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PEOPLE ARCHIVES -- JANUARY 2010
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JANUARY 25, 2010 -- JANUARY 31, 2010 LITTLE CHARLIE SIMPSON'S BIG RIDE: HOW A 7-YEAR-OLD RAISED $200,000 FOR HAITI
My heart is full this morning. People look at children sometimes and never give them the credit they deserve for their thoughts and ideas. I will look at my 6 year old son and listen a little deeper with his ideas and thoughts and be inspired in his energy and hopefulness and creativity. We all should get back to thinking like children, where everything is possible! Read the article CNN/Boy, 7, raises $160,000 for Haiti <> It's amazing to see how the whole world and especially our little ones are really concerned about what happening in Haiti, my country. Last night, my 7 year-old-daughter Doris told me something that really touched me. She said: Mom, starting tonight, I will be sleeping on the floor and eat less food than I used to eat to sympathize with my people, because I think it's not fair for me to sleep in my comfortable bed when they are sleeping outside on a rough floor. I wonder what would happen if it's raining? she added.
Read the article CNN/Boy, 7, raises $160,000 for Haiti
JEAN SIMMONS: A ROSE OF ENGLAND
At the age of 12, in 1961, I visited the Cinema Royal and fell in love for the first time in my life. Read the article U.K. TELEGRAPH/Jean Simmons remembered: Tributes to the demure, doe-eyed British beauty of film
<> She was Desiree in the original London cast of Sondheim's A Little Night Music in 1975. I remember seeing her here in San Francisco in the same role, and was fortunate enough to go to the cast party after closing night. To hear her sing Send in the Clowns while my friend played the piano was ethereal and magic. Any other singer's version is just trite. A great lady has left us. Read the article SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/Guys and Dolls actress Jean Simmons dies at 80 <> What I remember of Jean Simmons: The prettiest girl imaginable and Pip and I couldn't help falling in love with her. A blonde Ophelia, the only emotionally valid performance in Olivier's stately black and white Hamlet. A skin darkened Himalayain temptress in Black Narcissus, being romanced by Sabu, something startling in those long gone days. A wonderful Ruth Gordon in her awkward yearning for a career as an actress against the bluster of Spencer Tracy's overwhelmed father. Singing "Send In the Clowns" in Sondheim's musical salute to Ingmar Bergman, in the Chicago stop of the road company were she had to compete with Margaret Hamilton for your attention, both skilled and neither pushing for it. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/ARTS BEAT -- Jean Simmons
JANUARY 18, 2010 -- JANUARY 24, 2010 ROBERT B. PARKER -- THE GRAND MASTER OF MYSTERY
Robert B. Parker epitomizes all that is Boston, he had the unique ability to make the city jump from the page and bring you to the very spot to where the scene played out. And so many times thought of Spenser, as I walked along the Back Bay. I'll miss Spenser and Hawk, and god knows I'll miss the lovely Susan. His work lives on forever and no doubt will inspire a new generation. Read the article BOSTON HERALD/In Spenser, Robert B. Parker created one of crime fiction's best <> Parker's early novels had crisp dialogue, a gritty urban atmosphere, and a main character that was a modern concept of the private eye: an anti-hero who operated by his own ethical code, but carried a cool, and unsympathetic view on the status quo of modern social norms. In an existential way his character appreciated the simple things of life: food, drink, companionship - but there was no longing for anything more. The intelligence and education in Parker's private eye always allowed him to question existence and purpose, as many of us do in our daily lives, making Parker's Spenser endearing to his fans, including myself. Read the article WASHINGTON POST/Crime novelist Robert B. Parker dies. <> Mr. Nolan's tribute that Robert B. Parker's Spenser was "a series of books that revivified the P.I. genre" is an awfully kind tribute to pay to one our greats, but that statement might be a tad too sweeping. It can be argued that the distinctly American hard-boiled genre did not need reviving. Starting with Cornell Woolrich, Dashiel Hammet and Raymond Chandler, and continuing through the 1930s (Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, 1934) and 1940s and all the way through the post-WWII period of Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer (1949) and the Fawcett Gold Medal paperback originals of the 1950s and early 1960s - most notably John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series (launched in 1962) - the American PI has never been out of favor or lost his appeal - as tarnished as our favorite detectives always were. Undoubtedly Robert Parker kept the genre exciting, but (fortunately) he was in great company. Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Robert B. Parker's novels saved detective fiction "SUCH A JOY" -- THE HEART AND SOUL OF TEDDY PENDERGRASS
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass used his voice like a shield, & the mic like a sword - his sole mission was only to save the feminine race & all of humanity from any harm whatsoever(as well as using love, knowledge, & prosperity as the key ancedotes) & capture their hearts minds, & of course, souls. Being a resident of the Philly/Tristate area, I can proudly say Teddy Pendergrass was our ever so powerful & honorable superhero for Philly Soul & soul music in general, & nobody can ever corrupt what’s eternally real. Read the article ROLLING STONE/R&B great Teddy Pendergrass dead at 59 <> When I was a kid, my cousin took me to see Mr. Pendergrass during his 'Turn Off the Lights' period (she was babysitting and couldn't get rid of me). Later, when I read about Dionysus and the ecstatic women who followed him, I remembered that concert. Teddy was like the god of sex and women were falling out all over the place. It was amazing. Teddy personified 'black is beautiful'. After all those years of pain and suffering, trapped in a wheelchair, I can imagine him the way he was; big and beautiful teaching the women up there what 'heaven' really means. Read the article GAWKER/Teddy Pendergrass turns off the lights <> Mr. Teddy Pendergrass, oh how I remember you in concert some 30+ years ago on your “For woman Only” tour…We never knew what hit us that night…To this very day I can’t explain it. I just know it was “Such A Joy”..RIP my sexy soldier...You have earned the right to “Turn out the lights, and light a candle”. Read the article ROLLING STONE/R&B great Teddy Pendergrass dead at 59 JANUARY 11, 2010 -- JANUARY 17, 2010 FOX VOX: SARAH PALIN INKS CONTRIBUTOR DEAL WITH NETWORK
I am constantly amazed at how threatened so many of you seem to be by a single individual who just happens to think differently than you do. Why do you have to submit to name-calling and insults? Sarah Palin simply has a new job. If you don't like what she has to say, you still control the remote. If/when we get to the point where only people who think like we do get a chance to be heard, none of us will have a unique voice. Move on to more positive uses of your time and let the Fox News audience decide if/when to silence Sarah Palin. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Sarah Palin to contribute to Fox News
<> Are the liberals scared of Palin? You bet they are. Is it because she represents some "real American" rural, freedom-loving, non-elite? No way. It's because she wants to lead this country, and she doesn't understand why there is a North Korea and South Korea. She doesn't understand the basics of the Constitution (implying that the VP legislates, that the 1st Amendment has anything to do with her right to bicker with David Letterman). Maybe many in this country don't understand those things either (which is why this stuff goes right over people's heads), but it's not elitist to want your leaders to fully understand these concepts and not have to be taught them for the first time when they are running for one of the highest offices in this nation. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Sarah Palin to contribute to Fox News <> I think this is a great move, both for Fox and for Sarah. I don't know if she has aspirations to go further in the political arena, if so this will certainly give her exposure. I think she's just a down home "hockey mom", like so many of us, and watching and listening to her will be a breath of fresh air, I'm anxious for her to get started. Maybe this exposure will help to give viewers a much more positive impression of her than what the "lamestream" has done to her. Read the article FOX NATION/Fox News signs Sarah Palin <> Ohhhhh Noooooooo - it's the Pit-Bull propagandist. Read the article USA TODAY/Sarah Palin signs multi-year deal with Fox News FIRST LADY JENNY SANFORD HAS HER SAY
Why shouldn't she write a book – all of us who have gone through a humiliating experience involving infidelity in a marriage know just what she is talking about. Her experience was played out in the public venue thanks to Mark Sanford who didn't care if he hurt his family or not. Jenny has proved herself to be a classy lady in the face of it all – her boys should be proud of her and if they continue to be under her guidance will turn out OK. I wish some of the critics would lay off because they really don't understand – I will surely buy her book and it will be a big help to all of us who have gone through similar problems. Read the article CNN POLITICAL TICKER/Jenny sanford's book gets early release date
DECEMBER 28, 2009 -- jANUARY 10, 2010 REMEMBERING KIM PEEK, THE "MOUNT EVEREST OF HUMAN MEMORY"
I met Kim and his father in 2001. They were visiting an evolutionary psychology class at a Jewish high school in Atlanta where I was a teacher. His father said he enjoyed doing the number-crunching and calendar tricks, so the students asked him some of those kinds of questions, but the more interesting moments were when he just riffed on things that he noticed. One teacher tried to ask him a question, but Kim immediately figured out from his accent that he was from Northumberland, and then recited the chapter-by-chapter outline of a historical novel that was set there. I asked Kim what he knew about an obscure name in the Hebrew Bible (Sarepta), and he quoted all the relevant verses and some lines out of a history book about it. But he seemed to understand nothing about the facts he was quoting; he just had so many of them that they sounded meaningful. At some point he just walked out of the room, and his father graciously told us that that meant the meeting was over. Read the article BOINGBOING/Kim Peek, inspiration for the Rain Man, RIP <> I met him years ago at a Developmental Disabilities Convention in Billings, MT, and was able to visit him a few times over a few days. What struck me, was that the character in Rain Man had his amazing memory, but lacked his sense of humor. He was constantly making jokes in a deadpan manner. It didn't seem that his father had coached him to make the jokes, it seemed that they were his way of trying to make a human connection with the people who were fascinated by his ability. Read the article BOINGBOING/Kim Peek, inspiration for the Rain Man, RIP
DECEMBER 7, 2009 - DECEMBER 27, 2009
My grandmother, now long dead, sent something from her meager Social Security check to Oral Roberts every month, religiously. One summer, he came through Baltimore. I was maybe 9, 10 years old, impressionable and reared in the church, a real believer. But even then, it seemed a sham. Old people, folks in wheelchairs and on crutches, lined up lined up to have him put hands on their heads and HEAL HEAL. The more dramatic cases were put on the stage for display and effect; others were passed through the assembly line (my grandmother). My impression, even at that age, was this guy was a charlatan, false prophet, money grubber and faker. I haven't changed my opinion these many years later. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Oral Roberts, Fiery Preacher, dies at 91 <> Thank you for this thoughtful post. I'm an ORU alum, and you are correct that the prosperity gospel preached at ORU is absolutely untenable -- and unbiblical. What I (and I suspect most other alumni) loved about ORU were the people I met and the way we challenged and questioned things together. We were not sheep unwittingly following a misguided shepherd -- my circle of friends was composed of dissenters searching for a valid theology and a God who didn't conform to anyone's notions of Him. Bad theology aside, ORU provided a wonderful place to search in earnest. Read the article WASHINGTON POST/My day with Oral Roberts <> The subculture known as the Pentecostal Church can be extreme, ill-informed, exclusive and abusive. Although their intentions to spread the "message" are sincere, many members have only a superficial understanding of the Bible which has been spoon fed by an adrenalin junkie pastor. I left 15 years ago and am nauseated by most televangelists. I consider those years of my spiritual journey part of my education. There are many wonderful, loving people involved in this movement. My hope is that they will be allowed the intellectual freedom to ask questions without condemnation and to realize that the Gospel is intended to be a universal message of love, hope, redemption, and sacrifice, not just a glorified get rich scheme which encourages people to give for their own gains. Read the article POLITICS DAILY/The death of Oral Roberts and the Dimming of American Pentecostalism <> I have felt a deep connection and respect for Oral Roberts since, as a young evangelist in the late 1950's, I had the privilege of knowing the Roberts family - dated Rebecca, played ping-pong with Richard on visits to their ranch south of Tulsa, was guest of the Roberts family at Sunday brunch at Tulsa Country Club, received books from Oral's home library -- all things that gave me an opportunity to know Oral up close and personal for a brief period. Read the article TULSA WORLD/Oral Roberts dies at 91
PAUL SAMUELSON -- THE MATH-MAKER OF ECONOMICS
Paul Samuelson was one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. His accomplishments in economics--providing the mathematical foundations of Keynesian macro theory, extending that theory in many creative directions, and serving as a great teacher, both in his textbook and as mentor to so many others--are really comparable to what Richard Feynman accomplished as a theoretical physicist and as the revolutionizer of how the discipline is taught. <> Like millions of others, I studied Dr. Samuelson's text book in college. It taught us that the "economy" could be understood as a set of dynamics among various "sectors". Individuals are folded into these various collectives, all of which could be successfully manipulated by government policies, be they fiscal or monetary. The analogy to a machine runs throughout his macroeconomics explanations. Like most contemporary economic thought, the reality of an economy--the fact that it is really the conduct and interactions of hundreds of millions of individuals--is lost in the analogy. That's why none are bothered with the fact that government manipulations ALWAYS benefit some individuals at the expense of others . If you like our current politicized economy, where the politically important gain and the politically insignificant lose, you can thank Dr. Samuelson. May he rest in peace. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Paul A Samuelson, economist, dies at 94 <> Of Christopher Wren, it was said that if you would see his monument, look around you. Sadly, as the father of modern economics, Paul Samuelson's monument is the wreckage of the credit crunch. He may not have produced the ideas that led to the catastrophe, but his disciples did. Read the article BBC NEWS/Remembering Paul Samuelson
CPL. FRANK BUCKLES' LONG MARCH TO WASHINGTON: AN OLD SOLDIER'S PASSIONATE APPEAL
I salute Corporal Buckles for his service to our country. Congress should not be debating this matter. Washington, DC has become the epicenter for honoring the sacrifices on a national platform that serves to remind the millions who visit our nation's capital, that the price of freedom is high. World War I defined America's entry into a global "modern" military effort that saw Americans fight and die on European soil. Congress should only be debating two things: How much money to spend on the design and construction, and Where, on the Mall, the memorial should be erected. For once, the lawmakers should shed their rancorous debate and come together as a unified voice to speak for all of the Corporal Buckles who served and died, and many of whom lived to fight yet again in World War II. Without question, our nation lives today because others have died to preserve it and they, soldier and sailor alike, deserve no less than our gratitude. Just do it! Read the article CNN NEWS/Last U.S. veteran of World War 1 testifies for memorial
I wanted to correct one poster who short changed the cost that Americans paid in blood during WWII. Over 400,000 Americans died in WWII and over 1 million were wounded. During WWI we lost over 100,000 dead and had over 200,000 wounded. Given the the short period of time we were involved in WWI that is pretty astounding. It is nice that there is a national memorial in the heart land, but our soldiers should be represented in the nations capitol as well. Not to have a national memorial in D.C., at least to me, seems to minimize the sacrifices of all the Americans who served in the war to end all wars. Read the article USA TODAY/Last U.S. vet of WWI wants national memorial in DC <> Kansas City's Liberty Memorial is impressive and important. Please don't discount it. It is a national treasure, and should be appreciated as the most historically significant WWI memorial in the country. Read the article USA TODAY/Last U.S. vet of WWI wants national memorial in DC
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