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Thursday, August 12, 2010

THURSDAY ---Another Edition of.....

A flip of the fedora to Jimmy Cannon



NOBODY ASKED ME BUT......

1)         The Sunday NY Times Magazine piece re: “shrinks” , patients (the writer) sure struck some chords---reinforcing many of my negative opinions about having to do with this topic---not in particular order---Pomposity, Money, Nonsense, and Self Reliance, and people who say they are emotionally needy but mostly for attention since they function quite well.  And, of course, the “practitioners” who take full advantage of that.

2)         There are rare exceptions to the above mentioned “charlatans”---I knew of one.  Just one.

3)         One of the greatest story tellers who has amazing creativity, insight, and timing (and where he gets the time and energy for new material each week I know not) is Garrison Keillor. 

4)         Do you still want to know the answer to the “news item” of last week about the lesser known Knight of The Round Table that was responsible for its design---and his initials were carved into it when discovered in a sunken Galleon?

5)         My hat ---the one I never wear---is tipped to Stu Marcus for producing his 6th annual “Wild About Harry” show in LI this past Monday.  
     They get better year after year and this year was         surely exceptional given the plaque unveiled in Harry Chapin’s honor at the site.  Nice that no one corrected the local “happy to make a few comments politico” when he proceeded to introduce Sandy Chapin (who was there to witness the plaque installation for her husband) as---“...honored that his daughter is here with us tonight”.

6)         Phil Ochs song nights are just great and it set me to wondering why there are no Harry Chapin Song nights given his huge and brilliant repertoire (with only 2 or 3 known to most people).

7)         What strange priorities we have.   The world is in turmoil with issues of great import all over the planet and the NY Daily News (I suppose the current rag known as the NY Post as well) have a front page devoted to the flight attendant story.  A piece that is, properly, relegated to page gimel in the NY times for a paragraph of so. Good thing is that he is a disgruntled employee and did not murder his passengers and crew.

8)         Patrick Smith made some valid points on the Leonard Lopate program (WNYC) Wed.  Folk Heroes are made by tabloids (my comments) and there was wrong on all sides---passenger and attendant.  His other comments re: safety, security, turbulence, and what frightens people and not pilots is truly fascinating. Hint---Turbulence does not frighten pilots---passenger discomfort does.

9)         The romance of the skies seem to be gone and we cannot blame that on some deranged miscreants of September 11.   Think of this—do you remember when passengers applauded upon landing?  Do you recall prop planes that had 2 levels with a spiral staircase (Stratocruiser)?  Do you recall the DC3 (still a workhorse and a safe one)?   Do you recall the drama of Pan American World Airways (forget Pan Am, its later publicity conscious incarnation)? Do you remember when meals (even in coach) were served with real napkins and silverware (hard to cut my over cooked crap served now with the nail clipper I could not bring aboard)?

10)   The airlines are doing something so positive the cable companies still have to catch up on this---they have turned a negative to a positive for the purchaser----can you figure it out?

11)   If you want folk music memorandums on this site they will be appearing---just not on Thursday.  Well, sometimes even Thursday.

12)   GM is getting ready for a Stock offering and the news stations report that they are recovering from a bruising bankruptcy. Seems to me the main bruising was to the shareholders and the employees.