"I Never Watch That Stuff"

 

The death parade continues.  Today, it’s Jerry Springer.  I liked him as an engaging person who endured successfully in the rocky world of trash TV.  His “who’s the daddy?” show came way before the Kardashians or the Housewives.  Unlike those glitzy gals, It was for and about the “other.”  College kids adored it.

The thing about Jerry was that he never took himself or his show seriously.  That doesn’t mean he was patronizing towards his participants or their audience.  He came across as having empathy for their plight.  “My world is crazy and I don’t know what to do, so why not have a moment on TV to set me apart from the rest?”

Did you know that he had once been Mayor of Cincinnati?  He probably could have been a successful politician.  You know, from trash TV to President.  

Jerry would have done it smiling.

A Wonderful Life

 

Harry Belafonte.  I've been thinking about and learning about him all day today.  I saw him perform once at the Empire Room.  That was a rare treat. He was a close friend and major supporter of Martin Luther King.  Did you know he was the one who bailed him out of the "Birmingham Jail?"  Or,  that he used his smarts and connections to make sure the March On Washington was a celebrity infused and thus popular media event?

I met him once.  It was when I was on the staff of Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign.  I attended a dinner hosted by a wealthy donor and Belafonte was the featured guest.  While charming us all, he excused himself to spend time in the kitchen with the workers there.

Elsa met him through a mutual friend and his connections with Cuba.  At Elsa's birthday dinner to which Belafonte was invited, she was actually able to enjoy him singing Happy Birthday.

Harry Belafonte would have been beloved as a marvelous entertainer.  He was so much more. He fought for justice and he never slowed down.  Now he is gone at 96.  This is one of those times when you acknowledge sorrow, as you smile and celebrate his wonderful life.

Karma

 

Remember the O.J. Simpson trial?  We all knew he did it.  But Johnnie Cochran figured it out.  Keep proving and talking about the corrupt police.  By the time the case went to the jury, the police were "convicted" and O.J. walked free.  Karma.

Remember the Central Park Five?  When Trump (who had promoted the death penalty for them) had to face the Judge in the same courtroom where the boys had been wrongfully convicted, one of them whose young life had been stolen, had one word for it:  Karma.

Remember the Supreme Court Hearings for Clarence Thomas?  Remember Anita Hill's testimony?  Thomas cried: "this is a high tech lynching."   Hill was promptly ignored.  Thomas stopped crying after he triumphed over the rope.  And, he's been laughing at us ever since. Are you outraged?

Karma.

Not Too Scared to Win

 

I'm still on a high from Tuesday's election for Mayor of Chicago: Brandon Johnson winner!  But I have to admit  I have needed listening to some fierce leftie voices to keep it going.  So if you're happy like me right now, call on all of the support you need to stay this way.

Immediately, you're going to hear:  "There will be another era of 'council wars.'  "We're going to be the ultimate sanctuary city flooded with migrants."  "There's no money for these programs."  "He has to move to the center." "We need more and tougher police."

I'm sticking with this:  Brandon Johnson ran as a leftie.  He beat every "establishment" Democrat, black and white, who were too scared.  So they endorsed a known loser. 

So, if Brandon Johnson isn't scared, then let's get used to that for a change.

A Know Nothing Attends a Lecture on Math

 

I attended a lecture on math today at the Senior Center.   Math was always the subject that eluded me all throughout my education.  I still don't get it but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested. I was fascinated by the stories of the people and the philosophical implications related to the math discoveries.

The quote I liked is:  Math=Truth
                                Everything else=Opinion

I’m still contemplating whether everything the human mind can discover or imagine already exists and we can only reveal what is already there.  As a writer who feels alive and worthwhile when I a writing in my diary or publishing my blog, it pains me to think of life this way.  But I know I would probably lose an argument if obliged to defend my thinking up against the minds  described in the lecture.

P.S.  The photo is of Terrence Tao who = The real Young Sheldon.