FUN FACT!
In the late 1970s, I ran four marathons (NYC twice, Boston, Yonkers). Why? To show I could, I guess. My times were between about 3 hrs. 20 mins. and 3 hrs. 30 mins. Oh, impetuous youth!
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CONDENSED BIO Born New York City, 1948. Education Graduated Syosset HIgh School, Syosset, NY 1966. Attended Syracuse University, NY September 1966-January 1967. Dropped out after discovering I could not select my Major (which would have been Journalism) until Junior year. How SU managed to conceal this info from me initially remains an unsolved mystery! Military Service Here's where things got interesting. Though completely opposed to the War against Vietnam, I enlisted in the Army in May 1967 in order to "beat the draft." It then took 50 months to complete a commitment to serve three years. The details of how this all transpired will be found in my memoir, TAKE THIS WAR AND SHOVE IT! A Most Unwilling Soldier 1967-1971. Volunteer Activity This is where I have found fulfillment in life, supporting causes I find worthy. Contributed satirical pieces to high school newspaper; peace and environmental activist; contributor to several Jazz periodicals, including doing proofreading; producer of a dozen Jazz CDs; Jazz radio broadcaster (non-commercial) 1987-2016 [see below]. Organizational Memberships [Organizations listed for identity only, not as endorsers of my personal views.] The Planetary Society; Greenpeace; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). * * * I READ, THEREFORE I CAN WRITE (I THINK!) Ever since I learned to read I have devoured books about the natural world. This led to a lifelong habit of reading non-fiction more than 90% of the time, on average. In recent years, however, I have started to play catch-up with some of the revered works of fiction and even (gasp!) some new fiction. I escaped having to read Homer’s classic works in their entirety in school, so The Iliad and The Odyssey are on my list of items to get to. So many books, so little time! _________________________________ I AM CURRENTLY READING: (December 2022) The [Viking] Portable CONRAD (reading final segment) Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein (on hold, awaiting my further commentary) FIVE MOST RECENTLY READ BOOKS:
SOME FAVORITE BOOKS: These are among my all-time favorite, influential reads, arranged alphabetically by author: Ardrey, Robert African Genesis Burgess, Anthony A Clockwork Orange Diamond, Jared The Third Chimpanzee Elkin, Stanley The Living End Fanon, Frantz The Wretched of the Earth Feininger, Andreas Forms of Nature and Life Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang Eight Steps to Happiness Heller, Joseph Catch-22 Ingersoll, Robert The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child (pamphlet) Malcolm X (with Alex Haley) The Autobiography of Malcolm X McCourt, Frank Angela's Ashes Mencken, H.L. Treatise on the Gods Miller, Arthur The Crucible Morris, Desmond The Naked Ape Orwell, George 1984 Portis, Charles True Grit Sagan, Carl Cosmos; The Dragons of Eden Trotsky, Leon History of the Russian Revolution (unabridged) Twain, Mark Letters From the Earth (Bernard DeVoto, ed.); Mark Twain On the Damned Human Race (Janet Smith, ed.); Mark Twain: Social Critic (Philip Foner, ed.) Wolfe, Tom The Right Stuff * * * -------------------------------------- FUN FACTS! I love the way actress Rosie Perez tawks...I mean, talks! * * * "The Simpsons" is the only TV show I deem "must-see"!! * * * I have written two screenplays, neither likely to ever be produced. Now that's something to boast about, huh?! I'm turning one of them into a novel, so revenge shall be mine! ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
The author on Red Square, Moscow, August 2013. Edward Snowden was holed up at the airport at the time, but I didn't get to meet him.
Gravesite of the legendary film director Sergei Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin, 1925), outskirts of Moscow, August 2013.
The author salutes the legend, as shadows encroach, August 2013.
_______________________________ WANTED!
FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE I hereby issue All-Points Bulletins on the following individuals who have committed grave crimes against the King’s English here in the USA. If you can apprehend any of these fiends, please confine them until I can be summoned to mete out justice.
Those responsible for the migration of all vowel sounds toward “uh.” When I was an adorable schoolboy, each vowel had its distinct sound. Now, “The president declared an immediate state of emergency” is pronounced “The presuhdent duhclared an uhmediate state of uhmerguhncy.” I started noticing this, and being irritated by it, many years ago. Initially I thought it might have been Tom Brokaw’s influence, or perhaps that of TV football commentators. You know, folks who pronounce Missouri “Mizzouruh.” But recently I saw a movie from the 1930s in which this phenomenon was exhibited so, sad to say, the original perpetrators will never be held accountable for these offenses. They are either six feet under (serves ‘em right!) or centenarians. Wouldn’t do much for my public image if I was caught pistol-whipping a guy who’s 110 years old. I would like to slap around severely (and hey, I’m not a violent guy by nature!) the ding-a-ling who first chose to express how he or she felt by saying “I was like...”! I first encountered that phrase in an Andy Borowitz humor piece (back when one could access his work without a paid subscription to The New Yorker) and chuckled at the inanity of it. Then I started to hear people speaking that way in the real world, ubiquitously, and I was no longer chuckling! How I would love to get my hands around the throat of whomever initiated the trend of starting the answer to a journalist’s, or anyone’s, question with the word “So”! I probably first encountered this on National Public Radio newscasts, and now it’s inescapable. Lonely are those of us who still have a sense of propriety when it comes to language. Last, but not least, a curse down through seven generations (minimum!) on those who decided it was too difficult to describe a conversation by stating “She says” or “He said” and replaced those phrases with “She goes” or “He went”! Is there no level of depravity to which Americans won’t sink? |
FUN FACT!
MY NOT SO SECRET LIFE AS A HALF-VULCAN/HALF-HUMAN JAZZ OFFICER
Yes, I am a "Trekker." If you want to call me a "'Star Trek' nerd" to my face, be prepared for unpleasant consequences! From 1987 until 2016 I was a pure volunteer Jazz radio broadcaster at the radio stations of The University of Connecticut and University of Hartford. Pure volunteer means I wasn't paid, I had to spend money to participate in the activities. Some may call that being a chump. I call it being devoted. My radio name was 'Jazz Officer Spaak,' a play on 'Star Trek's Science Officer Spock. I altered the spelling because Paramount Television is rather touchy about copyrighted characters. People always mispronounced the 'Spaak' part until I corrected them. Whatever!
MY NOT SO SECRET LIFE AS A HALF-VULCAN/HALF-HUMAN JAZZ OFFICER
Yes, I am a "Trekker." If you want to call me a "'Star Trek' nerd" to my face, be prepared for unpleasant consequences! From 1987 until 2016 I was a pure volunteer Jazz radio broadcaster at the radio stations of The University of Connecticut and University of Hartford. Pure volunteer means I wasn't paid, I had to spend money to participate in the activities. Some may call that being a chump. I call it being devoted. My radio name was 'Jazz Officer Spaak,' a play on 'Star Trek's Science Officer Spock. I altered the spelling because Paramount Television is rather touchy about copyrighted characters. People always mispronounced the 'Spaak' part until I corrected them. Whatever!
