Thoughts for a Better Year

It's that introspective time of year, when we look back, take stock of where we've been, and look ahead to where we're going. New Year's Eve, a time for fresh starts, is upon us.

We all know the resolution drill, but I read something today that made astonishing sense for all year long. "Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid" is a kind of road map to watering your own garden and being happy with where you are and what you have in life. Maybe the article resonated so strongly with me because it reminds me a bit of my own "Five Be's," which I listed here a couple of years ago.

Happy New Year. Make it a good one; only you can.

Beyond the Baroness

If you love old films, you've probably heard of Eleanor Parker. If you've heard of her, you've probably seen some of her movies. And if you've seen her movies, even though she's been retired from acting for many years, you'll be sorry that she's gone.

Eleanor Parker as "Lenore" in Scaramouche, 1952

Eleanor Parker was a whole lot more than "The Baroness" in The Sound of Music, which is how most movie-goers think of her. But she had a brilliant career in 1940s-and-50s Hollywood, acting with such giants as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, and Frank Sinatra. She was an Oscar nominee for best actress three times.  Her obituary in the "Movie" section of The New York Times doesn't even mention one of her most engaging roles--that of the fiery, love-struck actress in Scaramouche, which starred Stewart Granger in the title role.

Although she acted until the early 1990s, I last remember her in Bracken's World, a 1970s TV show about Hollywood behind the scenes.

If you haven't seen it and you enjoy a good story on film, I recommend giving Scaramouche a viewing. It's likely that you may want to keep watching Eleanor Parker. So try a few of her other films. If you don't know where to start, Caged and The Naked Jungle are two of my favorites.

We've lost another of our great screen talents from the golden age. Fortunately, we've got her on film for all time.

Singing Christmas Joy

I get chills every time I hear the Christmas section of Handel's Messiah. This version is the London Symphony Orchestra in December 2006, conducted by Sir Colin Davis. Just awesome, brilliant, gorgeous music. Take a moment from the pre-Christmas bustle to enjoy the season in glorious song.

A Christmas Story

Orlando, the hero guide dog

This dramatic story on the blind man who fell onto New York City subway tracks and his devoted guide dog that stuck by him as the train sped towards them has everything one could possible wish for during the Christmas season--love, faithfulness, courage, generosity, and at least a couple of miracles.

It's a heartwarming tale that proves happy endings aren't always Hollywood fiction; they can be a real-life reality. Although come to think of it, a smart movie maker might want to take a look at this one.

The Gospel in Motion

"It's not a political agenda -- it's an evangelical one."
~ Kathryn Lopez on Pope Francis

Spreading the Good News

The Church's message hasn't changed, but the delivery has. And it's getting through. Pope Francis has earned enormous support with his simple style and direct answers. It's not like he's starting a new, more hip religion, as much of the media seems to believe. It's just that he's not allowing himself to be distracted with issues-du-jour.

This pope is a man on a mission to call us into action to make a better world. He's also quite the traditionalist, as he exhibited yesterday on Twitter:

Pope Francis ‏@Pontifex

10 Dec

Mary, Our Mother, sustain us in moments of darkness, difficultly and apparent defeat.

Hmm. What would Diane Sawyer do with that one?

Pope Francis is not exactly a wild-eyed revolutionary. Far from burning down the house, he seems intent on renovating it. There's room for all on the punch list. As Mother Teresa noted, even if you can only help one person, do it. Choose a chore and get to work.

Remember Pearl Harbor

A Pearl Harbor Survivor salutes his lost mates.

Poor Excuses

“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.”
~ Anonymous

Forbes has an interesting article that asks whether poverty is the result of bad luck, personal failings, or the enabling welfare state. The reader learns that Warren Buffett seems to think life is based on the "ovarian lottery"--a strange opinion for a man who built his own fortune from humble beginnings.

The article's staggering financial statistics of what we as a nation have spent in the past half century trying to cure poverty may make you ill; but, it's worth a read in this season of giving and gratitude.

And it's worth noting that poverty doesn't stop everyone, as these once-homeless celebrities demonstrate. Looks to me like these particular individuals won the determination-and-drive lottery. You'd think Mr. Buffett would have heard of that by now.

Thanksgiving Day

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good..."

~ Psalm 107

Fifty Years Ago

I was eleven years old, and I was at school. My classmates and I had just gotten settled at our desks for English class. But our teacher, Mrs. Nussbaum, was uncharacteristically distracted. She stood at the door, her back to the classroom, whispering intensely with another teacher. 

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the period. Mrs. Nussbaum spun around and shouted, “Take out a piece of paper, now!” We all grabbed a sheet of loose leaf paper and slapped it on our desks. “Write a100-word essay on the importance of the presidency!” And she turned back to her hallway discussion.

I started writing. “1964. A president will be chosen...” Suddenly the classroom door slammed. We all looked up and watched our teacher walk to her desk. She sat down slowly, as though in pain. We waited, hardly breathing. Mrs. Nussbaum folded her hands on the desk and announced, “The president has been shot.”

We all gasped in unison. As she began to explain that we didn’t know too much about it yet, the public address system crackled to life. The school principal, Mr. DeGennaro, expressed his sorrow in informing us of “the assassination of President Kennedy today in Dallas, Texas.”

“So he’s dead, then,” Mrs. Nussbaum remarked in a dull voice, as if to herself. The principal asked for a moment of silence. As I mentally raced through a “Hail Mary,” I looked up at Mrs. Nussbaum. She was still sitting at her desk, head bent, eyes closed, hands folded now in prayer. Her lips were moving, and she was whispering strange words. As I strained to listen, I realized she was speaking Hebrew. My teacher was saying Kaddish for President Kennedy.

A silent minute passed. The PA system crackled again, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” began to play over the school’s loudspeakers. Mrs. Nussbaum jumped to her feet and slapped her right hand over her heart. As if connected by wires, the entire class immediately did the same. As we stood at attention during the national anthem, we could see the school’s American flag being lowered to half staff through our classroom windows.

When I rushed home that afternoon, it was surreal to find my father already there and in his “Saturday clothes.” Dad told me that he couldn’t concentrate at work after he heard the news and just came home. I sat with him throughout the evening and weekend, both of us glued to the grim black and white images that would fill television screens worldwide.

The entire country was wounded, grieving, staggering with sorrow. The assassination was all people could talk about for a long time. I was old enough to feel shocked and sad over President Kennedy’s assassination, but not old enough to grasp the countless implications of this dramatic turn of history.

It was the beginning of the end of innocence for our country. I remember so much of it. But my most vivid memory of November 22, 1963, is the image of Mrs. Nussbaum, deep in prayer for her dead president.

The Color of Clueless

Oprah's recent ranting against "racist" America is more pathetic than enraging. She's got her gifts, but intellectual heft certainly isn't one of them.

Here is a multi-billionaire woman, one of the most famous people in the world. She happens to be of African American descent, but the majority of her fans aren't. As an American, Oprah built her fortune in the free market capitalist system that made this country great. She enjoys all the benefits and advantages of being a rich American woman, and she leveraged her wealth and influence to help elect the first African American president. Good for her. That's what free countries are all about.

It took a lot of non-black votes being cast for President Obama to be elected. And it takes a lot of non-white dollars being spent to keep Oprah at the pinnacle she has reached. It's a shame she's too ignorant to recognize how well both she and the president have succeeded in this "racist" hellhole called the U.S.A.

Oprah opines that the old racists will "just have to die" before things change in the U.S. Really? What about the 60% of voters under age 30 (of all colors) who voted for Barack Obama in 2012? More than half of them now view the president negatively. I doubt his skin color has much to do with their disapproval.

Why would Obama voters turn against him? Could the problem be shoving bad healthcare policy on us? Telling too many lies? Covering up multiple scandals? Insulting our longtime allies? Kissing up to our mortal enemies? There's a virtual smorgasbord of reasons why President Obama's approval rating is down to a mere 37%, and his race isn't one of them. Oprah needs some new talking points as much as she needs to face facts.

Incompetence is an equal opportunity deficiency, and it has no color. The nation's trouble right now is that our president is doing a bad job. That's the truth---in black and white.