Panic in Performance (Book) - 12/5/2017 8:04:48 AM
Older white folks seem inclined to like Trump. I was intrigued, and watched Trump perform through 14 seasons of The Apprentice. While I have read that much of the drama that went on was a result of the producers and directors, and not Donald Trump, I grew to dislike his tendency to have favorites and management style, which was very contrary to the positives management styles that I knew.
So, when I saw that he was running for president, I said, "No way." And, starting with his reversal on his longtime claim about Obama not being a citizen, forgetting that his Irish roots were hated as immigrants when his ancestors came to the United States, not revealing his tax reports which would clearly show that he was bankrupt six times and bailed out by his father for very bad business decisions. During the show, he showed off his gold plated penthouse home. It reminded me of something that dictators with inferiority complexes do to boost their egos rather than good sense in styling our modern living. Emperor stuff.
While president, Trump has continually downgraded the office with awful tweets and terrible presentations in public. As a spokesperson for our country, in his words, he is a "disaster."
In spite of all this, the older, white-haired, white crowd that seems to be afraid of the improved life of many diverse segments of society held in check by bigotry and hatred, including women, stay steadfast behind this pompous idiot they voted in office. I call it, hardening of the reminiscence. We look back on the 1950s as a wonderful time in our youth. The brain has a wonderful way of remembering the good times over the bad. To return to that life would require that we give unions the power to act. We provide good paying jobs to veterans without having intense skills training even though they may have PTSD, we seek out and destroy the communists in the entertainment industry, we fear the atomic bomb and we make sure that blacks, idiots and cripples and other minorities stay in their ghettos and have little opportunity except in their communities to excel. Yes, the 1950s were wonderful time, as long as we conveniently forget how bad they really were.
Ron
The Zsa Zsa Affair (Book) - 5/12/2015 6:25:28 AM
A great memory of being inside on Madison Avenue. That's quite the wheeling and dealing between Zsa Zsa Gabor and Carol Channing to get the best price for a bit of commercial acting. Heady work in heady times…
Ron
Winning (Article) - 5/12/2015 6:06:14 AM
Some great advice. As far as the arts go, New York City, in the past, was the place to go if you were to receive any recognition in "the business." Paris, London, Nashville, and Hollywood always come to mind as well. While one can still make those, very personal, connections in cities like New Orleans, and perhaps, Las Vegas, the Internet and venues like YouTube means that young people can still "make it" without having to leave home and face failure from lack of funds in the big city.
I was also a dancer and interested in good form. I ran the 440 and didn't do well because, even with my great form, I tended to come out too fast and would tie up at the end in the last 30 yards or so. My spinal injury was probably already at work. But my endurance was great, and, on a whim, walking 50 miles for physical fitness for President Kennedy, I surprisingly, in a very relaxed way, out walked the competition by over an hour. I've used that lesson in my working life many times, outlasting the competition.
It's good to see you so vigorous and successful at your age. I hope that I can continue to write novels well into my 80s as well.
Ron
AMERICAN BAKSHEESH (Poetry) - 8/12/2023 10:10:21 AM
A longtime friend of mine is a non practicing Zoroastrian. He has a wry sense of humor like you and I'd like to send your poem on to him. He will understand it, like I do, preferably for what it is.
Did not the former president's family do the same?
Ron
IT AIN'T MUSIC (Poetry) - 10/3/2021 9:44:12 AM
Rap and hip-hop aside, actually just a form of poetry that gets out all the anger and lost competitiveness that society brings to some of our citizens. But they can let it out in angry bursts in competitions they call, appropriately, "slams." If you get the words to some of these rapidly dished out aggravations, you will find more than just, ha ha ha. Some real rhyming and wordsmithing going on. Their recordings sell big and that's why so many are astronomically rich.
But most pop music today is all about performance because it is more visual than lyrical. You seem to have to have a lot of backup dancers, outlandish costumes and enough repetition to make the song boring but the dance routine enough to catch your eye because the lyrics and the melody are really quite "formula" and not as creative.
But if you pay attention, there are always new songs, ballads and romantic tunes that hearken back to the good old days when rock 'n' roll was banned because it violated the classics by the great dance bands. And so we had Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse to carry music through the generations, sadly, with fame bringing death.
Ron
I'm Their Lovechild (Poetry) - 8/25/2008 11:55:12 AM
I've never seen one like this. There is so much said here. Made me want to read it again.
