZ3C34NhPWMSOznNRcavEmDsjgkFX87HYmp61dLHwAbYZSamqGHjrudOOcREfsqdUa6G8E_80hiZU3-W8-KXD0oPOVSsY_vokH2ylKYjyJLLKD6MyKr5_2BkcEaHuM9rzimmjl4/s400/IMG_5205.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><i>Woodland clearings have nothing on under the el when it comes to dappled sunlight.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"So f---ing crazy. People don't give a s--t..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOuGCS7_jp5TrQIkY4ErkMHwRUhd8s31cjZ8WWhLzt_4uBnes42Opryb0hmEakNil0lMh9NpF09AwHK_tPg-h-T2U6vudrkDFJW3xAofFnjYKwozJKTKX9Kr0u2cmoGkaGk28cRSRPOWh/s1600/CroppedFlorist.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOuGCS7_jp5TrQIkY4ErkMHwRUhd8s31cjZ8WWhLzt_4uBnes42Opryb0hmEakNil0lMh9NpF09AwHK_tPg-h-T2U6vudrkDFJW3xAofFnjYKwozJKTKX9Kr0u2cmoGkaGk28cRSRPOWh/s400/CroppedFlorist.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Need curry--store on the left. Need to curry favor--store on the right.</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I'm waiting for robberies and everything else to start picking up..."</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREdYRTqAPUM-vKwj7-KQKBcVKPN6pzVWdT8mbLc_scYCwa8LyQcslxB6ytmh7G4JpuAqztjZD-9DWH8UdwHuVuHZcqq3yODWmT-hfaf1cUNpfhAM26z9BlFYl9JfksPWcSI8iX3I35nhX/s1600/IMG_5208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="225" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREdYRTqAPUM-vKwj7-KQKBcVKPN6pzVWdT8mbLc_scYCwa8LyQcslxB6ytmh7G4JpuAqztjZD-9DWH8UdwHuVuHZcqq3yODWmT-hfaf1cUNpfhAM26z9BlFYl9JfksPWcSI8iX3I35nhX/s400/IMG_5208.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A steal--needs a little work.</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I don't care if God becomes president. We ain't gettin' fixed..."</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtsUh-zmMluT68lazn3G_p4t67M1p_pfVeu61a3aW3H8O_77TAG3UpdnXktUfMJhoaYT_R8cU_sGfKsODmM8ZH8NCHRC4uNHfOQ-5yKkg4TyLrVqkVvXU-E_jRv8a9Cda3PgMMAgX4jOl/s1600/CroppedMagazineStore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtsUh-zmMluT68lazn3G_p4t67M1p_pfVeu61a3aW3H8O_77TAG3UpdnXktUfMJhoaYT_R8cU_sGfKsODmM8ZH8NCHRC4uNHfOQ-5yKkg4TyLrVqkVvXU-E_jRv8a9Cda3PgMMAgX4jOl/s400/CroppedMagazineStore.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Few remember that paperbacks were once called "pocketbooks." Actually, few remember paperbacks.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"We're in big trouble."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYpUvNj7hx3WK1YcuiAvINq5p59rpPmIwSa7h5SywAjciIxn3ibY_XgCBh0BPXA4vzf91rpryaJ8pTuXtoPMbKMTzIo0hnD2ChisNGeF5XVIOc7sD_C1eR5JTuPTLNSUSW9fwjM1LFg7y/s1600/IMG_5191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYpUvNj7hx3WK1YcuiAvINq5p59rpPmIwSa7h5SywAjciIxn3ibY_XgCBh0BPXA4vzf91rpryaJ8pTuXtoPMbKMTzIo0hnD2ChisNGeF5XVIOc7sD_C1eR5JTuPTLNSUSW9fwjM1LFg7y/s400/IMG_5191.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rainstorm, Hillside Avenue.</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And we've barely dipped our fork in the place...</span><br />
<br />George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-29414714575194029762012-07-20T20:02:00.002-04:002012-07-23T13:00:57.115-04:00New York: Space Shuttle Enterprise comes home<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise">Space Shuttle Enterprise</a>, finally at home on the deck of the <a href="http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/">Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum</a> on the West Side of Manhattan, opened to the public yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOBftF1oN5qTmPT1SGDPJpX22XdKNSYxhzbMmzu32_SlUMrJGPL_aUefO7odyCSSheeaZCA1DEkVnlZK0QE0fFwQlZ8IV4u5sWkG70sY8zcn0uBdNG8IJ2jCmz5UKT3wOIr0m5UC0NfeD/s1600/IMG_5048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOBftF1oN5qTmPT1SGDPJpX22XdKNSYxhzbMmzu32_SlUMrJGPL_aUefO7odyCSSheeaZCA1DEkVnlZK0QE0fFwQlZ8IV4u5sWkG70sY8zcn0uBdNG8IJ2jCmz5UKT3wOIr0m5UC0NfeD/s400/IMG_5048.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A lovely event; a new jewel in New York's crown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxTyufiygC24SAj_YebgaCH23SLGFcesmf4ujvY3ND-mypg59KrmdaBRns0TxLGAhImzJQaiChJ8zwQOqn4wsNvkSLTnFoSazL1SMWe61E-u9O0IT2rMxvu3IxPoM2yIVpw3U29mB4hTp/s1600/IMG_5047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxTyufiygC24SAj_YebgaCH23SLGFcesmf4ujvY3ND-mypg59KrmdaBRns0TxLGAhImzJQaiChJ8zwQOqn4wsNvkSLTnFoSazL1SMWe61E-u9O0IT2rMxvu3IxPoM2yIVpw3U29mB4hTp/s400/IMG_5047.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But I was on the Brooklyn shoreline last month--Sunday, June 4, to be exact--when scattered groups of New Yorkers watched as Enterprise, newly-arrived in the Big Apple, was transported by barge from John F. Kennedy Airport, through the Verrazano Narrows, to temporary digs in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Enterprise was transferred to a crane-equipped barge in Bayonne, then delivered a few days later to the Intrepid.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFseLbIJc_DWU7QYbXqiXsJX-WwZpjZ68WZSdI106Bs-6Icdj27VRL7QjxZAG4MSlLPWwDrSQJ0nv4THuwJpLVMxNieWmvbwnYInbLjO0a9rSGytOtKrsDoWMJmK2fvHl2Crd7y91y7ZB/s1600/IMG_4549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFseLbIJc_DWU7QYbXqiXsJX-WwZpjZ68WZSdI106Bs-6Icdj27VRL7QjxZAG4MSlLPWwDrSQJ0nv4THuwJpLVMxNieWmvbwnYInbLjO0a9rSGytOtKrsDoWMJmK2fvHl2Crd7y91y7ZB/s400/IMG_4549.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For me, that event had the melancholy feel of a funeral procession--reminiscent, perhaps, of when Americans lined the railroad tracks along the route as Lincoln's body was brought home to Illinois for burial. In this case, though, the corpse was that of America's beloved, world-changing space program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH1oZ5GC3J-P8xsdvAq7MCcOcQvUQR2ApO8jUb-GaChN0Zt5z44cC0vmVO5QRvIYRdE1D_XpdLkJXv63pajSnpzcBeDUFuFOapSqG-nDuBoiSGblh6z0Uuf2Y79p1krSHfpnIv3ZUmufB/s1600/IMG_4552cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH1oZ5GC3J-P8xsdvAq7MCcOcQvUQR2ApO8jUb-GaChN0Zt5z44cC0vmVO5QRvIYRdE1D_XpdLkJXv63pajSnpzcBeDUFuFOapSqG-nDuBoiSGblh6z0Uuf2Y79p1krSHfpnIv3ZUmufB/s400/IMG_4552cropped.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-05-24-Obama-grounding-JFK-space-legacy_n.htm"><i>USA Today</i> opinion piece</a> published in May of last year, three astronauts who commanded Lunar missions lamented the demise of America's manned space program. One of the writers was the reclusive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong">Neil Armstrong</a>, whose Apollo 11 spacecraft was the first to land on the moon, 43 years ago today, and who was the first human to walk on the moon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"America's leadership in space is slipping," they wrote. "NASA's human spaceflight program is in substantial disarray with no clear-cut mission in the offing. We will have no rockets to carry humans to low-Earth orbit and beyond for an indeterminate number of years...After a half-century of remarkable progress, a coherent plan for maintaining America's leadership in space exploration is no longer apparent."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The astronauts quoted President Kennedy, who thought of space as "the new ocean," which the U.S. must be prepared to sail upon. "For 50 years we explored the waters to become the leader in space exploration," they concluded sadly. "Today...the voyage is over. John F. Kennedy would have been sorely disappointed."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, looked at one way, Enterprise is only an evocative memorial to glories past. Today's leaders dream of changing America's demographics through open borders, transforming the definition of marriage and ensuring free contraception for all. With these noble goals before us, exploring the stars has no place on the to-do list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But, who knows, maybe that strange-looking space plane, sitting on the deck of that old warrior ship, will nudge just one kid to look at the sky and imagine...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It doesn't always have to be like this; better times, wiser leaders and more American adventures in space lie ahead, let us hope. Welcome, Enterprise!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-44389866349882608932012-07-03T18:20:00.000-04:002012-07-09T14:56:03.349-04:00New York: Cop jokes and old-time flavor at the Coney Island Nathan's<div align="center">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Text and photo by George Molé</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Professional duties took me to the Coney Island section of Brooklyn today and, not one to waste an opportunity, I soon found myself on line at the original <a href="http://nathansfamous.com/PageFetch/">Nathan's</a>, Surf and Stillwell Avenues, New York's hot dog cathedral. I was with another cop, both of us in uniform.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A frail-looking older man, thin, a bit stooped, wearing a baseball cap, moving with the help of a wheeled walker, was in the place. His walker, parts of which seemed to be covered in leopard-skin, had an American flag flying from the handlebar. He said something in a low voice, and I asked for a repeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Tell me a cop joke I haven't heard before," he demanded.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSNP9nZT-1KTdLflMpUZc6VLWTp_ITvPS5K2Sh2WTvHtph5Xu2Gfl8p2mPST_UGHjd200YhNVYS2cCKu8RYur-XlFXvwM8ojJJVdmpk-uWDVZxKtNQrdNfr0yFwB0M19kCu7uh4a6Q-6m/s1600/CroppedNathans_07-03-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img border="0" height="300" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSNP9nZT-1KTdLflMpUZc6VLWTp_ITvPS5K2Sh2WTvHtph5Xu2Gfl8p2mPST_UGHjd200YhNVYS2cCKu8RYur-XlFXvwM8ojJJVdmpk-uWDVZxKtNQrdNfr0yFwB0M19kCu7uh4a6Q-6m/s400/CroppedNathans_07-03-12.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We were stumped, and said so. "All right, here's one," he said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"A cop pulls a guy over. He looks at the guy's license, and tells him, 'Hey, this says you're supposed to be wearing glasses, but you're not. You're getting a summons.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The guy says, 'Wait a minute, I have contacts!'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The cop says, 'I don't care who you know, you're getting a summons.'"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We all laughed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"One day," the man went on, "the Pope tells his chauffeur, 'I want to know what it's like to drive. Let's switch for today.' So they do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The Pope's not driving too well, weaving around, and he gets pulled over by a cop. The chauffeur, who's in the back seat, says to the cop, 'Do you know who you're stopping here?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The cop goes back to his car and calls the sergeant. 'Sarge, I got a problem. I think I pulled over somebody very important.' The sergeant asks, "Who is he and what makes you think he's so important?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"'I don't know who he is, Sarge,' the cop says. 'But the Pope is his chauffeur.'"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay, this guy is good. "Are you a Coney Island lifer?" I asked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Yeah, I was born in Sea Gate in 1935," he said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"What do you think of the changes they're doing here?" I asked. Coney has been the focus of a lot of construction--and a tsunami of vicious destruction--by the developers to whom the city gave free rein to remake the historic amusement district.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The changes are good, but they were going too far," he said. "But I'd like to see them put in a bowling alley. Maybe a pool hall."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"At least they saved </span><a href="http://www.rubysconeyisland.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ruby's</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">," I observed. Ruby's is a classic old Coney Island bar that had been on the verge of being closed by the developers, only to be reprieved at the eleventh hour--but not without being forced to modernize their atmospheric place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Yes, that's good," he replied glumly. "But it lost some of the old-time flavor."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Losing the old-time flavor--there's a lot of that going around lately. The </span><a href="http://www.norwoodnews.org/id=2593&story=save-a-piece-of-yankee-history/"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">old Yankee Stadium</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. Too much of the </span><a href="http://www.saveconeyisland.net/"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">old Coney Island</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. </span><a href="http://www.fintofile.com/2012/06/new-york-prime-burger-gone-mcdonalds.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Prime Burger</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, the lovely old Midtown eatery. Our </span><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/roberts_the_coward_rLGKy8EebRuDi8KrIXXAmL"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">old Constitution</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. So many of the old things that gave our lives flavor are melting away like snow in spring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Okay," the old man said, "an avid golfer finally gets sick of his wife. He pulls a golf club out of his bag and hits her--one, two, three, four times, and she's dead. The cops come, and the captain tells the guy, 'Well, you're going to jail, of course, and we're also going to alert the media.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The guy says, 'Listen, could you tell them I did it in three strokes?'"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By this time my partner had ordered and I was next. "Excuse me, I have to order now," I told the old man. And when I turned around again he was gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">***</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you want to be able to remember some old-time things, including this old guy's old jokes, buy yourself a copy of <i>Secrets, Tips, and Tricks of a Powerful Memory: The Memory Shock Oh-So-Easy How-to-Remember User's Guide for Your Brain </i>by Barry Reitman--foreword by yours truly. It's now available on Amazon, in print and Kindle editions--click </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Tricks-Powerful-Memory-Remember/dp/0985113316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/175-7904180-2822464?ie=UTF8&qid=1339040578&sr=8-3"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> to take a look. And if you want to read my foreword--which will definitely make you want to buy the book-- click </span><a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/foreword.pdf"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-79820146743766874492012-06-16T05:00:00.000-04:002012-06-25T17:01:16.660-04:00New York: Prime Burger gone, McDonald's still here<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Text and photos by George Molé</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prime Burger, the classic New York hamburger joint just across 51st street from St. Patrick's Cathedral, closed on Saturday, May 26, after 74 years at the same location (though it had two different names during that time, having opened in 1938 as Hamburg Heaven).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">"A burger is a burger is a burger...Ours is Prime."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Like Patsy's, the great Italian restaurant in Midtown favored by Sinatra, or Wo Hop, the all-night Chinese eatery in the basement of a Chinatown tenement (and a short dagger-throw from the heart of the enfabled Five Points), it was a place where one could step through a door and be instantly transported into old, old New York. And, as in those other two establishments, the food lived up to the history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I saw the announcement of the closing less than a week before it was to happen, and agonized over whether to visit one last time. On the one hand, why subject myself to a heartbreaking experience analogous to a final kiss before a breakup--or, more accurately, a final goodbye before a death?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the other hand, the burgers were really good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was there on the afternoon of the last day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prime Burger was known for its unique one-person booths...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">If only airplane seats were this comfortable.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...most reminiscent of a baby's high chair. I sat at one of these, fastened the tray across my lap, and ordered the Prime Burger Deluxe (with cheese), which actually comes (came...sniff) with two burgers...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Two burgers at a time. What would Bloomy say?</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...comparable to Shake Shack's in quality, and some damn good fries. Prime Burger's signature relish, in its traditional silver bowl, was at hand...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">An experience to relish.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...and all was right with the world.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Your correspondent.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, not quite--the end was approaching, and would arrive in a few short hours. I looked around at the warm, anachronistic interior. Each square of six one-person booths, a waiter told me, was called a "bay"...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">One of the four "bays" that made up the "track."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...and the entire row of four bays was the "track." There was also an area of regular, though vintage-looking, diner tables in the back (for parties of more than one), and some little touches that would once have seemed commonplace, but are on the rare side now--like a pay-phone alcove with, if you can believe it, phone books.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cqquusdhSqjz9ivQWSexXodJjButwob0Hmi5jmR_oGbQw17vxJxrTW6N5WgeI-9v3r54Q0dXInVsWz7vfJoSm0TYnL_5OHPnNaCpYEbiloYl6-B0MrfaSKD7_V_L-Tbq7HgcZauxg4RI/s1600/IMG_4359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cqquusdhSqjz9ivQWSexXodJjButwob0Hmi5jmR_oGbQw17vxJxrTW6N5WgeI-9v3r54Q0dXInVsWz7vfJoSm0TYnL_5OHPnNaCpYEbiloYl6-B0MrfaSKD7_V_L-Tbq7HgcZauxg4RI/s400/IMG_4359.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Number, please.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I spoke to some of the white-coated waiters...</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd1bDiimaO8WgSWM5YM1Jm3S_ZqJq4e0CHeI_ts-97IAahBYAhP6B7CDHfASWxvoxzn3RAlaqZ_Bo5BzmF5fHuSGyLVBlCj1xQT05V1YEnNwk4JAcETqn4p3YtlT9gSmxEG7H0zjw2N4o/s1600/IMG_4369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd1bDiimaO8WgSWM5YM1Jm3S_ZqJq4e0CHeI_ts-97IAahBYAhP6B7CDHfASWxvoxzn3RAlaqZ_Bo5BzmF5fHuSGyLVBlCj1xQT05V1YEnNwk4JAcETqn4p3YtlT9gSmxEG7H0zjw2N4o/s400/IMG_4369.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">"In a million years I didn't think it's going to close," one waiter said.</span></i></td></tr>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...many of whom had worked there for years, or decades. There was Hany...</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYD91ZYm2PaKYWVGa44T6cPjqwnf0p7YcKPUhmjsawxq4fm6YCrKdjpaVgkvX8seSoo77uQyLAX7m96JUNvsZePjyDeDNdmlb8HKS9J_IX7H-G1CHRu3Rb6sIg4YqA6skEpxpWcaKRIYr/s1600/IMG_4350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYD91ZYm2PaKYWVGa44T6cPjqwnf0p7YcKPUhmjsawxq4fm6YCrKdjpaVgkvX8seSoo77uQyLAX7m96JUNvsZePjyDeDNdmlb8HKS9J_IX7H-G1CHRu3Rb6sIg4YqA6skEpxpWcaKRIYr/s400/IMG_4350.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Hany: "Enjoy your last meal..."</span></i></td></tr>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...who told me, as he put down my plate, "Enjoy your last meal at Prime Burger." (He had to remind me? But, of course, he was sadder to say it than I was to hear it.)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There was Earnest Harrison...</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLRZk7RvvsmmkKP3FIhBUiGxA5cg5AxhyphenhyphenOnKvOZRwbLzxbpi1mLCTBR1WSVj84ryEbeJ4dd642k2WrzpMXX3zhsHRkxVeqF24tX8kA-l25Wbv2njx10HcvsKhwFu0sTgjEhmrzURbb4ED/s1600/IMG_4408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLRZk7RvvsmmkKP3FIhBUiGxA5cg5AxhyphenhyphenOnKvOZRwbLzxbpi1mLCTBR1WSVj84ryEbeJ4dd642k2WrzpMXX3zhsHRkxVeqF24tX8kA-l25Wbv2njx10HcvsKhwFu0sTgjEhmrzURbb4ED/s400/IMG_4408.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Singer Earnest Harrison strikes his Coasters pose.</span></i></td></tr>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...who told me he sings with the Coasters when he's not serving up the best burgers in town.</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And there were others...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q_nSMpBWaJy_Q6uvE6aX_Ig59HOOjGZuXOskjEFtXbfnD94AM-XaLPEKHttIfefDh8HZjjFU8CLlNted5W4Iw3tYkC-1XSmjSbNW2rDQn-aqEozVNAh1Y5hSN2SC1UHWAILMqEV-WkDk/s1600/IMG_4404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q_nSMpBWaJy_Q6uvE6aX_Ig59HOOjGZuXOskjEFtXbfnD94AM-XaLPEKHttIfefDh8HZjjFU8CLlNted5W4Iw3tYkC-1XSmjSbNW2rDQn-aqEozVNAh1Y5hSN2SC1UHWAILMqEV-WkDk/s400/IMG_4404.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Prime Burger staff treated their work as a profession, and it showed.</span></i></td></tr>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...whose names I didn't get.</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well-known people were known to frequent Prime Burger. "I used to serve Pearl Bailey on the track all the time," Harrison told me. "She liked to sit there." More recently, Sarah Jessica Parker...</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OpwN-0yulKKzj8PCEyLUMeM694YmTEiw0TYT2TAT6AGsTaTF8htu6uwRebzTwzaJauR3Tza7XUKGhKKb1rlq7cXVFQ93nc8ujzCGvxpfUOQZjYVKrdqShMm1eqapRMA4SYD41wQUHLq_/s1600/IMG_4360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OpwN-0yulKKzj8PCEyLUMeM694YmTEiw0TYT2TAT6AGsTaTF8htu6uwRebzTwzaJauR3Tza7XUKGhKKb1rlq7cXVFQ93nc8ujzCGvxpfUOQZjYVKrdqShMm1eqapRMA4SYD41wQUHLq_/s400/IMG_4360.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><i>This photo of actress Sarah Jessica Parker, on the track at Prime Burger during an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, hung in the restaurant.</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...a Prime Burger regular, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show sitting on the track. Jerry Seinfeld was a customer, too, I was told, along with many other boldface names.</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prime Burger was bought in 1976 by Anthony DiMiceli, and was run in recent years by his sons John and Michael. Accounts of the closing were somewhat confusing. It had been reported that the DiMiceli family was being forced to vacate, much to their disappointment, by the new owner of the building that housed the restaurant--and this sign, posted in the restaurant...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg081aQ7jILkhjROHiDSGmGs0w1JeEJj26RhD5GYylQBoHoz81JPhs9Lm6jmzAXflA591k1j45WVgOqGyC6FqS-_xGYKzecRldlfS93csTpIoMhQ0-q9DoSlDLhyphenhyphensYMir5Uzwh0RtRi7Jmc/s1600/IMG_4363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg081aQ7jILkhjROHiDSGmGs0w1JeEJj26RhD5GYylQBoHoz81JPhs9Lm6jmzAXflA591k1j45WVgOqGyC6FqS-_xGYKzecRldlfS93csTpIoMhQ0-q9DoSlDLhyphenhyphensYMir5Uzwh0RtRi7Jmc/s400/IMG_4363.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...gave the same impression. But it was also reported that the DiMicelis had been the previous owners of the building.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Our family [owned the building previously], yes," John told me. "We had an agreement [with the new owner] that we could stay--maybe month-to-month, maybe up to a year, maybe longer. And then they reneged at the last minute."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I asked the name of the new owner, suggesting that maybe some public pressure would help, but John demurred. "We want to take the high road," he explained.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, it seemed, the DiMicelis had sold the building with the understanding that they would have to relocate the restaurant, but had hoped to stay open temporarily at the old location while they searched for a new one. Now they were being forced to close hurriedly rather than transition smoothly to new digs. "Yes, that's it," Michael said. "It was all a matter of timing."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Perhaps it would have been better to have the agreement to stay in writing, I observed. "Well, we didn't have it in writing," Michael said shortly. "And that's why we're in the situation we're in now."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I couldn't help but think that it might have been better yet--at least for those of us who mourn Prime Burger's closing--not to have sold the building at all. Or, if it had to be sold, to insist on a long-term lease for the restaurant from the new owner as a condition of sale. Why they sold, and why they sold to someone who wasn't going to let them stay permanently, I don't know, and wasn't feeling Mike Wallace-ish enough to ask. The moment was too unhappy for that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In any case, John and Michael told me they will be looking for another location. But much of what made Prime Burger special won't be going with them, including the track. "I was told it can't be taken apart," John said. "There's not a nail in it. It was all custom-made."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This city was custom-made, too, one sweet, quirky piece at a time. But, sadly, as we're learning, it <i>can </i>be taken apart. One piece at a time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sadness beyond words.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Check, please.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZdplMc7qFcnNOCaH4KzW5i1_eGB47sfQI8_pE87nhJ3JHllZnZsWuGMQNpsBVqcqbhXTU4b8k-ayRI9ThL4xtUoBkgdtPQPJEW9BdrfZeHhYLPK_xYoIgE2qXNqNbDcCpGBgbTW9mU4y/s1600/IMG_4344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZdplMc7qFcnNOCaH4KzW5i1_eGB47sfQI8_pE87nhJ3JHllZnZsWuGMQNpsBVqcqbhXTU4b8k-ayRI9ThL4xtUoBkgdtPQPJEW9BdrfZeHhYLPK_xYoIgE2qXNqNbDcCpGBgbTW9mU4y/s400/IMG_4344.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">The coffee was good too.</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, you can't buy a Prime Burger Deluxe anymore, but you can still buy a copy of<b><span id="btAsinTitle"><i> Secrets, Tips, and Tricks of a Powerful Memory: The Memory Shock Oh-So-Easy How-to-Remember User's Guide for Your Brain </i>by Barry Reitman--foreword by yours truly. It's now available on Amazon, in print and Kindle editions--click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Tricks-Powerful-Memory-Remember/dp/0985113316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/175-7904180-2822464?ie=UTF8&qid=1339040578&sr=8-3">here</a> to take a look. And if you want to read my foreword--which will definitely make you want to buy the book-- click <a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/foreword.pdf">here</a>.</span></b></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-32575026131989384852012-05-04T18:16:00.000-04:002012-06-11T16:51:43.023-04:00Guest Comment: "...I must be the smartest guy in the world..."<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong><em>***</em>UPDATE!!!*** (June 9, 2012) The blog post below told you it was coming--and now it's here! <span id="btAsinTitle"><em>Secrets, Tips, and Tricks of a Powerful Memory: The Memory Shock Oh-So-Easy How-to-Remember User's Guide for Your Brain </em>by Barry Reitman--foreword by yours truly--is now available on Amazon, in print and Kindle editions--click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Tricks-Powerful-Memory-Remember/dp/0985113316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/175-7904180-2822464?ie=UTF8&qid=1339040578&sr=8-3">here</a> to take a look. And if you want to read my foreword--which will definitely make you want to buy the book-- click <a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/foreword.pdf">here</a>.</span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">The </span></i><span style="font-size: small;">Finto File</span><i><span style="font-size: small;"> has been on hiatus for a few months--only for the best of reasons, of course. But following the involuntary institutionalization of a few of my readers, and the tragic suicides of others, all unable to bear the absence of the periodic doses of </span></i><span style="font-size: small;">Finto File</span><i><span style="font-size: small;"> brilliance to which they had become accustomed, I have rededicated myself to frequent blogging.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">Since I don't get rave reviews like this every day, I thought I'd begin with this most flattering comment from my friend Barry Reitman, originator of the fun and easy-to-learn <a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/">Memory Shock</a> mnemonic system, which enables even the most absent-minded people (like myself) to remember names, numbers, everyone's birthdays and where they left their glasses.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">Barry gives excellent Memory Shock classes at various locations (it was through one of these, which I attended through my job, that I learned about Barry and his system). And he is also putting the final touches on his upcoming book--to which I was privileged to contribute the foreword.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">When I sent that foreword along, Barry responded by posting the following comment: </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> "I finished the year-long task of writing my mnemonic system book. It’s been edited, and is now down to the last few design tweaks. So it was time to ask someone to write the foreword. Mind you, I’m not at a loss for bright, educated people. I count among my good friends PhDs, published authors, industry leaders, big-time attorneys, and even the producer of a Hollywood blockbuster. But the choice was pretty much automatic: an NYPD cop with whom I agree on virtually nothing – except the value and beauty of the concisely written word. I’ll be forever indebted to you, George Molé, for proving that I must be the smartest guy in he world – for asking you to take on this chore. Your two and a half pages provide me with more pride than the following 36 chapters.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"(...Of course, the book will turn you all into flaming Liberals; but, hey, that’s your problem.)"</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">I hoped to write a foreword that matched the quality of the book itself--and I'm pleased that Barry thinks I succeeded. This book is sure to be a bestseller. Watch for it--and in the meantime, check out Barry's excellent Memory Shock <a href="http://www.memoryshock.com/">website</a>.</span></i><br />
<br />
<strong>--George Molé</strong><br />
<br />
</div>George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050144275493834587.post-63936100099631980822012-01-26T11:59:00.078-05:002013-09-01T22:34:12.349-04:00Writers: Elmore Leonard and Mike Lupica at Barnes & Noble, last night<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Text and photos by George Molé</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've never read Elmore Leonard, but I've read and heard enough about him to believe I'd like his work. He's often described as a colorful character in his own right, a tough-guy American writer in the Hemingway tradition, and a master of strong, spare prose and punchy dialogue. Mike Lupica, in particular--the fine sportswriter for the New York <i>Daily News</i>, whose writing I do know and like--never misses a chance to plug Leonard's work in his Sunday column. So I showed up last night for Leonard's appearance at Barnes & Noble's big and welcoming East 86th Street location, where he was interviewed onstage by Lupica himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lupica introduced Leonard in glowing terms, calling him "my writing hero."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"We are here tonight to talk with and about...our greatest writer," Lupica said, "and the writer from this time who's going to be remembered."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Leonard, 86, is a small, dapper, soft-spoken and seemingly-shy man, who seemed to depend on Lupica to draw him out in conversation. "I think you should ask me a question, to start," he directed the sportswriter.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><i>Mike Lupica (left) in conversation with Elmore Leonard.</i></span></td></tr>
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L<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">upica did, asking about </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Raylan</i>, Leonard's latest novel, about <i>Justified</i>, the current television series based on Leonard's work, and about Leonard's long career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I've been writing for 60 years, and I've had a good time all the way," Leonard said. "What more can I say than that? I like my books. I think all my books are good."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The rapport between the two writers was fun to watch, as Leonard, in his deadpan way, cracked Lupica up periodically. For example, one of the plot lines in <i>Raylan </i>involves criminals who steal and sell body parts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I researched it," Leonard said. "You can excise a kidney and you can put it back just about anywhere you want. And the going price was about $10,000, and there are two of them in every body, so that's a pretty good deal, 20 grand. So, I just got into body parts."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I'm surprised you didn't make it a musical," Lupica said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I thought it was kind of funny, too, but you never know," Leonard observed. "You don't want to go for laughs when you're excising kidneys."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lupica described Leonard's writing process. "He sits down at a big desk in the living room of his home. He's got these blank yellow pads, and..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Unlined," Leonard threw in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Unlined," Lupica agreed. "Got me out of yellow legal pads. "'Cause I keep thinking if I just get the same kind of pads..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"But he doesn't. He gets lined pads..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"No, I don't. No I do not..." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This led eventually to an exchange about Hemingway. "Oh, I thought Hemingway was terrific," Leonard said, "in the '50s when I was reading him, until I found out he doesn't have a sense of humor. He's never written a funny line."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A free-form, wide-ranging and riveting interview. But, for me, the best parts were afterward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Following their conversation, Leonard and Lupica took questions from audience members...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><i>Broadcaster Tony Guida (WCBS Radio) asks a question.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...including radio broadcaster Tony Guida. But in between questions, Lupica introduced a frail-looking older man, sitting on the side of the room, in the back. "I was perfectly willing to be the second-best writer in the room," Lupica said. "but unfortunately I'm the third-best writer in the room tonight, because we have one distinguished guest--the great William Goldman, the author of <i>The Princess Bride</i> [and]<i> Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</i>."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Goldman is indeed great. Best known for his screenplays (he won Oscars for <i>Butch Cassidy</i> and <i>All the President's Men</i>), he's been part of my life from way back due to three wonderful novels of his that I discovered many years ago--<i>Marathon Man</i> (later made into a hit movie, starring Dustin Hoffman, for which Goldman also wrote the screenplay); <i>Control</i>, a thriller involving New York City detectives and rogue government operatives; and <i>The Color of Light</i>, an episodic novel taking place at various points in the life of a young writer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Goldman's plots are fine, but these novels stay with you largely because of his witty, rhythmic dialogue and prose, and his evocative New York City settings. Here's a bit of <i>The Color of Light</i>--the young writer, Chub, a college student in Ohio at this point, is visiting New York for the first time, with his buddy Two-Brew, a native New Yorker<i>:</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was after seven before they got through the Holland Tunnel and then Two-Brew said to take a left and Chub did, driving through the driving rain, past ugly buildings and skittering pedestrians and as a drunk came staggering in the middle of the street into oncoming traffic Two Brew spoke again: "Welcome to Magic Town." </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Chub stared at him. "This is Manhattan?"</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Two-Brew nodded. "Sometimes it's even prettier. This is Eighth Avenue--people from Hawaii come </i>here<i> to vacation."</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Chub made a smile, but inside there was only disbelief...</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Cat got your tongue?"</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I just...I thought there'd be more...I don't know what."</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Ah, yes, with Fred and Ginger spinning on tabletops. It can be very beautiful here--I remember one day my junior year in high school it was very beautiful all morning."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>(From </i>The Color of Light<i> by William Goldman, 1984, Warner Books.) </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Don't worry, Chub falls hard for the city and becomes a New York lifer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love all three of these books and often think about them, remembering whole batches of dialogue and description almost perfectly. So I had to talk to him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After the presentation, when Leonard had begun signing books...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...I walked back to where Goldman was sitting and chatting with one or two people, making my way down the row of chairs toward him. The age-old question: What do you say to someone whose work means a lot to you, but to whom you are a faceless stranger?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Excuse me, Mr. Goldman?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Yes?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"You wrote a book called <i>Control</i>..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Yes." Reserved but friendly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Well, I'm a New York City cop, and I just wanted to tell you how good you got us in that book."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yeah, I said "how good you got us" to a great writer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But he smiled and seemed pleased. "Oh, thank you."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I wonder if I could bother you..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Sure, if you have something..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"If you don't mind signing a piece of paper..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I don't mind signing a piece of paper."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While he signed one of the folded-up pieces of copy paper on which I had been taking notes, I threw in, "And I think <i>The Color of Light</i> is one of the best writer's books I've read." I meant that it's one of the best books about being a writer--and it is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Oh, thank you." Sounding genuinely pleased. A lady standing behind him, who seemed to be with him, said, "See that?" As if my praise was a contradiction of his own evaluation of his work--and I have heard that he, for all his accomplishment, is not a confident man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I guess I could've done better--figured out a way to engage him in scintillating conversation. But I could've done worse, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He got up a bit later and was talking with people. I got one good picture...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><i>William Goldman</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, while Leonard was signing books on the platform, Lupica was wandering the room and chatting. After I sat down again, he walked over to where I was sitting and I asked him to sign one of his books for me. And as he did...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anyone who knows Lupica's work knows his excellent sportswriting. But Lupica also fancies himself something of a political pundit, and peppers his Sunday sports column with political comments, almost always from a far-left perspective. The <i>Daily News</i> was also unwise enough to give him a weekly political column, sometimes more than one in a week--and these, though still employing Lupica's engaging writing style, can also be grating, displaying a shallow, reflexive liberalism that doesn't add much to the political debate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, why shouldn't I tell him?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Mike, I love your writing but I hate your politics."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Well, if you agreed with me on everything you'd get bored reading me."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A reasonable answer--but...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Well...I don't know...I'm still hoping you'll come around."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But that was enough of that--he had already turned away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Great evening, interesting people. And William Goldman!</span></div>
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George Moléhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930649465120910715noreply@blogger.com2