"America at Night" by Larry J. Kolb

This is a very interesting, and disturbing book. It confirms all that most of us already know about our government. It is way out of control. It has been reduced to a series of organizations that do nothing but fight over their allotted share of tax dollars, and then in turn, these same organizations, after stealing from you and I, go on to lie, cheat and steal from one another to accumulate even more power for themselves. They then suck in even more money from private, business and banking sources, thus cementing their own interests in place.

If Larry Kolb is to be believed, and I see no reason to doubt his story, then your tax money was used as "seed" to institute a vast scheme to cheat John Kerry of victory in the 2004 Presidential Election. This scheme was organized by the same team that brought you the "October Surprise" in 1980,the result of which was that the hostages at our Embassy in Tehran were held for an extra 4 months, on the eve of their diplomatically arranged release. This ensured that Presidential Nominee Ronald Reagan would defeat President Carter in that year's election, and underscores my point that our government is way out of control, and has been for some time. For their co-operation Iran received millions in arms and military hardware to fight the Iraqi's. This was the spark that would later cause Saadam Hussein to invade Kuwait.

Back to the election of 2004 and John Kerry;

With very detailed notes and a skillful sense of writing, Mr. Kolb takes us through the paces concerning one Robert Sensi and his partner Robert Mitchell. Along the way we encounter Muhammad Ali, the Bush family, and a slew of International business men with far reaching and vastly different connections who all have one thing in common, the desire to see Predident Bush re-elected. Together they concoct a scheme to smear Senator John Kerry. The fact that this scheme was unnecessary, and that Kerry lost of his own accord, makes the whole thing seem even more ridiculous. It smacks of the same thinking that went into the Watergate Burglary at the DNC in Washington. A crime was committed and the real motives were obscured. There never was a need to burglarize the DNC for information, Nixon was a sure thing that year.

Mr. Kolb, a former CIA operative, who blew his own cover with his last book, "Overworld", tells, in this carefully written narrative, of his first realization that something was not quite right concerning an individual named Robert Sensi, former Chairman of a now defunct business organization. With his first book just completed the last thing he wants to do is to become involved in another CIA project. But as he lays out the files and pieces it all together he unravels one of the most far reaching, and ultimately useless plans ever devised to sway an election.

The plan was simple enough on it's face; just link Kerry to contributions from an organization that has business ties with Iran and Afghanistan. But when Mr. Kolb recognizes that certain names and individual corporations are involved in a scheme to throw the election, he acts to thwart that plan.

This is a very engaging book and a good read, maybe too good. What I mean by that is, once you start to see conspiracies in one place, you start to see them everywhere. So my question would be this; while this story was going on, what was happening that really mattered?

The MDA Telethon - A Childhood Memory

I remember when the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon was a local, one station affair broadcast from the Americana Hotel in New York City. This year is being touted as the 45th Annual Telethon, but I can tell you that this is incorrect.

The telethon began in 1956, with Jerry Lewis and his partner, Dean Martin, hosting a show on WNEW-TV in New York. They raised $600,000 to benefit the newly found Muscular Dystrophy Association of America. Again in 1957 and 1959, Jerry did two more shows, which he began calling “telethons.” These were the days when TV actually went off the air at about 1 or 2 in the morning, so the telethon was a huge event. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to see if it was really still on! And upon waking in the morning it was the first thing I checked.

Another aspect of those early telethons, which I found fascinating, was that at night pledges came in from far away places such as Connecticut and even Philadelphia! The TV signal during the daylight hours was very short range, but at night I could pick up Channel 3 in Philadelphia. I suppose they had discovered the same thing about signals from New York.

When I was 10, and this would be in either 1964 or 1965, my parents, along with my brother and I, collected for MDA and then went to the Americana to join in the long line waiting to dump their donations in the big carts that were set up inside the hotel hallway on the ground floor. I believe it was just outside the doors to the space that was being used for the Telethon. The 1966 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon was the first to be held on Labor Day weekend and the first to raise more than $1 million.

The Telethon has grown larger over the years. I believe the 1966 date for today's so-called 45th Telethon represents the date of the first broadcast from New York that was linked to other cities, like Philadelphia. Eventually the Telethon left WNEW in New York for WOR-TV and then finally moved to Las Vegas. But nothing will ever compare to the close knit feeling of those first few years when one little station in New York gave birth to this annual event.

People In Masks

People who wear masks while advocating a political point of view have always baffled me. I know that they believe in the causes they claim to support- but I have to question the wisdom of the masks. Here is a photo from today's news showing the Basque Seperatists declaring a truce. I never thought of a truce as something to be ashamed of. What is so shameful about advocating for Peace?

Regarding masks in general, it would seem to me that if the cause were a just one, I would want my face to be associated with my point of view. I would take pride in my position. On the other hand, I do recognize that in some countries the mask may be necessary, especially if your views are not in synch with the repressive government with which you may be in contrast. But the mask does seem to take away from the perceived legitimacy of the argument. I cannot imagine George Washington or Thomas Jefferson wearing masks to obscure their identities. Because I have been raised in a free society it is hard for me to imagine the necessity of taking such measures. As a child I quickly understood that only the bad guys wore masks, with the possible exception of Zorro.

Once mask wearing begins, it doesn't stop. It snowballs into a mindset of deliberate obscurity, in which no one takes a personal stand for what they believe in. Even the Police and Military, when they don masks, detract from the honor of what they do to protect us. But given the danger of what they are up against, namely other people in masks, well, I understand that this may be necessary, although it does make me somewhat uneasy. Where does the responsibility lie when justice is obscurred behind a mask?

Halloween is an appropriate use of masks, as is Mardi Gras. Here is a group of revelers in the Big Easy last year during Fat Tuesday. The masks are rather gruesome, but they are about fun, and not clandestine in nature. In my opinion, Political Views and Law Enforcement, should be conducted in an atmosphere of transparency. It is only through a spirit of openess and honor that we will ever be able to face one another, and ourselves. And wouldn't that be something...?

Dean Martin - The Capitol Years

I have always been a fan of Dean Martin. I love the arrangements and of course, the singing. Dean Martin is one of the "whiskey throated" smooth voiced singers of the 1940's through the 1960's. Along with Nat King Cole, Mr. Martin was largely influenced by the sound of Bing Crosby in his phrasing of the lyrics, as compared to the earlier stylings of singers such as Rudy Valee. That difference in styling marked the change from "crooning" to what we now consider real singing.

This double CD has it all, including Nat King Cole and Dean Martin's rousing duet of "Open Up the Dog House" to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis singing "Every Street's a Boulevard", from the 1954 soundtrack of "Living It Up." The pop hits with orchestral backings are a refreshing change from the Top 40 sounds that comes over today's radio. They don't write songs like "I'd Cry Like A Baby" anymore. I'd wager, that if that recording were ever released as a single today, it would top the charts. Laugh if you will, but remember, this is the voice that knocked The Beatles off of the Top Ten in the summer of 1964 with "You're Nobody Til Someday Loves You." Who'd have thought?

Some of my favorite tracks, as usual, are the "previously unreleased" stuff, which gives you a chance to see where the hits came from. It's a glimpse into the creative process that lends an extra attraction to the listening experience. It's the stuff I prefer to hear in my car, where it all seems so personal.

The disc covers every genre of Mr. Martin's unique talent during the years 1949 - 1957. It includes such hits as "Sleepy Old New England Town" and "Solitaire", with their sweet sentimentality, to the rollicking renditions of "Beau James" and "Good Morning Life." And with 40 selections to chose from this collection still manages to keep you in the mood for more.

"The Big Clock" with Charles laughton, Ray Milland and Maureen O'Sullivan

This is one of the later movies classified as "film noir." Released in 1948 it represents a wonderful vehicle for Charles Laughton as the micro-managing editor of a major newspaper. In the lobby of the news building is a system of clocks that tell the time all over the world. It is representative of the value of time, as perceived by the newspapers editor Mr. Janoth (played by Charles Laughton). His star reporter, George Stroud (played by Ray Milland) has, on account of Mr. Janoth's work ethic, not been on vacation for several years. He is always pursuing some story, or even the hint of one, at the suggestion of his boss, Mr. Janoth. This is beginning to wear thin at home with Mrs. Stroud, who has thrown down the gauntlet. The train leaves at 6:30 sharp. She is going to go on vacation, with him, or without.

When Mr. Janoth assigns Mr. Stroud a lead on a very important news story, one that could lead to his being promoted, Stroud is almost sucked back in, risking his happiness at home. At the last moment he decides to quit. On the way to the station, and his wife, he decides to have a drink to celebrate his "freedom." At the bar he meets a woman who happens to be the mistress (played by Rita Johnson) of his former boss and has a grudge against him. After a few drinks Stroud has forgotten all about the time and is uproariously drunk. After carousing about town and being seen everywhere, she takes Stroud, who is now too inebriated to navigate on his own, home with her to "sleep it off" on her sofa. There is no romantic involvement, just circumstances.

When Mr. Janoth's mistress finds that the editor is on his way up to her apartment, she rouses the hapless Stroud from his slumber just in time for him to leave. But he has left behind the one thing that can potentially identify him; a sundial with a green ribbon that the two took from a bar.

Mr. Janoth arrives and proceeds to have a fierce argument with his mistress. Words are said, and in a moment of rage Mr. Janoth uses the sundial to bludgeon his mistress to death. He then flees, leaving the murder weapon behind.

Aided by his most loyal minion, Steve Hagen,(played by George Macready) the race is on to find a fictious killer, and at the same time use the story as a vehicle to boost the paper's sales. In the meantime, our hapless reporter, Mr. Stroud, has re-united with his wife and child, and beginning his long overdue vacation. Then the phone rings.

Mr. Janoth, who is desperate to pin his crime on someone else, cajoles his star reporter into returning from vacation, to solve the mystery and boost the paper's sales. Although Stroud does not wish to leave his wife he realizes the necessity of micro-managing the investigation. The irony here is that he is now doing exactly what he despises about his boss, manipulating people for his own purposes.

With an outstanding appearance by Elsa Lanchester as a witness,(she also happened to be married to Mr. Laughton in real life and appeared in several films with him) she plays a struggling artist who has seen the alledged killer in an antique store on the night of the murder and in the company of Mr. Janoth's mistress.

As the clocks in the lobby tick the time away, the noose tightens, threatening to ensnare Stroud in a trap not of his own making. With a tightly written script and the wonderful Direction of John Farrow, this movie will keep the viewer riveted until the final conclusions are drawn.

A landmark film, set in the New York of the late 1940's, this film was remade as "No Way Out" in 1989 with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman. They play a military officer (Costner) who is having an affair with a Senator's (Hackman) mistress. Both films are well made, but for my money I'll take Ray Milland and Charles Laughton in this exciting piece of film noir.

Hawking, Einstein and Spinoza

Stephen Hawking (pictured here on the left, next to his sister Mary in 1948) wrote, in "A Brief History of Time", that "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason, for then we should know the mind of God." I read that book, and although I do not profess to understand everything in it, I could follow his logic in relation to physics, as it encompassed the philospohies of Spinoza, which were later embraced by Albert Einstein.

Mr. Hawking, arguably the most intelligent person on the planet, and who is greatly admired by myself, as well as countless other millions of persons, has now stated that there is no God. He has written, in his new book,"The Grand Design," that the big bang was the event which created "something out of nothing." (I have not read the book yet - this is a quote from the news on my web page) and that "a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant."

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist."

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

Now, I am in no position to argue the finer points with Mr. Hawking, being humble enough to know my own limitations. But to me it seems to be a disconnect in reason not to see that the belief in something created "out of nothing" is flawed.

A basic principle of physics, and nature, and as argued by Mr. Hawking himself in the opening quote to this article, is that everything is connected in some fashion.In essence he states that to find the truth is to know the mind of God. It's all a big circle, with a beginning and perhaps, even more importantly, an ending.

In explaining his latest, and perhaps ultimate, triumph, Mr. Hawking should look to himself for the proof of the forgoing conjecture on my part. The saddest thing is to find what you have been looking for all the while, and then upon discovering it, losing sight of what it really is.

I believe in the science of Mr. Hawking's latest claim. It was an inevitable conclusion, borne of physics. But I also believe that he has missed the point of his own studies. Einstein, with his belief in Spinoza and the theory of Causal Determinism, set the stage for Mr. Hawking. It is also one of my beliefs, based upon my own life experiences. Change one thing and you change many other things, all of which are connected.

It is sad to see Mr. Hawking's departure from this course, which clearly shows, by his own earlier writings, an ordered universe, with a beginning other than "something created from nothing." I just cannot accept that.

"Charlie Chan" by Yunte Huang

Until I ran across this book in the Library I thought that Charlie Chan was merely a fictional character in old movies and novels. Boy, was I wrong. Charlie Chan, that most honorable of Detectives, is based on the real life of Detective Chang Apana of the Honolulu Police Department.

The author, Yunte Huang, begins the book with a short, but fascinating history of the Hawaiian Islands. Horses were first introduced there, along with beef cattle, in the early 1800's. Are you wondering how this fits in with Charlie Chan? So was I.

Chang Apana was born in Hawaii in either 1869 or 1871, the record is sketchy on that. His given name was Ah Pung. At the age of three his family, which had emigrated from China a few years earlier, decided to move back home. The move to Canton opened Chang's eyes to a different world from that to which he was accustomed. At three years old he was expected to contribute something to the household, even picking up sticks for firewood was a helpful chore. Canton was a squalid village in the 1870's, with not much opportunity for advancement. It wasn't long before the family was broke and Chang's parents sent him and an Uncle back to Hawaii as laborers. Chang was 9 years old at the time.

Arriving in Honolulu was not the romantic affair depicted in the movies. Rather than a Lei, upon arrival young Chang is given a metal tag to wear which identifies the plantation he belongs to. He is basically a serf, a part of the Chinese "coolie" labor system which was in practice then.

Hawaii had a large cattle industry by this time, as well as sugarcane fields. Young Chang would come to know them both well. But his expertise began to show itself when dealing with cattle, and he bacame one of Hawaii's best known "paniolos", or cowboys. His experience with a whip would later earn him a reputation as a fierce "no-nonsense" law officer.

But his big break into the "white" world came via Helen Wilder, the daughter of a wealthy American businessman. Ms. Wilder longed to establish a Hawaiian branch of the Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The initial effort failed, but Ms. Wilder was determined to make it work, so in 1898 she was able to re-establish the effort as The Humane Society. Her first choice for an officer was Chang, who had been working for her father and had demonstrated his ability to work with animals, as well as care for them. He was a very busy man. Along the waterfront alone, there were hundreds of cases per month of people not feeding their horses, or beating them until they dropped. Chang fashioned his own whip and began to issue fines, as well as beatings, to those who did not think he was serious.

The author, Mr. Huang, takes every opportunity in this book to tie the history of the island in with the story of Chang and his rise to top Detective. For instance, he explores the complex nature of being Chinese in an American "possession" like Hawaii. He explains the meaning of the Chinese queue, or "pigtail." In China the queue was mandatory, cutting it off would get you beheaded. Many Chinese, even after leaving China, could not bring themselves to cut their queues off. Chang had no such reservations. This cultural dilemma also extended itself to the actions of Chang as an Officer with the Humane Society. As a Chinese, Chang would have believed in re-incarnation. This means that whenever he saw an animal being mistreated he looked upon it as someone torturing the soul of someone who had done some evil in life, thus being relegated to the body of a lesser being after death. As a stableman and cowboy, he would have had great affection for the animals he saw being mistreated on a daily basis.

In 1898 Hawaii was annexed as a territory of the United States. The new Police Force was set up by a man named Arthur Morgan Brown, who was the son of a sea captain. Mr. Brown, like Chang, was born in Honolulu. And they were both friends with Ms. Helen Wilder. And so Chang became one of the first policeman in Honolulu after the annexation by the United States.

By 1904 Changs reputation as a tough, but fair and honest cop, was cemented in the islands history. He once rounded up 40 of Hawaii's most notorious gangsters and gamblers in a single sweep. He disguised himself as a street person and gained entrance to the gambling hall. He then produced his fearsome whip, cracked it loudly once, and marched all 40 of the gangsters to the jail. Not one of the criminals dared to go for their weapons, as Changs skill with a whip was beyond legendary.

Earl Derr Biggers was an author in search of a new novel when he arrived in Hawaii in 1920. He was a very successful author of fiction, as well as a contibutor of short stories to the Saturday Evening post and Ladies Home Journal. His arrival in Honolulu coincided with the opium epidemic that was sweeping the island at the time. Mr. Biggers was fascinated with the daily paper and the stories of the opium dens and police corruption. He was already writing a novel about it all, "The House Without a Key", in his head, when he met Chang Apana. This would become the first novel he wrote in which the fictional Charlie Chan appears, although the first Charlie Chan book would not make it's appearance until 1926 with the release of "The Chinese Parrot."

Taken by the polyglot nature of Chang and his philosphies, the author began to write a sketch of a fictional Detective, who embodied all of the things he saw in Chang. A mixture of wisdom, cunning and daring, this character was the mirror image of the real life Chang. By 1926 "The Chinese Parrot" was released, beginning a run of 6 books featuring the fictional Charlie Chan. In the 1930's these books became the basis for all of the Charlie Chan films to come later.

This book is broad in it's scope, combining both the history and the legends, to illustrate the creative process that gave birth to one of literature's most endurable fictional characters. Somehow, the author has managed to present all of this information in a wholly readable fashion. Chang Apana passed away in Honolulu in 1933. In writing this book the author draws on the famous Detectives interviews from 1932, as well as newspaper articles of the time, to capture the essence of this legendary man.

But no account of either the fictional Charlie Chan, or the real life Chang Apana, would be complete without quoting from one of his many philosophical observations. "Truth like football - receive many kicks before reaching goal."