Dawn

The Dawn of Dawn

A quiet, happy, peaceful baby, who slept well, never cried much and hardly ever had to be changed.  Who could possibly imagine all of those wonderful traits in a single child?  But there she was, smiling an adorable toothless grin, doggedly crawling across the carpeting in her diapers (which were hardly ever dirty!), cheerfully spitting up on her mother’s new blouse during an occasional feeding gone awry.  Her beaming parents looked down at their beautiful baby, curled up peacefully in her crib, and imagined her becoming a doctor, a college professor, an entrepreneur, a scientist, a lawyer- Wait!  A lawyer?  Her unsuspecting parents never, ever in a million years, imagined such a dire fate for their darling daughter.  But life is full of surprises, some of them nice, some of them not so nice.  Let’s take a walk with Dawn through the stages of her life, and see if we can figure out exactly what happened.

Rise Up So Early In the Morn

What’s the difference between a rooster and an attorney?  A rooster clucks defiance.

Punctuality is a very good trait, most people would agree, so long as you relax once in a while, so long as you occasional take an extra couple of minutes on your coffee break, or show up at 8:03 for an 8:00 meeting.  Being stubborn can be useful, too; the first to hold on, and the last to let go.  But being too punctual and too stubborn can be infuriating to other people, as Dawn amply demonstrated in her high school years.

The brother of a dear friend of Dawn’s remembers how the telephone rang every single morning at exactly the same time: 6:00.  And it was always the same person: Dawn.  Regular as a rooster.  In fact, she probably woke up before most roosters.  Big brother would have preferred to sleep an extra half  hour, even an extra fifteen minutes, but Dawn, being the good friend to his sister that she was, decided it was her duty to wake her friend bright and early every morning.  If that meant waking up her brother, well, he was just a casualty of war.
“I hung up on her more times than I can recall,” Big brother recalls.  “But she kept re-calling, coming back again and again like a killer in a horror film.  Once I answered the telephone after it had been ringing for ten minutes straight.  After barking an angry greeting to the person on the other end, I heard Dawn very casually reply, ‘Hello.  May I speak to your sister?’”
Mister Booze, Mister Booze!

A man walked into a bar with his alligator and asked the bartender, "Do you serve lawyers here?".
"Sure do," replied the bartender.
"Good," said the man. "Give me a beer, and I'll have a lawyer for my 'gator."

A lot of people like beer.  Nothing wrong with that.  Beer is so ingrained in American culture that hardly anyone waits until age twenty-one before taking the first drink.  Most people are a little older than three, though.

When Dawn was three, she was already beginning to show signs of the fierce independence, the unshakeable tenacity that would mold her character.  Pulling her Hot Wheels up to the front of the neighborhood bar, she toddled inside, managed to climb up onto one of the barstools, and slapped down a twenty that she had stolen from her mother’s purse.  As articulately as she could manage, she demanded to be served a pitcher of Coors.

No, not really!  The story of Dawn’s descent into drink is a bit more believable, but still just as funny.  Dawn’s father and his firemen buddies from work were having a party at Dawn’s parents’ house.  Dawn, who was still relatively innocent at the time, was tooling around in front of the house on her tricycle.  Curious as a child will be, she approached the firemen, one by one, and asked for a sip of beer.  Seeing no harm in giving the tot a drop or two, they complied, not knowing that the man before them had also complied.  Totally toasted, little Dawn staggered outside, only to come roaring back into the house on her mighty tricycle.  “My goodness,” the firemen gasped.  “What have we done?”  Yes, what indeed?

Dawn still loves beer, but is responsible enough to know now that drinking and tricycling don’t mix.







Sweet Sibling Rivalry

Dawn was stubborn, as has already been established.  Stubborn, persistent and tough.  Not tough in the way a boxer or a football player is tough, not tough like a Marine drill sergeant, not tough like a Mafia thug (whom she may wind up defending one day), and certainly not tough like her sister, Amy, who was more than happy to dispense her share of scratches, punches and kicks to Dawn if big Sister misbehaved.  In some ways, the dawn of Amy was like the dusk of Dawn, or at least like the high noon.  Like most siblings, though, their rivalry waned as they grew older, became more mature, and as Dawn finally realized that she couldn’t take Amy and shouldn’t bother trying!  Maybe motherhood had a mitigating influencing on Amy, who said of their early years, “I guess I really was a little shrew, but Dawn wasn’t exactly an angel, either.  She’s just the one who was beaten up most of the time, so everyone had more sympathy for her.  We’re the best of friends, now,” Amy admits.  “but I’ll deck her in a minute if she gives me a good reason.”  Ha!  See you in court, little sister!

For The Love of Dawn

Why does the Bar prohibit lawyers from having sex with their clients?  To prevent clients from being billed twice for the same service.

Dawn liked boys almost as much as she liked beer, which is to be expected from most girls.  But Dawn had a penchant for choosing boys who didn’t always like her, and made no attempt to hide it.  Maybe Dawn liked a challenge.  Maybe, to paraphrase Mark Twain, she didn’t want to date any boy who would go out with her.  And unfortunately for her, she didn’t.  In retrospect, her friend’s brother might feel some satisfaction knowing that he was not the only boy who was pestered by Dawn’s constant phone calls, albeit for a different reason.


Building a Future

A doctor told her patient that his test results indicated that he had a rare disease and had only six months to live. “Isn’t there anything I can do?” pleaded the patient. “Marry a lawyer,” the doctor advised. “It will be the longest six months of your life.”
After years spent chasing boys who wanted nothing to do with her, Dawn finally decided that finding one who actually liked her might be a better idea.  At the time they met, Chris was working in construction, and Dawn was working for a realtor.  He built houses, she sold them.  What could be a better match than that?  Of course, poor Chris had no idea of his betrothed’s legal aspirations when he married her, but he decided that he still loved her anyway, or maybe he was just terrified of going through a divorce from a lawyer wife!  Nevertheless, here they are, hardhat and hard nose, happily married for a good six months now.  Talk about beating the odds!
He Said, She Said
Like most happily married couples, Chris and Dawn quarrel occasionally, but that's perfectly normal.  Sometimes, spouses just have to get it out of their systems.  What are some of their sources of conflict?
"She likes to read," says Chris.  "Not that I am against literacy, not at all.  But why does she always have to crack a book at 11:30 at night?"  Dawn used to wake up very early in the morning.  Apparently, she now likes to go to sleep very late at night.  Like any bright, ambitious, young professional, she thrives on excessive work and insomnia.  So she drinks coffee like water-or in her case, like beer- and is still dragging helpless innocents into the dreary depths of fatigue.
"I only use a tiny little bedroom lamp," Dawn protests.  "It's not like my husband can't close his eyes, or roll over on his back, or put the pillow over his head.  He can be so inconsiderate at times!"
Eventually Dawn relents, after maybe an hour or two or fairly peaceful bickering, and with a curt remark, shuts off the light.
By the morning, the darling couple are back in each other's good graces.  "She's a sweet, beautiful, darling lady," Chris says.  "I love her too much to ever leave her.  Plus, I'm afraid that she'd take me to the cleaners if we ever split up."
Fun With Dawn
Stubborn as always, Dawn usually thinks- okay, always thinks- that she's right.  But according to her husband and family, she's almost always left.  Very left.  During family gatherings or a simple supper with Dawn's parents- Ken and Pauline- the family takes great sport in setting Dawn off with any kind of politically incorrect commentary.
"Boy, this corn on the cob is good," Ken might remark.  "And with President Bush's tax cut, think how much more of it we'll be able to afford."
Dawn scowls in surly silence as Chris adds, "I hear that, Dad.  I just hope he stops giving all this assistance to these puny, third-world nations who wouldn't pay us back if they could."



That does it!  Dawn is out of her seat and up on her soapbox.  After pontificating for fifteen minutes, she asks if they have been paying attention to anything she has been saying.
"Absolutely," one of them invariably replies.  "And it's hysterical."

Epinions, etc.

A Maritime Masterpiece (sort of)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

The fact that a movie differs from the book on which it is based is not always to the film’s detriment. Astute directors and script writers realize that what works well in print does not always translate effectively to the screen. The 1935 production of the classic maritime novel Mutiny on the Bounty diverges at several points from Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s book. Most of the changes, with the exception of one, do not significantly alter the story’s integrity.
The book is told in the first person by a retired admiral named Roger Byam, who recollects his first journey to sea, when he was a callow 17 year-old midshipman. The 1935 movie, directed by Frank Lloyd, focuses on Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable), and his increasing struggle to tolerate his cruel, capricious captain, William Bligh (Charles Laughton). Byam (Franchot Tone) plays a major part as a crew member on the H.M.S. Bounty and a friend and confidante to Christian, but for the most part, the movie belongs to Christian.
The film opens with Fletcher Christian leading a press gang, which accosts a group of eligible seamen from a local tavern. Right away the viewer is left with the impression that Christian is basically a kidnapper, despite the fact that the law is on his side. Later he becomes a more sympathetic character, but his initial actions seem pretty harsh. As in the novel, Byam enlists of his own volition, though his late father’s friendship with Bligh is not mentioned in the movie. Also, in the novel Byam is never the object of Bligh’s frequent tantrums, but in the movie, he is punished harshly after a minor fistfight with a fellow crew member.
Laughton is very effective as Captain Bligh, although he looks to be in his early fifties, when historically, the real Captain Bligh was 35 at the time of the Bounty mutiny. Laughton was actually 36 when the film came out, but he really looks a lot older. But the mien of a crusty old seamen works well in this film, despite the apparent age discrepancy.
As in the novel, Bligh is probably portrayed as much meaner that he truly was, but Laughton’s Bligh is even worse. He keel hauls one of the sailors for begging for some water to soothe his scraped and bloody knees, and the punishment results in the sailor’s death. There is no such scene in the book. He also orders a sickly old man to be flogged, with similar results. Yet when Bligh and the sailors who refused to participate in the mutiny are cast off the ship into an old dinghy, Bligh becomes heroic, sympathetic, and remarkably, even kind. When he returns triumphantly to England to punish the mutineers, however, he resumes his old demeanor.
The mutiny scene in the film is much more dramatic, violent, and captivating in the movie than in the book. Cutlasses clash, guns flash, corpses splash. The action streaks before the viewer’s eyes, but makes a permanent impression. After being cast adrift, Bligh is as defiant as ever.
Laughton’s fine performance as Bligh is well-balanced by Gable’s performance as Christian. He strikes audiences as a noble, if perhaps slightly-misguided individual who fends off Bligh’s insults, injustices and goading with as much dignity as he can muster. After a particularly nasty verbal lashing from Bligh, Fletcher tells the captain, “You’d like me to strike you, wouldn’t you? Well I won’t do it!” And when it would have been to his advantage to simply shoot or hang his deposed captain, Christian shows as much mercy as he thinks that he can under the circumstances. He is never judgmental of the men who choose to accompany Bligh on the 3500-mile journey back to England, and is despondent over the belief that they will almost certainly perish. As history and fiction attest, however, they survive.
The part in the movie that absolutely does not work is how Byam’s fate is resolved. Those familiar with the book will recall that Bligh overhears part of a conversation that Byam has with Christian on the night before the mutiny. Christian tells Byam that he plans to desert, and asks Byam to tell Christian’s family. Byam replies, “You can count on me.” Bligh later assumes this to mean that Byam agrees to help mutiny. Another crew member, named Tinkler, overhears the entire conversation, and it is his testimony that eventually saves Byam’s life. Much of the suspense during the second half of the novel involves locating Tinkler, who is believed to have been lost at sea on another vessel. In the movie, Byam’s conviction is conveniently overturned by King George III following an appeal by one of the judges and a friend of Byam’s late father.
Considering the enormity of encompassing a fairly lengthy novel into a two-hour movie, script writers Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman and Carey Wilson do a good job. But the way that King George appears, like a deus ex machina, to save Byam, is a bit much. Maybe the ending is different in the 1962 film, starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard, but that is another matter. Still, this version is worth watching.

© June 17, 2008 by Allan M. Heller


























Bogart’s a Bit Better than the Bounty

The 1954 movie The Caine Mutiny, based on Herman Wouk’s World War II novel, references Captain William Bligh of the H.M.S. Bounty fame. Upon meeting Captain Philip Frances Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) for the first time, Ensign Willie Keith (Robert Francis) remarks to Lieutenant Tom Kiefer (Fred MacMurray), “Well, he’s certainly Navy.” Kiefer smartly replies “So was Captain Bligh.” But the principal difference between the two captains, despite the obvious separations of country and century, was that Bligh was supposedly tyrannical, while Queeg was supposedly mentally unstable.
Keith also bears some similarity to Roger Byam in Mutiny on the Bounty, as both are idealistic young sailors, enlisting in their countries’ navies during war time. Actor Robert Francis is very good in his role as Keith. Sadly, Francis was to die in an airplane crash a year later (Internet Movie Database). An ancillary story concerns Keith’s love life, and his hopeful, but dubious romance with girlfriend May Wynn (the actress’ real name), a nightclub singer. Her reluctance to marry him stems from her perception of his mother’s disapproval of their relationship.
Bogart’s portrayal shows a well-meaning, battle-hardened naval officer who values strict discipline and order, but who also strives to be fair, and prides himself on being a family man. His gradual mental disintegration is so subtle as to possibly be attributed to normal war time stress. The seeds of dissent are sown by Kiefer, an aspiring novelist as well as a naval officer, who nags the reluctant Lieutenant Steve Maryk (Van Johnson) into keeping a journal documenting Queeg’s erratic behavior. The insinuation that the captain is unbalanced is not without merit; he nearly turns the ship upside-down at 1:00 in the morning after a quart of strawberries is missing; he obsesses over a few loose shirt-tails on crew members; he throws a conniption after the crew watches a movie without inviting him, despite his earlier indications that he was sick of Westerns. But his final moment of wavering comes during a severe storm, which threatens to capsize the U.S.S. Caine, a rickety old minesweeper.
Maryk starts out as the captain’s strongest, and perhaps only defender, and his torment and indecision are increasingly evident. He is particularly bewildered when he, Keith and Kiefer decided to approach the fleet admiral about their concerns for Queeg’s fitness to command and Kiefer suddenly pulls a 180. The “mutiny” he eventually effects is not done out of malice or resentment, but with as much concern for the captain as for the rest of the crew. Whether or not Maryk is right is a difficult question, but he sincerely believes that he is acting in the best interest of the crew.
The subsequent court martial is as interesting as the scenes which take place at sea, and contains not a few surprises.  Jose Ferrer plays Lieutenant Barney Greenwald, whose defense of the mutineers seems lackluster at first, but picks up speed and intensity as the trial progresses. Like all good attorneys, Greenwald walks a delicate line between evocation and provocation, backing off just in time to avoid serious reprimands from the judge. One of the officers, it turns out, has ulterior motives for having Queeg relieved of his command, motives which Greenwald glibly exposes in private, after the verdict has been rendered.

The Caine Mutiny is a superb film, with excellent performances by all, especially Bogart. Truly amazing is how viewers’ sympathies, assumptions and conclusions shift after everything is at last revealed. This is a taut, powerful, emotional drama, which deserves a nine on a scale of one to 10.

© June 17, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
















































Analysis of Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us”

The World is Too Much With Us
   by William Wordsworth

The World is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The sea that bares her bosom to the moon:
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.- Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn,
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea,
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

In his poem “The World is Too Much With Us,” Wordsworth refers to an artificial world, not the one created by God, but the one fashioned by man. The latter is characterized by greed, ambition and ignorance. Human beings, according to Wordsworth, squander their energies on vain endeavors, “getting and spending.” Wordsworth laments that people have lost their connection with nature, and have long ceased to appreciate or wonder at the earth’s marvels. “It moves us not,” the poet declares.
His abrupt segue in line 10 with “Great God!” is the shifting point in the poem, where he turns to Man’s pagan forebears. Though they may have been “suckled in a creed outworn,” placing their stock in false, fickle deities and unsubstantiated superstition, they nonetheless had awe and respect for the majesties of the natural world. For this Wordsworth envies them. Only by standing in a meadow (“this pleasant lea”), some small representation of nature, can the poet find temporary respite from this weary, workaday world. The timelessness of this poem is remarkable.
Like many poets of his era, Wordsworth employs Classical references, concluding his poem with images of the minor Greek sea gods Proteus and Triton. His selection of these two deities is likely not arbitrary. Proteus, known as the Old Man of the Sea, was able to assume any form that he chose, and therefore was free from the constraints of other creatures, including man. He could also tell the future, a trait indicating the highest degree of wisdom. Triton, the son of Poseidon, was half human and half fish, the quintessential merging of man and nature. He is traditionally depicted with a conch shell which he uses as a makeshift horn. “Wreathed” in line 14 means coiled or entwined, and is pronounced as two syllables, with the stress on the first, thus preserving the rhythm of the final line.

In a mere 14 lines, Wordsworth represents every aspect of nature – the sea, the sky and the earth. He ends with the sea, returning to the very cradle of creation, to an ancient, mysterious, life-giving force. The effect is like a rotation, which fits well with the theme of this poem.
“The World Is Too Much With Us” is an Italian sonnet, whose rhyme scheme runs abba, abba, cdc cdc, with matching letters indicating rhymed end words. The standard meter for sonnets -Shakespearean, Spenserian and Italian- is iambic pentameter, i.e. five metrical feet per line, with the stress of each word falling on the second syllable. “The World is Too Much With Us” mostly conforms to this, although Wordsworth deviates in a few instances. Lines two and three both began with trochees (a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable), while line four’s beginning is marked with a pyrrhic (two unstressed syllables).  In addition, lines two, four, seven, eight and 13 have one or two extra syllables, breaking the pentameter.
But Wordsworth’s departure from these somewhat arbitrary parameters suggests a desire to be free from Man’s self-imposed, aforementioned artificiality. That the lines break rank does not impede the flow of the poem. While striving for metrical rigidity, some lesser poets have trapped themselves in a jumble of stilted lines that conveys neither mood nor lyricism effectively. Wordsworth demonstrates that he is no lesser poet.

© June 20, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Works Cited

Wordsworth, William. “The World Is Too Much With Us.” 101 Best-Loved Poems. Ed.
Roy J. Cook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958. 64.
Bugeja, Michael J. The Art and Craft of Poetry. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1994.
282.
“Proteus,” “Pyrrhic,” “Triton,” “Trochee.” Webster’s New World™ Dictionary. Third College ed. 1988.
“Proteus,” “Triton.” Webster’s New World Encyclopedia. 1992.















Literary Analysis of Burns’ “To a Mouse”

The most-quoted, and often misquoted, lines from Robert Burns’ “To a Mouse” are found in the penultimate stanza: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/ Gang aft
a-gley.” Often people simply substitute the modern English equivalent “often go astray” for the Scottish dialect in the latter half of the quote. This robs the poem of its original freshness and simple wisdom that Burns had in mind when he composed the lines 223 years ago. “To a Mouse” passes the litmus test for a great poem; the theme is relevant whether in the case of a farmer with a plow destroying a mouse’s humble dwelling or a computer crash obliterating weeks of hard work. To borrow from agricultural nomenclature, the grain of this poem is in this second-to-last stanza, which reads in its entirety:

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft a-gley.

The cadence of each stanza shifts between longer and shorter lines, alternating back and forth, resulting in an acceleration not unlike tumbling down a hill. Although the beat fluctuates slightly from stanza to stanza, the first, second, third and fifth lines have between eight and 10 syllables, while the shorter fourth and sixth lines have between four and six. The resulting abruptness suggests what the startled rodent is likely experiencing upon suddenly being rendered without a home.
Burns’ language may pose difficulties for the 21st-century reader, who is as likely to stumble over the pronunciation of the many Scottish terms as he is over the definitions, most of which cannot be found in a standard English dictionary. Examples include: sleekit = sleek; brattle = scamper; a daimen-icker in a thrave = an ear of corn out of 24 sheaves; coulter = a plow blade; cranreuch = frost (Abrams: 91-92). Like most poems, particularly traditional, rhymed and metered ones, “To a Mouse” is most effective when read aloud. Armed with the aforementioned explanations and after several “rehearsals,” the modern reader will recite Burns’ verses glibly, and with a fuller understanding and appreciation.
“To a Mouse” leaves the reader sympathetic to the hapless little animal, and bearing no malice toward the farmer, who both expresses regret at his inadvertent actions, and identifies with his “poor, earth-born companion.”  Burns draws an unlikely, ingenious parallel between the human condition and the misfortunes of a simple field mouse. But where the mouse and the farmer differ, the poets notes in the last stanza, is in their perceptions of time. The mouse may fret over his present circumstances, but the man thinks about past failures, as well as possible future hardships.

© June 21, 2008 by Allan M. Heller




Sources

Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2, 5th ed. 1962.
New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1986. 91-92.
Analysis of Milton’s “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent”

At the age of 43, 17th-century English writer and statesman John Milton went blind. This major crisis sparked one of his most famous poems, “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent,” which is sometimes referred to as “On His Blindness.” At the start of this sonnet –which is written in the Italian style (rhyme scheme abba abba cde cde) -the poet is clearly distraught, for although he is very eager to continue serving the Lord, he fears that his latest and most serious setback will preclude his being able to do so. This sentiment is expressed in line seven: “Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?” Milton’s doubt and distress gradually give way to acceptance, and patience that God will call on him eventually, even if Milton must “stand and wait” in the meanwhile. The word “fondly” in line eight means “foolishly.”
Milton, who died in 1674 at the age of 66, may have overestimated his longevity, as he states in the second line that his loss of vision occurred “Ere half my days,” which would put his eventual demise at age 86.
In line 11, Milton’s “mild yoke” alludes to the perennial Christian concept of bearing one’s cross. “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” is almost prophetic, especially when one considers that Milton’s greatest works –Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes- were written after he lost his sight.
Milton’s use of enjambment –the poetic technique in which sentences or phrases continue through the next line without a pause- is seen in line four (“Lodged within
me. . .), which runs sans cessation through line seven (“My true account. . .”). This momentum picks up again after line eight (“Doth God exact. . .”) and flows through the end of the sonnet. This gives the poem more fluidity than if Milton had inserted conspicuous stops after each line, much like the style of telegrams several centuries later!
Line four is perplexing for those unfamiliar with New Testament parables, notably the parable of the talents in Matthew 24:14-32. In the days of the Roman Empire, a talent was a substantial unit of silver or gold. In the parable, a man gives his three servants five, two and one talent respectively. The first two invest their talents and double their sums, pleasing their master exceedingly. The servant with the single talent simply buries the money and returns it to his master. Furious, the master strips the servant of all his possessions, and casts him “. ..outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” “Talent” in line three thus has a double meaning, alluding to the parable, and also referring to the poet’s natural ability with words (Yancey: 881-882). Being cast into the darkness is an obvious metaphor for Milton’s blindness.

© June 22, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Sources

Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1, 5th ed. 1962.
New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1986. 1443.
Newcomer, Alphonso Gerald & Alice E. Andrews, eds. Twelve Centuries of English
Poetry and Prose. Chicago: Scott, Foresman & Co., 1910. 234.
Yancey, Philip, ed. The Student Bible. 1973. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1992. 881-882.
After Nearly 25 Years, Still “Shiny and New”

Fans of Madonna will recall the delightful irony of her 1984 hit Like a Virgin, featured on an album of the same name, along with eight other songs. The cover photograph features the star reclining in a wedding dress which is sprinkled with rose petals. Her hair is teased as if being whipped forward by the wind, her eyes, dark and wide, betraying a hint of experience. The Madonna of then is not quite the Madonna of now; nonetheless, her signature album is still good listening.
Like a Virgin is the third song on side one, falling perfectly into place after the exhilaration exuded by Material Girl, and the effervescence effected by Angel. Anyone who saw the old music video of Material Girl will be able to visualize it when listening to this song. Madonna’s bold, brash message in Material Girl is refreshing. A really neat sound effect is the robotic male voice that keeps echoing “Living in a material world.” In the background, Madonna is occasionally heard clucking like a woman in the throes of ecstasy. Risqué, yes, but memorable.
Angel has a light, airy quality, and Madonna sings this particular tune with an equal mix of passion and playfulness. A nice song, but not a great one, and overshadowed by most of the other songs on side one.
Like a Virgin is about a spiritual rebirth, of sorts. The classic theme here is the lover as savior. Even after nearly 25 years, this song still sounds “shiny and new.” Ranks as either the second or third best song in this collection.
Over and Over has a great beat, and while the guitar and drums help carry this song, Madonna could probably sing a cappella and manage this one all by herself. Her voice ranges significantly in Over and Over, dropping from high to low, and soft to loud with perfect precision. Absolutely inspiring, Over and Over is tied with Material Girl as the best song on this album.
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore is approximately three minutes of Madonna’s weeping, wailing and wallowing in self-pity. While some of the best love songs are sorrowful in nature, that is not the case with this melancholy melody. This gloomy, grammatically-grating song is the worst of the nine.
Side two begins with Dress You Up, in which Madonna weaves a metaphor of clothing in her caresses an impeccably-dressed gentleman who has struck her fancy. She starts in her low, husky, sultry manner, building in intensity to an explosion of emotion.
Shoo Bee Doo is a bittersweet ditty with a silly name. The lyrics convey an almost painful sincerity, blended with both despair and hope. Listening to this song is like coasting along a dark road at night, and hitting a few speed bumps with each “shoo bee doo bee doo” that Madonna emits. But strangely, these speed bumps are invigorating rather than jarring.
In Pretender, Madonna becomes every woman, who at least once in her life has come across the titular type. Interestingly, the lyrics in this song shift from third person to second person, e.g. “He’s a pretender, you meet ‘em everyday” to the haunting repetition “You lied, you lied, you lied, you lied.” This is a decent song, though.



Side two concludes with Stay, a simple, symphonic summary of the love song. Madonna’s tone is not pleading here, but urgent, inviting, and mildly insistent. The refrain “Don’t you know that I want you to stay, stay darling?” is what all men want to hear. And any woman who has ever been in love will be able to identify with Madonna.

© June 23, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

















































Straw Dogs is a Good Pick

Legendary director Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 film Straw Dogs dumps a timid American mathematician (Dustin Hoffman) and his pretty young English wife (Susan George) in a sprawling old farmhouse in her native village of Cornwall. Like Peckinpah’s earlier movies, Straw Dogs is a tough, gritty mixture of grueling drama and tense psychological thriller that forces one man to expose a darker side of himself, a side that he is surprised to discover exists. Based on the novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm by Gordon M. Williams, this film is notable not solely because of its bleak, nihilistic atmosphere, but also because of the considerable amount of bloodshed, especially at a time when such extreme violence in movies was rare.
Straw Dogs has several levels of meaning. In addition to the aforementioned anarchy, Peckinpah tries to convey the futility of running away from problems, and the impossibility of inaction. A good analogy might be that of a small fire starting in a house. While the home owner may be deathly afraid of fire, this tiny blaze will grow to an inferno if ignored. David Sumner (Hoffman) faces this sort of problem in Straw Dogs, but the “fire” in this case is a group of thuggish handymen who half-heartedly work on repairing the old farmhouse that Sumner and his wife, Amy (George) have purchased, while spending the rest of their time taunting the couple, making veiled threats and getting drunk.
The first half of this film is a little slow, and takes time building up the conflict. The viewers are introduced to the main characters in a variety of settings –in the town square, the local pub, a food market- and unnerving insinuations about these individuals are carefully dropped.  The locals’ hostility is discreetly displayed at first, taking the form of stares and silence, and nothing as blatant as a declaration like “Bloody Yank.” Several even make a pretense of being friendly, but with their sarcasm so shallowly buried as to be detectable to even a simpleton. Amy, who knows several of them from her childhood, is not considered an outsider, but is somewhat guilty by association with her American husband.
Peckinpah explores the disturbing side of masculinity that deals with the supposed male propensity towards violence and brutality. Often, men would rather cooperate or compromise rather than fight, but society leaves them no choice. Fight like a man. Don’t back down. Are you a man or a mouse? In one scene, Amy tearfully tells David, “You’re a coward.” So on one side, David has his wife urging him to stand up to the bullies, and on the other side, the bullies goading and humiliating him.
Very few of the townsfolk are actually sympathetic towards the Sumners, which should not be taken as Peckinpah’s attempt to depict the British as xenophobic, but rather as a cross section of society in general. Peckinpah is not anti-British in this film, but rather anti-people. The local magistrate (T.P. McKenna) befriends the couple, albeit in a slightly stand-offish manner, and the reverend (Colin Welland) invites them to join his congregation. The reverend is a bit put off by David’s “irreverent” comment about how the kingdom of Christ is plagued with so much bloodshed, but David says this only after the reverend accuses physicists, by their association with developing the atomic bomb, of causing so much death and destruction.
Straw Dogs contains a prolonged, very disturbing rape scene, which is as upsetting, if not more so, than the film’s violence. Some critics of this film claim that the rape scene is misogynistic, and the embodiment of every man’s fantasy. This allegation is absurd. There is nothing remotely enjoyable about watching this scene, which depicts the crime of rape as the brutal, disgusting violation that it is.
Straw Dogs is an intense, gripping drama that isolates the protagonists in the ultimate struggle, leaving them in every sense with their backs against the wall. Peckinpah’s grim view of humanity may be interpreted as cynical at best, misanthropic at worst, but there is genuine truth in much of what he depicts. Although not nearly as good as the brilliant, bloody western The Wild Bunch (1969), another piece of the Peckinpah legacy, Straw Dogs is truly engrossing.

© June 24, 2008 by Allan M. Heller











































True Blue Remains Faithful

Released in 1986 through Warner Brothers Records, Inc., True Blue was Madonna’s third album, following Madonna and Like a Virgin. I never purchased the first album, but like the third better than the second. True Blue contains nine songs; four on side one, and five on side two.
Papa, Don’t Preach begins with a prelude dominated by a string accompaniment, which dissolves into a rhythm of steady drumming, at which point the vocals commence. Mature listeners will wax cynical at the theme of young love that overcomes all obstacles, even teen pregnancy. Madonna sings this one with determination, resolution, but sans defiance. Plusses aside, this one is not among Madonna’s best.
Open Your Heart has a fast, lively beat from the get-go. Madonna’s low, husky, sultry voice belts a few notes of initial despair, then builds strength until the memorable refrain. Bursts of passionate euphony punctuate this particular number.
White Heat is an energetic, angry song, with a great opening sound bite from Jimmy Cagney’s classic movie of the same name. (“I made it Ma, top of the world!”) White Heat flows and undulates superbly. When Madonna sings the refrain “Get up, stand tall, get your back against the wall,” several background voices shout “stand tall” in unison with her, magnifying the potency. White Heat is one of many Madonna tunes in which Madonna takes the role of aggressive, would-be paramour.
The songs on Madonna’s True Blue album are well-balanced, as the placement of the melancholy Live To Tell after the upbeat White Heat attests. This is not to suggest that the songs cannot be taken in individual context, however. In Live To Tell, Madonna plays the sadder but wiser lover. Live To Tell is a good song, but the drums are a little too strong for this type of piece.
Where’s The Party? is a bouncy, rambunctious, fun song, and headlines the five songs on side two of True Blue. Everyone can identify with the line “If I can get to the weekend everything’ll be fine.” The drums in Where’s The Party? are not quite as overpowering as they are in Live To Tell. The slightly-lengthy interludes are probably meant to give Madonna a chance to catch her breath. Where’s The Party? is likely to cause uncontrollable tapping of the feet.
True Blue is next on side two. The rhymes in the lyrics are a little too simplistic, but the beat and the spirit of the song, plus of course Madonna’s voice, are what is important here. Besides, most songs don’t work well when read like poetry. True Blue is a positive number with a great rhythm.
La Isla Bonita (the beautiful island) has a tropical beat which is difficult to describe to someone who has never heard this song. A brief interlude consists of a gentle strumming on an acoustic guitar, to create a sound typical of Spanish music. This is appropriate, since the song mentions San Pedro, and the refrain concludes with “. . .your Spanish lullaby.” La Isla Bonita also features soft Spanish phrases spoken in the background. For marketing purposes, calling the album True Blue was probably better than assigning the name La Isla Bonita, or Spanish Lullaby, but this song is the star of this album.
Jimmy Jimmy is just too hyperactive, and describes the perennial attraction that women have to bad boys. Madonna sums it up perfectly with the repeated line “Why oh why oh why oh why oh why oh why (six times) do fools fall in love, with you (Jimmy Jimmy?)” And the constant “Jimmy Jimmy, oh, Jimmy Jimmy” is annoying.
The album concludes with Love Makes The World Go ‘Round, which, although it has some unusual keyboard accompaniment at the start, is not an especially memorable song. Until I listened again recently to the True Blue album, I couldn’t even recall any of the words, other than those in the title, of this final song.
My admittedly subjective ranking of the songs on the True Blue album is as follows: 1-La Isla Bonita, 2-White Heat, 3-Where’s The Party?, 4-True Blue, 5-Live To Tell, 6-Open Your Heart, 7-Papa, Don’t Preach, 8-Love Makes The World Go ‘Round. 9-Jimmy Jimmy.

© June 25, 2008 by Allan M. Heller










































Emerging From the Cocoon

The enigmatic title of this 2004 film is explained with an epigram before the opening credits, in which an old proverb is cited, referring to how the simple movement of a butterfly’s wings can cause a typhoon halfway around the world. Basically, the message of this movie is that every action has ramifications, which can vary greatly in scope and intensity.
Asthon Kutcher (That 70’s Show) plays the title role of Evan Treborn, whose frequent blackouts have partially shielded him from a series of tragic events that marred his childhood. For Evan, however, not knowing has caused him almost as much frustration and pain, so he gradually puts the broken pieces of his life together by reading old diary entries. In this way he inadvertently discovers how to flash back to his past, reliving old mishaps, but armed with the foresight that only hindsight can produce. Intent on fixing what went wrong, Evan makes several forays into yesteryear, only to discover that there is a serious drawback to every wrong that he rights, a counterbalancing tragedy to every heartbreak that he fixes.
The name “Evan Treborn” is meant to be a near anagram of the phrase “event reborn (Internet Movie Database),” an interesting tidbit of information that almost all viewers will miss. Rather than condemning Evan for pathetic attempts to play God, the viewer will sympathize with him for trying to perfect imperfect outcomes so that no one gets hurt. But despite the numerous possible paths that Evan is fated to travel, he seems cursed, evidenced by the fact that no matter how he chooses to do things differently, something bad always happens to someone. His original predicament arises from trying to retroactively save the life of a childhood friend who has just committed suicide, but in so doing he unintentionally causes the death of someone else.
Scriptwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, who also directed, create a refreshing incarnation of the age-old “what if” scenario. What keeps this film from being didactic is the fact that every re-born event is equally as bad as the one that it replaces, although a couple seem at first to be near perfect, thus forcing Evan to try again.
While Evan remains basically the same, except in one case in which he is markedly different physically, the supporting cast members vary tremendously from one scenario to another. Kayleigh Miller (Amy Smart), Evan’s would-be girlfriend, goes from being a waitress to a college student to a drug-addicted prostitute, while her brother Tommy (William Lee Scott) is alternately a psychotic delinquent or a born-again Christian. The sanity of their friend Lenny (Elden Henson) hinges on the outcome of a prank that goes horribly wrong. His college room mate and best friend, a mellow Goth nicknamed “Thumper,” (Evan Suplee from My Name is Earl) shocks Evan with his blatant hostility in one alternate reality. Smart, Scott, Henson and Suplee display great acting versatility in the vastly different roles as essentially the same people. Melora Waters is also very good as Evan’s mother, Andrea, a hard-working single mom doing her best to raise a troubled son. Eric Stoltz plays Kayleigh and Tommy’s abusive father.
The film’s R rating stems from the frequent profanity, sexual situations, brief female frontal nudity and some violence, although the latter is not too graphic. The Butterfly Effect is not suitable for children.
The Director’s Cut on DVD also features the cinematic release version, but no outtakes or other extras. This was a great disappointment, especially since The Butterfly Effect has three different endings, only one of which is available on the DVD. At just over two hours, this movie does not strike the viewer as too lengthy, because of the suspense and intensity which are skillfully maintained with every journey that the increasingly-desperate Evan takes into his sordid past. A quote from comedian Bill Cosby is appropriate for The Butterfly Effect: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”

© July 5, 2008 by Allan M. Heller














































Lathe of Heaven Doesn’t Smooth or Shape

Two television movies were made based on Ursula K. LeGuin’s novel about a young man whose dreams alter the fabric of space and time. The first, which aired in 1980, was called The Lathe of Heaven, while the second, which came out 22 years later, was simply called Lathe of Heaven (sans definite article). As I had already watched the latter I decided to rent the former, but wound up receiving the latter. So I watched Lathe of Heaven once more, and decided that I could still write a review, if nothing else. I have not read LeGuin’s book, but do not feel that this hinders me from writing a good review of the movie.
The film opens with a wide expanse of deep blue ocean, through which a jellyfish is gracefully gliding. A narrator’s voice recites some abstruse poetry dealing with sleep and dreams. The image of a jellyfish in its natural habitat is not a bad visual per se, and seems to fit well with the concepts of sleeping and dreaming, but just does not fit well with the title Lathe of Heaven. A lathe is an instrument for smoothing and shaping wood, while a jellyfish. . .is not.
The first scene finds the protagonist, George Orr (Lukas Haas) barely surviving an overdose, and now faced with criminal charges for illegally obtaining sleeping pills. Not normally the criminal type, George acts out of desperation when he takes the sleeping pills, hoping that they will suppress his dreams. Not only are George’s dreams realistic, they have a way of actually becoming reality. If George could control his dreams, then his gift would be a tremendous plus, but as he tells his court-appointed psychiatrist Dr. William Haber (James Caan), “Dreams don’t travel in a straight line.” Neither do George’s adventures and misadventures.
Somehow I found myself looking for something more out of this story, such as an explanation or even the faintest hint as to why George’s dreams have such tremendous power. Often a clue is better than a thorough explanation, as an explanation leaves little or no margin for the viewer’s imagination. About halfway through Lathe of Heaven, however, I simply did not care enough about the characters or the situation to wonder anymore. What could have been a riveting, engrossing movie failed to exploit its potential.
An angle which might have been explored is the issue of George’s sanity. The viewer accepts that George is both sane, and correct in realizing that the world in which he lies down to sleep may not be the same as the world in which he awakens (or as Winston Churchill might have put it, “. . .the world up in which he wakes).” No one else realizes that anything is any different, because to others what appears to be has always been.
The question of whether or not George is delusional could have been expanded to his therapy sessions, as well. Dr. Haber comes to believe that George can alter time and reality, and with the use of a “dream machine” Dr. Haber plants suggestions such as “I want you to dream that your therapist is world-renowned, very distinguished, and has an office with a spectacular view of the mountains.” But the movie would have been so much more effective if it was not clear that Dr. Haber was a manipulative villain, just like it is not immediately clear in the film A Beautiful Mind if John Nash is paranoid, or the doctors really are out to get him. Thus the film’s central conflict shifts from George’s unsuccessful attempts to control his unpredictable, dangerous dreams to his attempt to escape from his traitorous psychiatrist, who leverages George’s legal woes to prevent him from seeing a different doctor.
One also has to wonder how Dr. Haber realizes that his patient’s claims are totally valid. Confronting his psychiatrist with allegations of dream manipulation, George tells him “That isn’t even the worst part; it’s that you don’t even admit that you believe me.” Even more so, how is Dr. Haber immune from the mass amnesia inflicted on the rest of the world after one of George’s dreams comes true? Lathe of Heaven is a movie that I saw before, and should not have watched again. In addition, if I should ever come across the 1980 version, I think I’ll pass.

© July 6, 2008 by Allan M. Heller











































Poetry Analysis of Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world,

The foe long since in silence slept,
Alike the Conqueror silent sleeps,
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone,
That memory may their deed redeem,
When like our sires our sons are gone.

Spirit! who made those freemen dare
To die, or leave their children free,
Bid time and nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and Thee.

In 1837, 62 years after the first official clash between British and American forces during the Revolutionary War, a stone obelisk was erected on the spot near Concord, Massachusetts, where the North Bridge stood over the Concord River, the very same spot where stoic Minutemen faced down regulars of the British Army. English troops had been dispatched from Boston, and ordered to confiscate ammunition hidden by the rebellious Colonials. From April 18 to 19, the British retreated east, back towards Boston, after encountering much stronger American resistance than they had believed possible. The English lost a few hundred men, the Americans perhaps half as many, but the lines had been drawn. Sung at the dedication of the aforementioned obelisk was a poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Concord Hymn.” Although the volume of his poetry is not inconsiderable, Emerson established his reputation first and foremost as an essayist, but, as this piece demonstrates, he was a versatile and talented writer.
By a “rude” bridge in line 1, Emerson means one that was very basic, very simply constructed, obviously not a bridge that was lacking in proper etiquette. The skirmish occurred in April of 1775, when the flood waters of the Concord River were at their height, hence the significance of the phrase “that arched the flood.” The reader or listener gets the accurate image of an arched wooden bridge spanning the river. According to contemporary reports by both the British and the American troops involved, the Colonists had no flags that they “unfurled” (Wikimedia); this is simply poetic license on Emerson’s part. “Embattled farmers” these men were, belonging to a local militia, which consisted of townsfolk not part of any regular army. While no one knows to this day which side actually fired “the shot heard round the world,” this volley indeed had global repercussions, causing the British to wonder seriously about the future of their vast empire, and eventually influencing the revolution in France.
The first two lines of the second stanza merely state that participants on both sides of the battle are long deceased, sleep being a common metaphor for death. The North Bridge, too, is “dead,” but a replacement structure has since been constructed at the site, now located in Minuteman Park. The “dark stream which seaward creeps” refers to the Concord River, but on another level, is likely a metaphor for the passing of time.
The “votive stone” in the third stanza is the obelisk. When most people hear “votive” they think of a candle, but “votive” is an adjective meaning “in commemoration of” or “in memory of.” Thus, the phrase fits perfectly. Many years later a Minuteman statue was added, and Emerson’s poem inscribed on a plaque at the base. The sculptor for the Minuteman was Daniel Chester French, best-known for the immense, seated statue of the 16th president inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Whether the different versions of this poem are due to Emerson’s capriciousness or errors in reproduction is unclear, but a comparison of poems culled from four different sources –two from the Internet and two from book anthologies- show discrepancies in lines 13 and 14. In one instance, the word “spirit” in line 13 is replaced with “O Thou,” and in the other instances, “freemen” becomes “spirits” or “heroes” “Or” in line 14 is sometimes “and.”
The brevity of this poem, coupled with the strong, patriotic sentiments it embodies, contributes to its enduring popularity. The language is neither erudite nor too simplistic, but an effective vehicle for conveying the lofty ideals to which it aspires. The meter fluctuates slightly in some lines, but this does not break the overall rhythm and pace of the poem, except perhaps in the case of line 3, which would fit better by omitting the word “the,” making it “Where once embattled farmers stood.” The first and third and second and fourth lines rhyme with one another, though Emerson relies on near rhyme in stanzas 1 and 3, with “flood/stood” and “stone/gone.”

© July 9, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Sources

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The Concord Hymn.” Emerson Central. 9 July 2008. Ed. Jone
Johnson Lewis. 9 July 2008. <http://www.emersoncentral.com/poems/concordhymn.htm>.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The Concord Hymn.” National Park Service. Ed. Jessica T.
Liptak. 8 July 2008. <http://www.nps.gov/archive/mima/hymn.htm>.

“Battles of Lexington and Concord.” Wikipedia. 4 July 2008. Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc. 7 July 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org>.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The Concord Hymn.” 101 Best-Loved Poems. Ed. Roy J. Cook.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958. 134.

Baym, Nina et al, eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 1979. 2nd ed., vol.
New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1985. 819-823, 975-976.


Movie Review of Inherit the Wind (1960)

The fact that the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind, starring Spencer Tracy and Frederic March, was filmed in black and white seems to demonstrate the simplicity of the humble town of Hillsboro, Tennessee, the fictional setting for this fact-based movie. The majority of townsfolk who rally against high school biology teacher Bertram Cates (Dick York, who went on to play Darrin Stephens on Bewitched), are plain, salt-of-the-earth types, many of whom make their living at farming or similar livelihoods. Mostly poor, uneducated and unambitious, they naturally see the world in only black and white. When the presumptuous young educator Cates tries to convince their children that humans and apes share a common ancestry, the townsfolk see Cates as practically the Anti-Christ.
While Inherit the Wind is an excellent film, it thrives as much on embellishment and hyperbole as it does on historical fact. The townsfolk are portrayed not merely as religious, but as ignorant, bigoted zealots, implying that anyone who is a devout Christian is hypocritical and close-minded. Cates is the innocent victim, the champion and martyr for free speech, facing not only the loss of his employment and his freedom, but of his fiancée, Rachel Brown (Donna Anderson) as well. The actual Scopes Monkey Trial, which took place in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, was very much contrived by school teacher John Thomas Scopes and his supporters, who planned how Scopes would be arrested and tried, determined to draw national attention to the case.
Those who dislike long, intense scenes of dialogue and psychological drama will not enjoy Inherit the Wind. Much of the movie features the debates and cross-examinations between the defense attorney, Henry Drummond (Tracy), and the guest prosecutor, reactionary politician Matthew Harrison Brady (March). These two characters were based on Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Outside of the courtroom, the two lawyers, formerly good friends, are very civil towards each other, reminiscing about the past and pondering what caused the schism that now exists between them. One very memorable scene has Drummond and Brady sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of the hotel where they are both staying, talking about the old days, when Drummond tells an anecdote about a rocking horse that he wanted as a child. When the young Drummond received the beloved rocking horse as a gift from his parents, it broke immediately after he sat on it. He makes an allegorical comparison of the rocking horse, which was made of rotten wood, and the townsfolk’s blind faith.  
Gene Kelly is very good as E. K. Hornbeck, the cynical, sarcastic reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He makes his appearance in the courthouse where Donna is talking to Deputy Horace Meeker (Paul Hartman) about her fiancé’s upcoming trial. Casually munching on an apple, Hornbeck (based on reporter H. L. Mencken) announces that his newspaper is footing the bill for the defense. Rather than being grateful, Rachel easily sees through the newspaper’s ostensibly charitable motives, greeting Hornbeck with mistrust and hostility. Unperturbed, Hornbeck tosses his half-eaten apple into a waste basket and saunters out of the courtroom. While Hornbeck is cavalier and condescending, there is still something decidedly admirable about him, the viewers can’t quite dislike him.
Claude Akins makes a departure from his usual tough-guy roles as the fiery, white-haired Reverend Jeremiah Brown, Rachel’s father. Professing his love for Rachel, he falls down on his knees in one scene and loudly implores the Lord to save his daughter from the wickedness that is besieging her, i.e. her love for Cates. At a prayer rally later, however, he whips the crowd into a frenzy when he begs God to damn both Cates and his daughter. Surprisingly, Brady intervenes on Rachel’s behalf, only to betray her later in court.
Other notable actors include Harry Morgan, of MASH, who portrays Judge Mel Coffey. The scene in which Coffey is introduced begins with his back to the camera, but upon hearing the distinctive voice of the actor, anyone who has seen Morgan in anything will immediately recognize him.  As a judge Coffey is surprisingly fair, juxtaposed to almost everyone else in Hillsboro, who marches around brandishing slogans on signs, burning Cates and Drummond in effigy, and singing, to the tune of “John Brown’s Body,” how they will hang both defense attorney and defendant from “a sour apple tree.”
Originally a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (sic), Inherit the Wind has reappeared as a TV movie in 1965, 1988 and 1999, with York reprising his role as Cates in the 1965 version, but without Tracy and March, the later versions could not possibly have been as powerful. Despite the fact that Cates is on trial for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution, the story is not really about him. Cates is a pawn in a much larger struggle, and he is always aware of this. For all its limitations, Inherit the Wind is a movie with great dialogue, superb acting, and an inspirational message.

© July 17, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
































Clearly Confounding

I may seem to some like the most ignorant, ill-bred cretin ever to attempt to assume airs for what I am about to state here, for the reverse recommendation, as it were, that I am about to give regarding Great Dialogues of Plato, translated by W. H. D. Rouse: my advice is to avoid this book. There is no question that Plato (427-347 BC), and his eminent teacher, Socrates (469-399 BC), have together formed the crux of Greek philosophy, and while tremendous credit must be given to the late Dr. Rouse for accomplishing such a Herculean labor, the result of said labor is, to the modern reader, almost as laborious.
First printed in 1956 and edited by Eric H. Warmington and Philip G. Rouse, Great Dialogues of Plato is divided into several works, namely Ion, Meno, Symposium, The Republic, The Apology, Crito and Phaedo. The Republic, with its accompanying introduction and ten books, comprises the majority of this compendium. Rouse mentions in a footnote that The Republic was not divided into ten separate books until many centuries after Plato’s death, an interesting fact of which I was not aware. Supplementary to the texts are the Greek alphabet, and a pronunciation guide to the dozens of Greek names that appear throughout this 528-page volume.
Since Socrates was an orator and not a writer per se, his greatest and most famous disciple, Plato, took it upon himself to compose a series of hypothetical conversations between Socrates and his numerous friends and acquaintances. These conversations, or dialogues, cover in excruciating detail topics such as love, virtue, justice, forms of government, reincarnation and the immortality of the soul.
The biggest problem with Great Dialogues of Plato is that everything centers around Socrates, overshadowing the author of these texts, who seems as if he himself never had an original thought or a personal opinion on anything. Of course, that Plato was a mindless imitator is not true, but the reader easily loses sight of this amidst all of the “. . .Socrates said,” and “according to Socrates,” and such. Even Rouse’s preface to Dialogues focuses almost entirely on Socrates, not Plato. However, in a footnote on page 134, Book I of The Republic, Rouse writes that Plato is the first person known to have said that “. . .it is not the work of the just man to injure. . .whether to injure a friend or anyone else.” But this sentiment Plato modestly attributes to his illustrious mentor.
The footnotes are copious, but in most cases, absolutely necessary. In addition to translating Plato from the ancient Greek, Rouse had the titanic task of translating countless social, political and historical references which all but the best scholars of antiquity will miss. The footnotes average about one or two per page, sometimes as many as eight or nine, which occasionally breaks the pace of the Dialogues (the pace being slightly faster than a snail’s!) but this cannot be helped. Even with the expert guidance of Rouse, some words, phrases or concepts are irretrievably lost in translation, which Rouse readily admits with the disclaimer “the Greek text is unclear.” Often, Rouse is forced to explain a pun on two Greek words, a pun which would obviously elude the modern reader in English.
There are constant references to The Odyssey and The Iliad, particularly the latter. This demonstrates how thoroughly ingrained into the culture of the ancient Greeks these books were, comparable to the influence of The Bible on more modern society. Fully 74 of the 607 footnotes in Dialogues refer to the Homeric epics.
If I had to choose which texts to read –in the event that merely reading a cogent synopsis would not be an option- I would select Symposium, The Republic, and Phaedo. The Symposium I would include because it is of some substance and among the better-known, and deals with Socrates and a number of friends who gather at a banquet, where they decide to play a “parlor game.” That game consists of each person giving his description of love. The Republic I would select simply because it is The Republic, the most famous of Plato’s works, and contains the famous allegory of “the cave.” Phaedo deals with the death of Socrates, who was found guilty by a vote of 280 to 221 of “corrupting the youth of Athens,” and subsequently sentenced to death. Even I must admit that there is something admirable in Socrates’ stoic acceptance of his impending demise, and how he strolls about his cell with his closest friends, philosophizing until the very end. He cheerfully chugs the hemlock-laced libation, waiting patiently as the poison creeps up to his heart.
Ostensibly done in deference to his master, the style of the Dialogues, in which Socrates explains, argues and contradicts his confused companions, might just as easily have been written as expository essays. Socrates does almost all of the talking, and the responses that he receives are often limited to “Yes, indeed it does, Socrates,” “Quite true, yes,” “By the gods, of course.” The other people are almost irrelevant to these “dialogues.”
I feel that a word of explanation, or at least a few footnotes, would better serve the text of Symposium, particularly during the speech by the drunken Alcibiades, when he proclaims that Socrates –who had a wife and children- was his best lover, and reminisces about lying down beside him. I do not consider myself to be homophobic, but I cringed at this. But to the ancient Greeks, men, even married ones, with male lovers were not considered abnormal or aberrant, and despite the fact that they had physical relations with each other, many men maintained that their love was of the purest form, spiritual and intellectual. No one at the Symposium was in the least put off by Alcibiades’ words.
  Some enduring themes nevertheless shine through in Great Dialogues of Plato. That Socrates was a wise, just and honest man is evident, assuming of course that Plato’s interpretation of his master’s principles were accurate. A very progressive idea surfaces in The Republic -in which Socrates, Glaucon, Polemarchos, Thrasymarchos, Adeimantos and Cephalos discuss the perfect, hypothetical city state- that of including women in the government. Strangely, they make no mention of women’s suffrage, perhaps assuming that the two go hand in hand.  Other beliefs and opinions put forth seem almost to reflect Judaeo-Christian heritage, although Plato, Socrates and their contemporaries were officially pagans. For example, Socrates speaks frequently of “God” rather than simply “the gods,” confusing because the ancient Greeks clearly espoused polytheism. Maybe this is an example of liberties taken by the translator.
In summary, I feel that familiarity with Socrates, Plato, and many concepts of basic philosophy are important for the cultured, well-rounded individual. I simply do not recommend this particular text for would-be inquirers. Read a concise summary, buy the Cliff Notes, or explore online sources such as Spark Notes. These will help you to understand and intelligently discuss Classical ideals, but Great Dialogues of Plato will probably just confuse you.

© July 22, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

It’ll Quell the Smell, But It’s Pricey & Flaky

Arm & Hammer Ultra Max® deodorant works as well as any, and better than some, antiperspirants currently on the market. When consumers see Arm & Hammer, they think “baking soda,” which they rightly associate with odor elimination. This association makes for a good selling point. But baking soda is one of the 14 inactive ingredients, and as such, listed ninth. The active ingredient of aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex Gly comprises nearly one-fifth of the content. The Arm & Hammer logo seems to suggest that this deodorant is mostly baking soda. Pure baking soda, which comes in a cardboard box, is very effective as a deodorant, but its tendency to cause rashes and other skin irritations after prolonged use limits its feasibility.
More and more people care about what they are putting into their bodies, and some people even care about what they are putting on their bodies. From the list of ingredients, I only recognize stearyl alcohol, hydrogenated castor oil, talc, corn starch modified, and of course, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). I long for a personal hygiene product with simple ingredients!
Retailing at about three dollars per 2.8-oz. container, Ultra Max® comes in a yellow, oblong plastic tube with a knob on the bottom. As you use up the deodorant, you turn the knob on the bottom to the right to push up the remaining product.
I don’t care for the flaky texture of this particular deodorant. Even though the tube comes fitted with a clear plastic cap, the exposed portion of the deodorant sometimes expands, leaving white, chalky residue when I attempt to reseal it. Unlike the clear solid deodorants which glide smoothly over the skin, Ultra Max® leaves white, chalky residue under the arms, as well. The front label claims “invisible solid.” Not quite.
I do, however, appreciate that Ultra Max® is unscented. Why would anyone want perfumed armpits? I don’t want to smell bad or good, period.
Those who have read my reviews on tangible products might think that I obsess over environmental issues, but I merely feel that I have legitimate concerns about the entire life cycle of a product. Like all the other solid deodorants in stores, Ultra Max® is primarily plastic, and only partially product. With luck, there will someday be a deodorant that leaves not only no trace of odor, but none of landfill material. Stay dry!

© July 23, 2008 by Allan M. Heller













What’s the Deal? Does It Seal and Heal For Real?

I can understand why someone might be tempted to purchase Band-Aid® Liquid Bandages™ out of curiosity, but beyond that I cannot guess. Each package contains a tiny, clear plastic bottle holding maybe ½ an once of the much-vaunted healing liquid, which is a strange lavender color. Also included are 10 individually-wrapped 3” white plastic applicators with green foam tips. These tips have such a miniscule amount of foam on them so as to be almost pointless.
Made by Johnson & Johnson, Band-Aid® Liquid Bandages™ have an expiration date of approximately two years from the product’s manufacture. Liquid Bandages™ come in a distinctive light blue box which, in addition to the two standard side flaps, has a long lid flap on top that folds down behind the box, and is supposed to tuck neatly into a tiny hole in the back, located roughly in the center. The problem is that it usually doesn’t stay closed very well.
The number of uses, as well as the efficacy of this product, depends largely on the severity of the injury. The label instructions call for squeezing two drops of Liquid Bandage™ onto the flimsy foam tip of the applicator, but this may not be enough. I currently have eight plastic applicators and almost no lavender liquid remaining, which I think shows that a little bit does not go a long way. First, I thought that Liquid Bandages™ would be ideal to conceal and heal facial nicks and cuts received from shaving. I soon found that it both felt and looked awkward on my face, as much so as an adhesive bandage. If you are prone to shaving cuts, buy a styptic pencil, instead.
Obviously, Liquid Bandages™ are not effective on long or deep cuts, even cuts on which a conventional Band-Aid® would work. About a year and a half ago, I received from a broken bottle a bad cut which left a scar on my left thumb, and found this to be the case.
I don’t see any real advantages that Liquid Bandages™ have over regular Band-Aids™ . In fact, I have found them to be less effective. If I were tasked with improving this product, I would dispense with the applicators altogether, and have a larger quantity of Liquid Bandage™ in a softer, more malleable container. A more viscous liquid would also help, preferably flesh-colored instead of lavender. Finally, I would affix normal flaps to the top of the box.

© July 24, 2008 by Allan M. Heller













See The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)

An ostensibly random confrontation with two overly-zealous policemen forces a young lawyer (Prunella Gee), her architect boyfriend (Michael Caine) and one of her clients (Sidney Poitier) to flee from relentless government officials (Nicol Williamson and Rijk de Gooyer) in apartheid-era South Africa. Antagonists Major Horn (Williamson) and his slimy sidekick Van Heerden (de Gooyer) thoroughly enjoy tormenting their confused quarry, cornering them on several occasions, only to inexplicably let them slip away to begin the chase anew. The action is intense, the suspense even more so, and the heroes wonder aloud several times “Why didn’t they (Horn and Van Heerden) arrest us?” This is a hint that might tell perceptive viewers something, and should tell the good guys something but doesn’t.
Williamson’s Horn is a great villain as far as bad guys go, despite the fact that he is mostly one-dimensional. Horn’s justification for his blind obedience to his country’s persecution of the black majority is patriotism, bringing to mind the old adage that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” In his first scene, Horn tells a fellow secret police officer that Horn has no intention of letting people who are “20 years out of the trees” run his country. Blatantly racist, yes, but his statements definitely establish a motive for his sinister actions.
Though subordinate to Horn, Van Heerden is more sadistic, and reminiscent of the typical petty little man who obtains some degree of power and is quick to abuse that power. During one very suspenseful and nerve-wracking scene in which Horn is interrogating a village elder for aiding and abetting the fleeing Jim Keogh (Caine) and Shack Twala (Poitier), Horn asks Van Heerden “Do you think that he understands now?” to which Van Heerden replies smugly “No, I don’t think he does.” Van Heerden is like a little Hitler, content to be an underling for the moment, but patiently awaiting his chance. During the course of the movie, Horn and Van Heerden put a number of people through the ringer, releasing most of them unharmed but severely shaken.
As architect Jim Keogh, Caine is good as the reluctant hero who through no intent of his own is dragged into an international, life or death struggle. He is at first sympathetic to the plight of Twala, who has spent 10 years in a South African jail for “revolutionary activities” (i.e. protesting apartheid), then resentful at being forced into fugitive status to help a man who he has just met.
Only one brief scene provides some comic relief to this film. After beating up the two policemen in Capetown, Keogh and Twala are driving to Johannesburg, where one of Twala’s contacts is supposed to help them. Forced to heed the call of nature, Twala asks Keogh to stop the car, then unzip Twala’s pants for him, because Twala’s handcuffs are so tight that his fingers are numb, and he cannot do this for himself. After about ten seconds, Twala returns to the car, and stands patiently next to Keogh. “Now what?” Keogh asks. “You know what,” Twala tells him. Fortunately the scene ends there.
Twala’s ultimate destination is neighboring Botswana, where a man called Wilby Xaba and his hundreds of anti-apartheid supporters are waiting for Twala, who is second-in-command of their organization. But first Twala must rendezvous with this contact in Johannesburg, an Indian dentist named Mukarhee (Saeed Jaffrey), who has hidden a stash of diamonds with which Twala intends to finance the anti-apartheid group, dubbed “terrorists” by the South African government. Without these diamonds, Wilby is just “an old man in a suit.” In addition to being caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with Horn and Van Heerden, the protagonists must contend with distrust, greed and betrayal.
While there are a number of deaths in The Wilby Conspiracy, the film’s forte is not violence or even action, but suspense. The mastery of this movie is that the build-ups are paramount, sometimes culminating in explosive action, but more often culminating in the threat of another build-up. One of the scariest scenes takes place in Mukarhee’s dental office, when Horn and Van Heerden burst in and demand to know where the good doctor is hiding Twala (who is in a secret compartment behind a book case). Before the pernicious pair even speaks a word, Mukarhee is visibly shaking. With an array of terrifying dental tools at the villains’ disposal -picks, drills and tongs -the ominous possibilities overwhelm the viewer.
Directed by Ralph Nelson, The Wilby Conspiracy is based on a novel written by Peter Driscoll, with a screenplay by Rodney Amateau and Harold Nebenzal. Other stars include the late Persis Khambatta (Star Trek, the movie) as Mukarhee’s “assistant” Persis Ray, Rutger Hauer, as the immoral, estranged husband of Rina Van Niekirk (Gee), and Joe De Graft as Wilby Xaba. Almost needless to note, this great film would likely flounder without Poitier’s perfect performance. The Wilby Conspiracy deserves five stars out of five.

© July 24, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
































But Do These Keys Fit?

My seemingly scandalous question prefacing this review of the 1945 movie The Keys of the Kingdom refers not to the actual keys which Jesus handed Peter (“I give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven”), but to whether or not this film can actually hold viewers rapt for two and a quarter hours. The answer seems to be “no.” I first watched this movie about seven or eight years ago, and for some strange reason, my recollection was that The Keys of the Kingdom was a masterpiece. My second and probably final opinion is that it is not.
Directed by John M. Stahl, The Keys of the Kingdom is based on a novel by A.J. Cronin, and is about the life of the Scottish-born Father Francis Chisolm (Gregory Peck) who, after failing miserably in his first two assignments, is sent as a missionary to China in the latter 19th century. The story unfolds as a series of prolonged flashbacks as a monsignor at Chisolm’s original parish in Tweedside, Scotland reads Chisolm’s diary. As the movie opens, the now white-haired, bespectacled Chisolm has been sent back to his hometown and is possibly facing forced retirement, and the latter does not suit him at all.
A movie exceeding two hours has to be exceedingly interesting to keep viewers watching, particularly with today’s shorter attention spans. Peck’s performance as the humble, pious Catholic priest is nearly flawless, but after the first hour or so, a little more is required to maintain enthusiasm. Many people, like myself, will watch almost any movie to the end, but I can see why a lot of viewers might abandon The Keys of the Kingdom halfway.
Peck’s character does display a remarkable ability to convert adversaries both real and potential to friends, as he demonstrates with a wealthy Mandarin landowner (Leonard Strong) by saving the life of the man’s son, and with the snobbish Mother Maria-Veronica (Rose Stradner), whose initial impressions of the priest as less than favorable. Others cannot be turned from their tumultuous paths, such as the imperious general of an invading army of nationalists, and a dissolute local man and his equally-immoral wife.
There are some elements of suspense and danger, proving that even the most “mundane” life has its risks and consequences. The Keys of the Kingdom does not strive to be an action movie, nor should it, but lacks the necessary ingredients to sustain the story through the drier, duller moments, of which there are many. At least ten minutes dealing with Chisolm’s boyhood, near the beginning of the film, could have been reduced to a 30 or 60 second spoken summary. This would have removed several actors from the finished picture, among them Roddy McDowall, who plays the adolescent Chisolm, and Dennis Hoey and Ruth Nelson, who play Chisolm’s parents. Fans of the old Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce may recall Hoey as the inimitable Inspector Lestrade, but he looks totally different in this movie.
Usually I pay little attention to the makeup aspects of a film, unless a major part of the story relies on it. However, I was impressed how artists were able to seamlessly turn a young priest (Peck was 28 when the movie was filmed) into an elderly patriarch. Also commendable was the job done on Hoey, who looked nothing like Inspector Lestrade.
Horror icon Vincent Price renders a memorable appearance as Monsignor Angus Mealey, a childhood friend of Chisolm’s who has risen not only in position, but also in arrogance. While his screen time in not remarkable juxtaposed to that of Peck’s or many other co-stars, Price has a profound impact on the movie, both for the viewer and the actual story line. Price’s whole demeanor fits the part of Mealy quite well.
Father Francis Chisolm reminds me of George Bailey (James Stewart) in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Both characters are modest, soft-spoken men who are not sure whether they have made a real difference in all of the lives that they have touched.  One difference is that George Bailey’s doubts and insecurities are more apparent, although Father Chisolm’s concerns also surface at times. While The Keys of the Kingdom has a good moral –that those who work quietly and patiently behind the scenes can have a tremendous impact- the movie’s length, and dearth of action drag it down.

© July 26, 2008 by Allan M. Heller











































Just Another Stick of Gum

I paid $1.19 for a 17-piece pack of Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum at a local Superfresh supermarket If you do the math, that breaks down to precisely seven cents per piece. While I believe that a dollar for a 17-pack would be more reasonable, I will not gripe overly about an extra 19 cents.
Each piece of gum teases the tongue with a delightfully delicate coating of sugar, then explodes into strong spearmint sensations after being chewed for about 30 seconds. After the first five minutes of chewing, however, the initially robust flavor diminishes significantly. This is one reason why I usually opt for two pieces at a time, to savor the flavor. Also, the individual sticks of gum are too flimsy for my teeth and tongue. So revising the original math calculations, I am really paying a little over 11 cents per piece, since two pieces are like one piece for me. But that is trivial.
After prolonged chewing, 40 to 60 minutes or more, Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum begins to take on the consistency of rubber, to the point where I can actually feel my molars sliding off of it. Sometimes, this is even accompanied by an audible squeak. At this point, there is still a vestige of spearmint, but spitting the gum out and popping a fresh piece (or two) is preferable.
The pack is relatively sturdy, as long as it is not subjected to undue stress or pressure. Putting it in your shirt pocket, or even your lateral pants pocket, will cause no harm, but don’t put it in your rear pocket. Each stick of gum is wrapped in its own piece of foil, which in turn is inserted into a white paper sleeve. An adhesive strip encircles all of the white paper sleeves, which are finally enclosed in a second foil wrapping. A small, protruding flap on top of the pack allows for easy opening. Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum does not tolerate heat very well. If you purchase this gum in the summer, offer some to your friends, or chew two pieces at a time like I do.
Despite the thorough packaging, and the addition of the preservative BHT, Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum goes stale relatively quickly. When this occurs, the sticks become dry and brittle, losing most of their taste and elasticity. There is nothing worse than a stale piece of chewing gum. (Okay, I suppose that a root canal without anesthesia is worse, as is listening to Rap, but I digress).
Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum contains sugar –in the form of dextrose and corn syrup- as well as the artificial sweetener aspartame, which causes gastric disturbances in some people. Other ingredients are gum base, [unspecified] natural and artificial flavors, glycerol, soy lecithin, hydrogenated soy lecithin and acesulfame K.
Wrigley’s™ is a household name in chewing gum, and while spearmint is probably their best seller, it is nothing spectacular. If someone offers me a piece, I might accept, but I prefer a good candy bar. But at least if you chew Wrigley’s™ Spearmint Gum some anti-smoking zealot can’t complain that you are subjecting him to second-hand tooth decay. (No, I don’t smoke cigarettes).

© July 28, 2008 by Allan M. Heller





Dr. George Washington Carver Would Have Approved

Manufactured by the J. M. Smucker Company in Orrville, Ohio, Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter is the best brand on the market, as far as I am concerned. Although peanut butter tastes even better with a glass of milk, Jif® is moist and creamy enough that constant sipping of your accompanying glass of milk is not necessary. I can eat an entire piece of bread, or a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with Jif®, before I have to sip my milk.
Jif® is well-blended to ensure ideal consistency and texture, and tastes great. All of the oil is uniformly absorbed throughout the 18 ounces of product. By comparison, store brands tend to be rather dry. I once bought Crazy Richard’s All-Natural Peanut Butter, and did not like all of the preliminary mixing required. The oil was on top, the peanut butter was still dry after considerable churning, and the taste was unsatisfactory. Not so with Jif®.
Jif® is so savory that you may be tempted to overeat. I seldom am able to stop after one, sometimes even after two, sandwiches. Jif®, however, may be a little too sweet for some palates.
The expiration date on a jar of Jif® is about two years, assuming of course that you do not remove the protective foil covering. Jif® is so smooth that even if you refrigerate the jar –which some people do- the peanut butter will still spread easily. I do not refrigerate my peanut butter.
Downsides to the king of peanut butter are the dubious nutritional value, and the price. Jif® contains a lot of sugar and fat. A serving size of two tablespoons, or 32 grams, is nearly 10% sugar and 25% fat. And of the 190 calories in each serving, 130 come from fat (information taken from label). In all fairness, Jif® ranks slightly better than the store brand America’s Farm® Smooth Peanut Butter, which has five more calories of fat and 10 more calories total than Jif®. But consumers have a right to expect a little better than that from the “#1 choice of choosy moms.”  The complete ingredients in Jif® are as follows: roasted peanuts and sugar, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt.
Jif® is at least a dollar more than the typical store brand. If you buy a lot of peanut butter (every household should have at least one jar), you will spend a lot more money on Jif®, money which might be spent on gasoline. But in this case, you may as well buy the best.

© July 28, 2008 by Allan M. Heller













Today is Wednesday, July 30, 2008. I am going to start writing articles for Helium’s Summer Rewardathon (I know what this means). I will first select five six, and after they have been finished, decide what I want to write next.

Arts & Humanities – History – Facts about the signing of the Magna Carta
Arts & Humanities – History – Famous people from Pennsylvania
Arts & Humanities – History – Events that led to the Battle of Hastings
Arts & Humanities – History –The effects of Fat Man, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki
Arts & Humanities – History –The effects of Little Boy, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima
Arts & Humanities – History –Peasant life in the Middle Ages


































The effects of Little Boy, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima

Nicknamed “Little Boy,” the first atomic bomb to be used against an enemy was dropped over the skies of Hiroshima, Japan, shortly after 8:00 on the morning of August 16, 1945. Exactly one month earlier, one of three atomic bombs had been tested in the New Mexico desert near Alamogordo. The decision to use such a devastating weapon was not made lightly by President Harry S. Truman and his advisors. But after nearly four years of bloody conflict, America would settle for nothing less than unconditional surrender from the Empire of the Sun. Warned about the dire consequences should they fail to comply, the Japanese nonetheless refused the Allies’ terms.
Flanked by two other B-29 bombers who were to act as observers, Colonel Paul W. Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay -which had been named after his mother- on the fateful morning. On board was the airplane’s deadly payload –a four-and-a-half ton incendiary device with a Uranium-235 core. Hiroshima, Japan’s seventh largest city and a seaport of some strategic significance, had been selected as one of four possible targets. Everyone connected with the mission hoped that a second bombing mission would not be necessary.
Dropped from an altitude of about 32,000 feet, Little Boy detonated approximately half a mile above the ground, with a blinding flash accompanied by a deafening boom. The explosion had the force of 20,000 tons of dynamite. Within minutes, a mushroom-shaped column of smoke and debris rose nine miles into the sky.
Nearly everything within a five-mile radius of ground zero was destroyed; people were burned beyond recognition or outright vaporized. Two-thirds of the buildings and other structures within a ten-mile radius were demolished. Photographs of the affected area reveal a nearly flat landscape, with former edifices reduced to mere splinters. The military planners had misjudged somewhat, however, as most of the munitions factories in Hiroshima were located a fair distance from the center of the blast, and were spared. Tragically, one-third of the victims were school children (Bauer: 658).
Casualty figures varied, but between 60,000 to 70,000 Japanese were killed and an equal number injured. Survivors suffered horrific burns, and others succumbed to radiation sickness in the weeks following. Incredibly, Japanese authorities remained unconvinced that they should surrender. Where they had first announced to the public that the Allies could not have possessed such an instrument of destruction, they now proclaimed that the Allies could not possibly have a second such device. How wrong they were.

© August 1, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Sources

Bauer, Eddy. The History of World War II. New York: Galahad Books, 1966, 1979. 656-
660.
Ward, Geoffrey C. & Ken Burns. The War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. 413-419.

Photo Caption: The devastation of Hiroshima after “Little Boy” was dropped.

Photo Credit: Government of Japan.
The effects of Fat Man, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki

To their extreme misfortune, the Japanese had failed to heed the Allies’ warning to unconditionally surrender, forcing the Allies to unleash the single deadliest act of destruction that the world had heretofore witnessed: the atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The second bombing three days later of the city of Nagasaki effectively ended the Second World War, with Japan’s official surrender being signed on September 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri.
A tentative invasion of the Japanese island of Kyushu had been scheduled for November 1 of that year in the event that “Fat Man,” the deadly sequel to the first atomic bomb, “Little Boy,” failed to achieve the desired result. The Allies were convinced that the Japanese would fanatically defend their homeland, and that casualties on both sides would be heavy.
On August 9, 1945, three days after the devastation wreaked upon Hiroshima, a second trio of B-29 bombers set out for their objective, the city of Nagasaki, population just under 200,000. The airplane carrying Fat Man was called “Bock’s Car,” and was piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney.  Like the bomb tested on July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico, Fat Man used plutonium 239, and weighed slightly more than Little Boy.
At approximately 11:00 a.m. that morning, Fat Man exploded in a similar fashion to its predecessor, but the resulting blast, despite being slightly more powerful than that of Little Boy, caused about half as many casualties. This was due in part to the hilly terrain, which helped absorb some of the blast, and the fact that the bomb was dropped several miles off target. Originally, the intended target was the city of Kokura, but cloudy skies that hindered visibility saved it, prompting Sweeney and his crew to move on to Nagasaki (Bauer: 658).
As was the case with the Hiroshima bombing, U.S. and Japanese estimates differed on casualties, from between 20,000 and 30,000 killed. That evening, a reluctant and despondent Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese people in a radio broadcast that “to continue the war means nothing but the destruction of the whole nation. . .the time has come when we must bear the unbearable (Bauer:660).” VJ (Victory in Japan) Day came on August 14, 1945.
Like the survivors of the earlier Hiroshima blast, residents of Nagasaki suffered terrible burns and skin abrasions. One photograph shows a Japanese woman whose kimono pattern was seared onto her skin (Ward: 419). Other effects tied to the radiation exposure included low white blood cell count, and bone marrow deterioration. Increased cancer diagnoses continued for years afterwards (ibid).
Bitter debate continues as to the necessity of the second, and even the first, atomic bomb, particularly since Japan had originally proposed a simple cessation of hostilities. U.S. authorities thought that leaving a militaristic government in power would be a grave mistake, however, and many veterans, particularly those who were slated to participate in the invasion of Japan, were convinced that it not only saved their lives, but Japanese lives, as well.

© August 1, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Sources

Bauer, Eddy. The History of World War II. New York: Galahad Books, 1966, 1979. 656-
660.
Ward, Geoffrey C. & Ken Burns. The War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. 413-419.

Photo Caption: The atomic blast over Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945.

Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Defense.





































Facts about the signing of the Magna Carta

Vexed by the excessive taxation and the arbitrary administration of justice at the hands of King John, a group of English noblemen and church officials prepared a lengthy document outlining specific rights to which they deemed themselves entitled. With little choice in the matter, a reluctant King John met his discontented subjects in a field near Runnymede on June 15, 1215, and received the Magna Carta (“great charter” in Latin). This document had been contemplated for over two years, and was influenced by both Stephen, the Bishop of Canterbury, and Pope Innocent III, who were adamant about incorporating protections for the authority of the church.
Misconceptions about the Magna Carta persist. Although it has been hailed as the precursor to English Common Law and later, to the United States Constitution, the Magna Carta applied mostly to rights for the Church and the nobility. For the most part, peasants remained in the same lowly position. While the United States Bill of Rights proclaims “No person shall . . .be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law,” the Magna Carta conversely states “No freeman [italics mine] shall be taken, imprisoned . . .except by the lawful judgment of his peers (Magna Carta Plus).”
However, some provisions were made which dealt with the population as a whole. Section 20 discusses fines levied on freemen, merchants and “villeins” for certain offenses, “villeins” referring to serfs. This section states that if the latter are fined for some misconduct, that fine will specifically exclude possessions necessary for survival, such as tools for cultivating the land, seed, etc. Section 28 forbids the confiscation by a public official of any man’s property without payment or the agreement of payment on a later date. Section 40 seems very broad in its application, stating in the original Latin “Nulli vendemus, nulli negabimus aut differemus rectum aut justiciam” (To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.) (ibid). The Magna Carta, which was revised in 1216, 1217 and 1225, was not originally divided into the 64 sections.
Other portions of this famous document deal with the redressing of previous wrongs- mostly fines, confiscation of property and people held hostage or imprisoned- and investigating and subsequently eradicating certain “evil practices.” Provisions are also made for the responsible care of the estate of a minor by his guardian, and division of a freeman’s estate among his family or friends in the even that he dies intestate, or without a will. Previously, the deceased’s possessions would go to the Crown.
The Magna Carta granted few rights to women, but does state that widows will not be forced to remarry against their will. Later, however, the document specifies that no one shall be arrested or imprisoned based on a woman’s accusation against him, unless that accusation involves the death of the woman’s husband.
The names of 25 barons are listed in the Magna Carta. King John did not, however, actually sign the Magna Carta, as is popularly believed.  He may not even have been literate. He simply affixed his official seal to the document (Burnham). He also agreed that day at Runnymede that official handwritten copies be made of the Magna Carta, to be read aloud throughout the land (NARA). Four original copies of the Magna Carta still exist.

© August 4, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
Works cited

“Magna Carta,” Webster’s New World™ Encyclopedia. 1990, 1992.

Burnham, Tom. The Dictionary of Misinformation. New York: Ballantine Books, 1975,
1977. 255.

“The Magna Carta.” The National Archives. U.S. National Archives & Records
Administration. 4 Aug. 2008.
<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/>.

“The 1215 Magna Carta.” Magna Carta Plus. Trans. Xavier Hildegarde. 12 Aug. 2007. 4
Aug. 2008. <http://magnacartaplus.org/magnacarta/index.htm>.


































Famous people from Pennsylvania

Established by the English Quaker William Penn in 1682, Pennsylvania was one of the 13 original colonies, and officially became the second state admitted to the Union, in 1787. Since then, the Keystone State has been the birthplace of dozens of prominent men and women from all walks of life –scientists, politicians, pioneers, artists, athletes, inventors and entertainers. While there are too many to name here, following is a list of some prominent Pennsylvanians, divided into seven categories.

Artists & Musicians

Hailing from Lawnton, Pennsylvania, Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was a sculptor, and inventor of the mobile, the suspended sculpture that utilizes string, wires and rods to convey an impression of movement. Some of his work can be seen at Lincoln Center in New York City, and at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in Paris, France (Webster’s New World™ Encyclopedia: 187).

Impressionist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. She enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for a brief time, before traveling to France, where she spent several years. Women and children were frequent subjects of Cassatt’s artwork.

Composer Stephen Foster (1826-1864), born in Lawrenceville (now part of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, wrote nearly 200 songs, and is best-known for such classics as Oh! Susanna (1846), Old Folks at Home(1851), Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair (1854) and Beautiful Dreamer (1862).

Artist Andrew Wyeth (b. 1917), followed in the footsteps of his father, N. C. Wyeth. Many of their paintings are displayed at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania, Andrew’s birthplace. Wyeth’s work mostly depicts natural settings. His most famous painting, Christina’s World, hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His son, James, is an artist, too.

Athletes

Born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, in 1946, baseball hall of famer Reggie Jackson began his 20-year professional sports career in 1967, with the Kansas City Athletics. He later played for the New York Yankees, and the California Angels. A southpaw, Jackson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly (b.1960), a Pittsburgh native, led his team to four Superbowls, which, heartbreakingly for the Bills and Coach Marv Levy, they lost. Kelly was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He retired in 1996, after 10 seasons with Buffalo.

International golf legend Arnold Palmer was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania (where Rolling Rock beer is brewed) in 1929. His sports career spanned 60 years, and has garnered him such accolades as PGA Player of the Year in 1960 and 1962, and victories in no less than 92 tournaments.

Entertainers

Former college athlete, comedian and actor Bill Cosby was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1937. His sitcom, The Cosby Show, ran for eight years on NBC, and chronicled the life of the fictional Huxtable family. Something of an activist, he has spoken on issues that affect the black community.

William Claude Dukenfield (1880-1946), AKA W.C. Fields, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an American mother and an English father. A star of radio and film, he was known for his dry, wry, sarcastic humor. Contrary to popular belief, his epitaph does not read “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”

Song and dance man Gene Kelly (1912-1996) was born Eugene Curran Kelly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though his roles mainly showcased his musical talents, e.g. 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain, he gave a memorable performance as reporter E. K. Hornbeck in Inherit the Wind (1960).

Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza, singer and film star Mario Lanza (1921-1959) hailed from South Philadelphia. His talent earned him tremendous acclaim, and he became the first singer to have a Gold Record, i.e. sell over one million copies. Lanza succumbed to a heart attack at the young age of 38.

James Stewart (1908-1997) was born in the small town of Indiana, in western Pennsylvania, where his father operated a hardware store. Film audiences came to know and love Stewart’s characteristic stammer. This decorated World War II veteran starred in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).

Military Figures

Nicknamed “Little Mac” by his soldiers, Major General George B. McClellan (1826-1885) was a Union commander during the Civil War. In 1864 he unsuccessfully challenged Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. McClellan later served one term as governor of New Jersey (Heller: 175-176). An equestrian statue of him stands in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle.

General “Mad Anthony” Wayne (1745-1796), one of George Washington’s most capable generals during the Revolutionary War, was born in Radnor, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Wayne distinguished himself with the capture of the British fort at Stony Point, New York in 1779.

Poets & Writers

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was born in Germantown (now part of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, but raised in Massachusetts. The author of the famous Little Women (1869), Alcott also wrote Little Men (1861), as well as several other novels. During the Civil War, Alcott served as a nurse.

Free verse Poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who published several collections of poetry. Some of his most memorable poems include Cassandra, To the Stone Cutters, and Shine, Perishing Republic. His poems conveyed a cynical, jaded tone.

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, was a writer and poet to whom the quote “A rose is a rose is a rose” is oft attributed. What Stein wrote, in her poem Sacred Emily, was “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose (four times).” (Burnham: 240). This should not be confused with her poem, I Am Rose, beginning “I am Rose my eyes are blue. . .”

Politicians

James Buchanan (1791-1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857-1861), serving only one term. He was seen, perhaps unfairly, as a weak and ineffectual leader who did not do enough to soothe the tensions between the North and the South that led to the Civil War. Buchanan was the only unmarried president.

Senator Orrin Hatch (b. 1934), was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, although he has been a senator of Utah for 31 years. This staunch Republican has twice served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, from 1995 to 2001, and again in 2003 to 2005.

Scientists & Inventors

Rachel Carson (1907-1964), was a marine biologist from Springdale, Pennsylvania. Her 1962 book Silent Spring exposed the problem of environmental contamination from pesticides. The noxious effects of pesticides, Carson argued, often lingered for years, remaining in the soil and effecting wildlife.

Ironically, Robert Fulton (1765-1815), who was born in, Quarryville (Lancaster County), Pennsylvania, has often received credit for something that he did not do: invent the steamboat. What he did was perfect a design created by James Rumsey and John Fitch. Still, Fulton was a skilled engineer and a good entrepreneur.

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Doylestown, Bucks County. Much of her research focused on child development and early learning.  Her two years spent among the natives of the Samoan Islands led to the publication of her 1928 book Coming of Age in Samoa.
Born in Susquehana, Pennsylvania, behavioral psychologist B. F. (Burrhus Frederic) Skinner (1904-1990) is famous for developing the “Skinner Box,” in which a rat or mouse pushed a lever to obtain food or water. Skinner specialized in learning processes (Hirsch: 429).

© August 8, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Works Cited

“W. C. Fields,” “Robinson Jeffers,” “James Stewart,” “UNESCO,” “Andrew Wyeth.”
Webster’s New World™ Encyclopedia. 1990, 1992.

Heller, Allan M. Philadelphia Area Cemeteries. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.,
2005. 5, 109, 128-130.

--. Monuments and Memorials of Washington, D.C. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing,
Ltd., 2006. 175-176, 178, 180.

“Famous Pennsylvanians.” 50 States.com. Marchex, Inc. 5 Aug. 2008
<http://www.50states.com/bio/penn.htm>.

“Famous People.” Thingstodo.com. 2007. Software Solutions. 5 Aug. 2008
<http://www.thingstodo.com/states/PA/famous_people.htm>.

The New SAT and PSAT Coursebook. Teacher’s ed., ver. 2. Summit Educational Group,
n.p., n.d. 278, 380.

Find a Grave. Ed. Jim Tipton. 7 Aug. 2008 <http://www.findagrave.com/>.

Burnham, Tom. The Dictionary of Misinformation. New York: Ballantine Books, 1975,
1977. 99-100, 240.

Williams, Oscar, ed. The New Pocket Anthology of American Verse. 2nd ed. New York:
Pocket Books, 1955, 1972. 212, 425, 587, 592.

“United States Senator Orrin G. Hatch.” 7 Aug. 2008
<http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Home>.

Hirsch, Jr., E. D. et al, eds. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1993. 429.

Arnold Palmer. 8 Aug. 2008 <http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/>.

Baseball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. 8 Aug. 2008
<http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/jacksre01.shtml>.


Pro Football Hall of Fame. 8 Aug. 2008
<http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=112>.





















































Bring ‘em Back Alive, Revisited

Some viewers might find the BBC miniseries Prehistoric Park to be a little hokey, and I suppose that it is, but on the whole this program is extremely entertaining. Who hasn’t gazed longingly at the fossilized remains of some ancient beast and thought, wouldn’t it be magnificent if this creature could be brought back to life? Prehistoric Park bares obvious similarities to Jurassic Park, with some notable exceptions. The motives for the former endeavor are mainly scientific as opposed to profit-driven. Also, when the inevitable mishaps occur at Prehistoric Park, they are frustrating to the animal keepers and humorous to the viewers. The titanosaurs (huge sauropods resembling brontosauruses) knock over fences and leave droppings all over the place, or the wooly mammoth is lonely until she is integrated with a herd of modern elephants, but none of the humans are trampled or devoured.
Also, the technology used by wildlife explorer Nigel Marven in this hypothetical masterpiece of CGI animation is a simple time portal, which is somehow activated by means of a plastic peg which is stuck into the ground. Depending on where he wants to go –the late Cretaceous or the mid-Carboniferous- Marven adjusts the parameters on his time portal and simply steps through the doorway. Thus, scientific explanations are sacrificed for teleological ones. In Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs are cloned from DNA extracted from mosquitoes trapped in amber. Prehistoric Park has the intrepid Marven attempting to lure various exotic and often deadly denizens of the past back through the portal, into the confines of the 21st century.
Prehistoric Park consists of six separate episodes, each of which focuses on different varieties of prehistoric animals. Marven and his team by no means confine themselves to dinosaurs, however, setting their sights on the aforementioned mammoth, the smilodon (a.k.a. “sabre-tooth tiger), enormous centipedes and scorpions, bird-sized dragonflies, micro-raptors (four-winged dinosaur-bird hybrids), and even 50-foot crocodiles. Of course, the members of any prehistoric expedition that failed to bring back the dreaded tyrannosaurus rex would be remiss, so Marven and his crew secure two juveniles rexes who are brother and sister. Kept in a separate pen and a safe distance from the rexes is a young triceratops. Also thrown into the mix are the ostrich-like ornithomimus, and of course, the titanosaurs, whom Marven inadvertently brings back with him after these gentle behemoths innocently lumber through the open portal.
An element of camp surfaces due to Marven’s cavalier attitude about the danger surrounding him. Prior to procuring the two young t-rexes, Marven hides in some bushes while observing three very large adults of the species, who naturally sniff him out and give chase. He also gets too close to a wooly rhinoceros –whom he eventually manages to add to Prehistoric Park’s menagerie-and an 11-foot cave bear, whom he is unable to “enlist.” But anyone who watches Marven’s antics and protests, “Oh, come on, he couldn’t outrun that dinosaur/mammoth/rhinoceros/bear/insert name of creature,” I would say “Duh!” Enjoy the show; don’t get caught up in reality.
More than just a chimerical concept about resurrecting extinct animals, Prehistoric Park has subtle lessons about conservation, good stewardship of our natural resources, and the harsh lives of wild animals. Marven and his gang do not simply snatch these creatures from their vanished worlds, they also observe them, and the parallels to modern wildlife are quite astounding. On one side, nobody wants to see a cute little mammoth calf separated from its mother, and ripped apart by hungry predators. Conversely, watching the cuddly little smilodon cubs starve because their mother can’t catch any prey is equally tragic. There is no good and bad in nature, no right or wrong. The crew’s mission is as altruistic as scientific, a point brought crashing home when Nigel is trying to coax the two young t-rexes through the time portal seconds after the meteorite that is to spell the dinosaurs’ destruction crashes through the atmosphere.
The animation almost made me believe that I was observing real dinosaurs, even though I have never seen real dinosaurs on which to base my observation. Still, the way that the creatures moved, looked and sounded fleshed them out in my imagination. And the series really makes the point that these forbears of today’s animals, though separated by thousands or millions or years, are not so different. My only real criticism of Prehistoric Park is that it left me wanting more, but I suppose that everything has to come to an end.

© August 5, 2008 by Allan M. Heller






































Set Sail With Captain Horatio Hornblower

Captain Horatio Hornblower is not the typical 19th century Royal Naval Officer, at least not when one compares him with the popular depiction of Captain William Bligh (a depiction which arguably might be unfair). Hornblower’s crew likes him, and those few who do not like him initially at least respect him. Even stranger is the fact that he disapproves of flogging recalcitrant sailors, telling his second lieutenant “Flogging only makes a bad man worse. . .but it can break a good man’s spirit.” An anomaly indeed is this man, expertly portrayed by Gregory Peck in the 1951 film directed by Raoul Walsh. This movie was based on the novel by C. S. Forester.
What makes this movie all the more exciting is that the hero has not one, but three major conflicts that he must somehow overcome, although their chronological occurrences seem to make them a bit more manageable. The story transitions smoothly from one crisis to the next, leaving the mostly-imperturbable Hornblower unflustered.
To the film’s detriment, Hornblower is almost perfect, personally and professionally. Sometimes he is slightly autocratic, but this is easily attributed to the stress of his job. He has a habit of clearing his throat awkwardly when he is uncomfortable or embarassed, though this is a habit rather then a flaw. About all that can shake his stoic demeanor is the presence of a certain lovely woman, the lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo), who is practically dumped on board his vessel while Hornblower and the crew of the Lydia are completing a secret, strategic mission. With Lady Barbara is her Panamanian maid, Hebe (Ingeborg Von Kusserow). Soon it is obvious that Hornblower has some issues with relating to women. Now he has two distractions on board, and he soon finds himself personally distracted by Lady Barbara, who also happens to be the sister of the Duke of Wellington.
Captain Horatio Hornblower pairs great drama with great action. While there may be interims between the well-executed battle sequences, those interims are skillfully filled with meaningful dialogue, effective suspense, penetrating pathos and humorous diversions. One running joke concerns two officers who keep betting on the captain’s next course of action, in increments that start at five shillings and go to a guinea, with the result that one of the officers nearly cleans out the other.
While Peck receives top billing for this film, notable performances are turned in by Mayo as the lovelorn Lady Barbara, engaged to marry one of Hornblower’s superiors, although she is in love with the good captain; Robert Beatty, as Hornblower’s second-in-command, Lieutenant William Bush; James Kenney as the youthful Midshipman Longley, who regards Hornblower with almost filial admiration, and Alec Mango as the megalomaniacal Don Julian Alvarado, a petty South American dictator who has dubbed himself “El Supremo.” Admittedly, Mango’s El Supremo is a little too villainous, but that is likely the fault of the screenwriters rather than that of Mango. Still, he is a very entertaining bad guy.
This film makes viewers appreciate some of the loneliness that must have characterized the life of the 19th century British sailor, particularly one who was enlisted during the Napoleonic Wars. They would spend six months to two years at sea, either growing to love or hate their fellow crew members, and afterwards, would likely never see any of them again.  Many perished en route to whatever exotic destination they were headed, from sickness, starvation or act of war. Officers were least of all immune to arbitrary transfers or decisions of their superiors. A ship’s captain might have a respite of a week or two between voyages, after which he had to undertake another long and difficult voyage, possibly with a new vessel and crew. But whether his career affected Hornblower’s personality –especially where women are concerned- or his personality decided his career choice, is never revealed. It is simply part of the mystique that makes Captain Horatio Hornblower a fine movie.

© August 6, 2008 by Allan M. Heller







































A Compulsion to Watch

To say that the 1959 crime drama Compulsion is compelling would be accurate; this film is on par with Rope, the 1948 Alfred Hitchcock movie also inspired by the Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder case. Defended by the renowned Clarence Darrow, the wealthy students nevertheless received lengthy prison terms for the 1924 murder of 14 year-old Bobby Franks. Loeb was killed in prison in 1935; Leopold was paroled in 1957 and later published a book titled Life Plus 99 Years. He died in 1971.
Orson Welles shuffles onscreen at about the halfway point in Compulsion as defense attorney Jonathan Wilk, a jaded, cynical lawyer who by his own admission later in the film may have been practicing law “a little bit longer than [he] should.” He looks and acts tired and old, which is probably the way that screenwriters Meyer Levin and Richard Murphy intended him to appear. There is nothing specifically wrong with Welles’ performance, nor could there be, but his character’s ennui drags the viewer down at times, particularly during the mumbling, meandering, maudlin closing arguments for the defense. Most audiences would prefer a defense lawyer whose fiery rhetoric lights up the courtroom and the silver screen, but there is none of that in Compulsion.
One scene has a group of Ku Klux Klansmen burning a wooden cross one evening in front of the hotel where Wilk is staying during the course of the trial. The appearance of the KKK is confusing if one does not realize that Leopold and Loeb, and ostensibly their fictional counterparts in Compulsion, were Jewish. Normally, this would be an irrelevant detail, but explains the involvement of a hate group like the Klan in what would otherwise be plain intimidation. Wilk, however, is unfazed by the incident.
Welles is Welles, but Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman as Judd Steiner and Arthur Strauss (Leopold and Loeb) command center stage in this crime story and character study about two sociopaths who kidnap and kill a younger boy simply because they can. Strauss is the dominant of the pair, the bold schemer who pushes a reluctant Steiner into a series of acts which culminate in the taking of a human life. Steiner, it must be noted, has no serious moral compunctions about evildoing; he is simply a weakling. He treats his own father, “Max,” with unconcealed contempt, and smugly professes his admiration for Nietzsche.
Strauss has much more polish, and is superficially charming, in contrast to the awkward, maladjusted Steiner, whom he perhaps befriends in order to assert his perceived superiority. Devoid of any conscience, Strauss is persuasive and charismatic, even “assisting” the police lieutenant investigating the murder. In addition to the main crime, Strauss unsuccessfully tries to convince the reluctant Steiner to commit two more killings, just on the spur of the moment, which Steiner is unable to carry out. Later, Strauss relentlessly berates his friend for accidentally dropping a pair of reading glasses at the scene of the crime. This particular clue is ultimately the pair’s undoing.
Unlike Hitchcock’s Rope, Compulsion is a fairly accurate version of the Leopold and Loeb case, with most details, except the names, left unchanged. Rope, however, was a great movie in its own right, and never attempted to be an exact reenactment of the case.
Whether accurately or not, many crime dramas on prime time TV portray police detectives as bullies, intimidating, threatening or downright assaulting a suspect. NYPD Blue in particular comes to mind. While they are not averse to seriously grilling Strauss and Steiner when suspicion points their way, however, Lieutenant Johnson (Robert Simon) and District Attorney Harold Horn (E.G. Marshall) in Compulsion never deviate from strictly professional conduct.
Diane Varsi is convincing as the sympathetic, if slightly naïve Ruth Evans, who is dating fellow student Sid Brooks (Martin Milner), yet feel somehow drawn towards Steiner. Admittedly, her interest in him is more out of pity, which she later admits. Even after the terrible revelation that he and Strauss are accused of the horrid crime, she cannot bring herself to share the hatred that everyone else feels for the defendant. This causes some discord between her and her boyfriend. Her feelings about Strauss she does not really discuss.
Even those who know the outcome of the Leopold and Loeb murder trial, and therefore the outcome of the movie Compulsion, will still find this film fascinating to watch. To director Richard Fleischer’s credit, this is accomplished despite the fact that aside from the standard pity felt for the murder victim, he remains a faceless corpse about whom viewers never know anything, and viewers are unlikely to care about Strauss and Steiner. The darker elements of the film are tastefully depicted, the suspense is thicker than a dark night on the moors, and the performances from Stockwell and Tillman are first rate.

© August 9, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
































Black and White and Red All Over

Robert Blake, who played TV detective Tony Baretta in the popular 1970’s show, and Scott Wilson star as Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, two-laid back, recently-paroled ex-convicts with grand ambitions. Unfortunately for them and an unsuspecting Kansas family, those ambitions involve armed robbery and murder. Tipped off by a former prison cellmate, Hickock convinces Smith to undertake a 400-mile trip across desert highways to find a stash of $10,000 that a wealthy farmer named Herbert Clutter (John McLiam) supposedly keeps in a safe at home. The screenplay for this grim film was written by Richard Brooks (The Blackboard Jungle, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), and was based on Truman Capote’s book.
The subject matter alone does not earn this movie its R rating, nor is the worst violence depicted onscreen. Plenty of earlier films were just as morbid, many more so. The profanity, although about one-tenth as much as compared to modern films, was likely considered shocking by 1967 standards, and probably was the deciding factor.
The genius of this movie is that it engenders sympathy for both the victims and their killers. Smith and Hickock are not portrayed as saints, but ultimately they appear to be more misguided and confused than they are wicked. Both have a hard time comprehending reality, and both fail to see the possible consequences of their actions. A number of flashbacks to Smith’s initially happy, then disastrous, childhood drop some clues as to what might ail him. But Hickock is an enigma. Audiences never find out exactly what went wrong with him; they just know that something did. He is almost childlike in his criminal behavior, like early in the film when he steals some razors from a drugstore. Even Smith is annoyed. “That was stupid,” he tells his friend. “Stealin’ a lousy pack of razor blades! To prove what?” “It’s the national pastime, baby,” Hickock proudly replies. “Stealin’ and cheatin’.”
Smith is a little hesitant in carrying out the crime, asking his friend several times if this particular plan is a sure thing, and if he really thinks that the pair can afterwards retire to Mexico. In fact, when the two finally arrive in front of the Clutter’s farmhouse late one night, Smith makes a feeble, last-ditch effort to get Hickock to abandon the whole plot, to no avail.
Even when color was available, many film makers who knew the impact of black and white chose this medium for conveying just the right sensations. In Cold Blood was filmed in black and white, which adds to the powerful psychological effect. The cinematography is quite good, particularly during a scene in which Smith is standing by a window one rainy night, and recounting his falling-out with his father. The rain running down the window pane is reflected off of Smith’s face, giving the appearance of tears. Viewers know that he is not actually weeping, at least not outwardly, but this makes for a great visual. When he says about his father “I do hate him. And I love him,” it is hard not to feel at least a little sorry for Smith.
While viewers do not get to know a lot about them, the Clutters immediately come off as sympathetic, as neighbors that everyone would want. They are decent, hard-working honest folk, innocent victims who deserve much better than the brutal death that they receive. The film at first skips the actual break-in at their farmhouse and the subsequent murders, but comes back to the grim details later. The film makers demonstrate considerable restraint, however, eliciting adequate revulsion from shotgun blasts instead of gory close-ups.
Though this film has several levels, one of the most apparent is the condemnation of the death penalty. This, like all of the other messages in the movie, is conveyed with restraint, so as not to demonize the law nor glorify the killers. Whether viewers agree or disagree with capital punishment, they will be hard-pressed to ignore the impact of In Cold Blood.

© August 11, 2008 by Allan M. Heller






































Not a Bad Car Shopping Experience

In 2005, I purchased my 1995 Plymouth Neon after finding the vehicle advertised on Cars.com. Although I have spent more than I ever wanted on repairs to my Neon, I cannot fault Cars.com for that.
Even the simplicity of the web site’s name –Cars.com- is a major advantage. The “www” is assumed, as is the “.com.” In effect, the name of this web site is “Cars.” What could be easier to remember?
Like most web sites, Cars.com has a link for contacting them, which leads to an
e-mail form letter. However, clicking on the Sell link reveals a toll-free number to call for “Questions about this service.” I have never called it, so don’t know if anyone actually answers the telephone, or there is an automated line.
The default setting on the home page of Cars.com allows the user to search for both dealer and privately-advertised new and used vehicles, and drop-down boxes give 69 different makes from which to choose. Most are common, easily-recognized names such as Acura, Dodge, Ford or Mercedes; others are obscure to all but the most knowledgeable car buffs. I have never heard of Daihatsu, DeTomaso, Maybach or Saleen, but apparently someone has.
If money is an issue –and when isn’t’ it?- you can enter a maximum price, although this will obviously limit your choices. And since gasoline is so expensive, you might want to limit your search to within a certain radius of your zip code. I found my Neon at a dealer 10 miles from where I lived, which I considered a reasonable distance. Of course, this was in 2005, before the tremendous price surge in gasoline. A search today reveals that there are currently two Neons for sale within 10 miles of my current zip code.
You can also post your car or truck for sale on Cars.com, with varying prices for various options. The minimum advertising package costs $20, runs for three weeks, and allows you to include one photograph of your vehicle. Twice that price runs the ad for a month, allows you to post three photographs, and lets you track how many people have viewed the ad. For an additional $15, the ad runs for two months, you may post 12 photographs (which seems unnecessary to me), you have the ability to track ad views, and a free Carfax vehicle history report is available to prospective buyers. But best of all, the deluxe advertising package comes with a money back guarantee. Personally, I would prefer to run an ad in a local paper, post the vehicle for free on Craig’s List, or simply use my old car as a trade-in for a newer vehicle when the time comes. But that is just my way.
Cars.com is a thoroughly interactive site. There is much more to it than just a few drop-down menus for locating new and used automobiles. This web site includes links to car-related articles and information sources, updated regularly, as well as a regular blog, called Kicking Tires, for prospective car buyers. Cars.com also has a link whereby users can research either the model of car that they already own, or one that they are considering purchasing, to learn about potential safety issues, recalls, best and worst mileage or just read reviews of specific models.
Unlike many commercial web sites, Cars.com is not loaded with other advertisements. Sure, there are some links to similar web site and businesses, but not an overwhelming amount.
Cars.com makes the often difficult process of selecting a car easier. Not easy, exactly, but easier. If you are too choosy, then this web site may still not be enough for you. To use a wild example, if you want a 1966 Mercedes, and are only willing to pay $2,000 and to travel 10 miles from your home, I doubt that you will find your ideal vehicle. But if you are a little more flexible, and not in a great hurry for a new or used auto, Cars.com may just be for you.

© August 14, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

































Peasant Life in the Middle Ages

Peasant life in the Middle Ages was dominated by serfdom, which bound people to the land that they were forced to work for the lord of their manor. Peasants farmers gave most of their yield to their lord, a portion to the Church, and kept the rest for their own sustenance. The feudal hierarchy had serfs at the bottom, below vassals, who were given land by an overlord –a duke, earl or king- in exchange for their loyalty and military service. If a manor was transferred to a new vassal, the serfs were transferred with it, and could not leave without their lord’s permission. Although not much better off than slaves, serfs could not be sold, and were entitled to their lord’s protection.
Not all Medieval peasants were serfs, however. Many lived in small villages, and worked as innkeepers, craftsmen and laborers. Some were freemen, who, although far beneath the nobility, nevertheless were better off than the serfs.
Although their life was arduous, often consisting of 12 to 15-hour workdays, Medieval peasants took the Sabbath off, and celebrated numerous holidays and religious feasts during the year. They drank, gambled and caroused when they could (International World History Project).
Children were forced to grow up quickly, but they usually had the opportunity to attend church-sponsored schools until they were about six or seven. Afterwards they prepared for learning domestic chores such as weaving, laundering or churning butter, or working the fields or practicing a trade, depending on whether they were female or male. Due to disease, starvation and the hardships of daily existence, infant mortality was very high. Childbirth also took a heavy toll on mothers.
Women had virtually no rights, and were considered their husbands’ property. Short of killing her, a husband could treat his wife however he wanted. Because daughters required a dowry, or payment given to a husband in exchange for marrying her, sons were more desirable (MNSU). Dowry might consist of money, but just as often was in the form of livestock or property.
Living accommodations were far from glamorous for Medieval peasants, and usually consisted of a mud and stone cottage with a thatched roof, and one or two rooms. A constant fire burned in the center of a floor, and the family slept on simple straw beds, often in the same room with sheep, goats or other livestock.  Although most lived in poverty, occasionally peasants who worked hard or enjoyed good fortune could acquire a surplus of crops, additional livestock, or extra cooking pots, utensils or even simple furniture.
Like the present times, the Middle Ages were plagued with warfare, and battling nobles often burned and pillaged one another’s manors and villages, with the result that many peasants lost their lives, homes and property. In the event of war, peasant men were required to assist their lord, usually by joining the local militia.

© August 14, 2008 by Allan M. Heller





Works Cited

“Feudalism.” Webster’s New World Dictionary of American English. 3rd College
Edition. 1988.

 “Fief,” “Serf.” The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. 1993.

“Daily Life.” Minnesota State University Mankato. 14 Aug. 2008
<http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/middleages/pdailylife.html>.

“The Peasant’s Life.” International World History Project. 2001. 14 Aug. 2008.
<http://history-world.org/peasant.htm>.









































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Legal procedures used during the Salem witch trials
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Legal procedures used during the Salem witch trials

The accusations of a handful of teenaged girls led to the one of the deadliest cases of mass-hysteria that this country has ever witnessed, the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. 20 people were eventually executed, including an old man named Giles Corey, who was crushed to death with heavy stones when he refused to confess. His famous last words were supposedly “More weight.” His wife Martha was later hanged for witchcraft. Four other suspected witches died after languishing for months in prison. Even two dogs were executed for witchcraft!
Initially, three suspected witches were interrogated by two county magistrates, Jonathan Corwin, and John Hathorne. Far from being impartial, the questions that the magistrates asked the suspects were clearly slanted to elicit a guilty response. After one of the women, a slave named Tituba, confessed, an obsessive effort to root out other scions of Satan began.
John Hathorne was an ancestor of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (who later added the “W”). This has given rise to the rumor that John Hathorne was one of the judges who condemned suspected witches to hang on Gallows Hill, and that this knowledge haunted the guilt-ridden Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hathorne was not a judge during the actual trials, however.
Following Tituba’s confession, more “witnesses” came forward, fueling the hysteria, and increasingly more people were accused and jailed on charges of witchcraft, based solely on accusations. Suspects had virtually no rights, and were subjected to relentless grilling by both prosecutors and so-called witnesses. Testimony that today would be regarded as utterly ridiculous was admitted into evidence. The most common allegation was that the accused visited the victims while in spectral form, usually during the evening, pinching, slapping and tormenting them. When confronting the suspected witches in court, “victims” would obligingly fall into seizures –screaming, moaning and writhing- after being touched by the suspected witch.
Torture was obviously used to secure confessions, as the case of the unfortunate Giles Corey will attest. Whether this can be termed a “legal procedure” is questionable. Suspects were also subjected to humiliating body examinations, with prosecutors often pointing to moles or birthmarks as proof that the suspects were in league with the Devil.
Towards the end of the trials, in September of 1692, the accused witches found an unlikely ally in Increase Mather, a minister and father of Cotton Mather, who was friends with three of the five judges. In an essay titled Cases of Conscience, Mather argued that spectral evidence and “touching tests” should be inadmissible. As a result, nearly all of the remaining suspects were acquitted (Linder). 20 years later, all of those convicted of witchcraft were posthumously pardoned.

© August 15, 2008 by Allan M. Heller






Sources

Linder, Douglas. “The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary.” University of
Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. 15 Aug. 2008 <http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM>.

“The Salem Witch Trials.” Salem, Massachusetts The City Guide. 15 Aug. 2008
<http://www.salemweb.com/guide/witches.shtml>.







































Poetry analysis: A Narrow Fellow in the Grass, by Emily Dickinson

Although Emily Dickinson avoids the words “snake” or “serpent” in her 1891 poem, she leaves no doubt as to the subject. In describing the bane of Eden, Dickinson employs delicate and subtle language. Absent are any intimidating inferences about fangs or venom. Nor is the discreet denizen of the “boggy acre” poised to strike. There is no hint that he is looking for prey, such as a hapless chick or sluggish field mouse. He just slithers along, minding his own affairs.
Still, the snake takes on qualities of an apparition. He appears suddenly, and presumably silently. Lines five and six read “The Grass divides as with a Comb/ A spotted shaft is seen.” Then the grass “. . .closes at your feet, and opens further on.” Poof! He is gone. There is no rattle, no hissing, no beady pair of reptilian eyes. He leaves no evidence; even the slight wake in the parting grass is obliterated.
The poet, taking on a male persona, recalls spotting when he was “. . .a Boy, and Barefoot-'' “. . .a Whip lash/ Unbraiding in the Sun,” which, when he tried to investigate further, was gone. Again, no trace of the snake. How like a ghost!
The meter ranges roughly from line to line with iambic tetrameter (stress on the second syllable, four metrical feet per line) to iambic trimeter (ibid., three metrical feet per line). Instead of evenly dividing this 24-line poem into six separate stanzas, Dickinson chose to consolidate what would have been stanzas three and four, probably to avoid the inevitable enjambment which would have resulted if she had separated line 12 –“I more than once at Noon” from line 13 –“Have passed, I thought, a whip lash. . .” Enjambment occurs when a line begins at the end of one stanza, and instead of concluding neatly, continues to the first line of the next stanza.
Only a few lines actually rhyme, others almost, the rest not at all. But the meter, verbiage and flow of the poem combine to make this detail irrelevant. Dickinson’s haphazard capitalization is distracting, though. Interestingly, Dickinson simply numbered rather than titled her poems; A Narrow Fellow in the Grass is officially poem number 986.
With consistent discretion, Dickinson deliberately avoids demonizing the much-calumniated snake. Sly and surreptitious though he may be, he is not necessarily treacherous. Yet the poet admits being more favorably inclined towards other creatures, and as the last stanza attests, an encounter with the snake always leaves the poet somewhat apprehensive.

© August 15, 2008 by Allan M. Heller

Sources

Dickinson, Emily. “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass.” Eds. Nina Baym et al. The Norton
Anthology of American Literature. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1979, 1985. 2469.





A Little Too Much, Yet Not Always Enough

At first glance, the web site Apartments.com seems to have everything literally at your fingertips -thousands of listings for rental properties in every city, county and state in the country. You need not limit your search to apartments, however, as there are also listings for condominiums and townhouses. The basic layout of the site is well-designed. Viewers’ eyes are greeted by a conspicuous map of the United States, and users can begin by clicking anywhere. They can also search by City/State/Zip, Corporate & Short Term leases, Property Name, or Web number. Apparently, properties featured in Apartments.com Magazine are accompanied by a nine-digit web number. I have never seen the magazine, though, and did not use this particular feature when hunting for an apartment. At the bottom of the home page is a list of 79 major metropolitan areas to search. No matter how you begin your search on Apartments.com for new digs, all roads lead to Rome, or they should, at any rate.
Having moved more times than I wanted in the past several years, I am acquainted with many different apartment complexes. Curious, I decided to search for them under the link for Property Name on Apartments.com’s home page. Oddly, none of the numerous apartment communities that I entered were listed, and these were not small or inconspicuous places. This to me didn’t seem to be indicative of a complete online listing service.
The search results for those properties actually listed are fairly detailed, containing contact information, rental prices, directions, maps, and floor plans of the types of units available. However, the photographs of the apartment complexes do not depict the individual units, only the facades or main buildings, and there is only so much that you can tell from a floor plan. Also, there are no testimonials from former or current clients, a feature which is available on a web site called Apartmentratings.com. Granted, different people may have very different opinions.
In addition to listing a number of apartments in response to a search, Apartments.com will also list several featured properties, i.e. paid advertisements. This can be misleading because those featured properties will not necessarily be in the neighborhood that you want to search. A basic search that I conducted for apartments in Northeast Philadelphia also returned three featured properties that were in Center City, not at all in the desired vicinity. Someone not familiar with the neighborhood that he is searching, or someone who does not pay attention to the little disclaimer that reads “Featured,” might be led astray.
Several links are set up like tabs across the top of the home page, the first of course being Search for Rentals. From left to right, this is followed by Moving Center, Apartment Living, Manager Center and Landlord Resources. Thus, Apartments.com attempts to serve all facets of the leasing community. These various tabs contain advertisements for related businesses, such as moving companies, and other sometimes useful information like how to get a free credit report. Also posted are feature articles culled from numerous sources, and links to affiliate web sites, such as Roommates.com.
Apartments.com offers three different packages for those looking to fill housing vacancies, packages which range from $69 for 30 days online to $139 for a six-month listing. I would imagine that very few vacancies remain open for six months, and those that do are probably extremely undesirable. Featured are sample advertisements for the basic, enhanced and six-month enhanced options, and they look very neat and professional.
All of the extras on Apartments.com are a little much, a little overwhelming, and at the same time, the lack of several prominent rental communities and client testimonials indicates large gaps of information. While perusing Apartments.com was interesting, it did not really help me in selecting another residence, which I found simply by driving past the complex one day, whereupon I thought, That looks like a nice place. Incidentally, it was quite noisy, information that would have been helpful to know prior to moving there! In conclusion, I cannot recommend Apartments.com.

© August 23, 2008 by Allan M. Heller




































Not A Hole In One

Caddyshack (1980) has long been considered the quintessential golf comedy. With heavy hitters such as Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray, how could this film be anything less than a spectacular, side-splitting success? To my disappointment, however, I found that this movie, about which I have heard so much over the past three decades, failed to live up to its hysterical hoopla.
The setting is the upscale Bushwood Country Club, owned by Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight of The Mary Tyler Moore Show). Smails is an uptight, irritable man who lacks humility, sportsmanship, and most noticeably, a sense of humor. Surrounding Smails at his exclusive golfing retreat are weird, wealthy club members, including a shiftless millionaire (Chase) and an irreverent bishop (Henry Wilcoxon), and the caddies who cater to them. Among the latter is Danny Noonan, who is vying for the caddy scholarship offered by Smails, and whose frequent hints to the rich, but parsimonious club patrons about the cost of college are totally devoid of subtlety, and totally ineffective.
Juxtaposed to the stuffy Smails is his promiscuous niece, the aptly-named Lacey Underall (Cindy Morgan), who gets Danny in more than a little trouble with both his girlfriend, Maggie O’Hooligan (Sarah Holcombe), and Judge Smails, who is oblivious to his niece’s prurient proclivities.
The antagonist, loosely speaking, is a loud, crude, eccentric real estate developer named Al Czervik (Dangerfield), whose loutish antics horrify the uptight Smails. Rodney Dangerfield was indeed a funny man, but his performance in Caddyshack is basically characterized by rambling, ridiculous, manic monologues, kind of like those seen in Marx Brothers movies, but with a touch of vulgarity and less finesse. Dangerfield even reminded me of Robin Williams, who is also a very talented actor, but tends to overdo it occasionally. Czervik’s excesses are at times amusing, particularly when he is in the gift shop and remarks how bad a particular hat looks. “When you buy this hat, I’ll bet you get a free bowl of soup,” he says. Noticing that a red-faced Smails is wearing the same hat, he sarcastically adds, “It looks good on you, though.” Czervik has a few other very funny one-liners.
Bill Murray’s performance as assistant greensman Carl Spackler is memorable, but relies a little too much on base humor. When we are first introduced to Spackler he is ogling several female golfers, and commenting a little too loudly on their physical attributes. While his ongoing feud with a destructive gopher is funny, the fact that the animal is clearly a robotic puppet makes the situation even too silly for a movie like Caddyshack. In his obsessive quest to annihilate the intractable intruder Spackler causes considerable damage to the golf course, leading to an anti-climactic climax which leaves little room for denouement.
While Caddyshack has a few slightly-disgusting jokes, overall the writers kept the scatological gags to a minimum. Exceptions to this are a scene is which Czervik breaks wind at about 50 decibels during a formal club dinner, and another in which a chocolate bar is accidentally dropped into a swimming pool and mistaken for something else. The scene with the mis-identified chocolate bar spoofs the beach scene in the film Jaws, with ominous background music playing as swimmers desperately flee from the water.
Personally, I am not sure that Caddyshack’s R rating is justified. The average sitcom today is raunchier than Caddyshack, but of course, that wasn’t the case 30 years ago. Perhaps today Caddyshack would receive a PG-13 rating. A funny movie? Somewhat. A comedy classic? Not really. My rating is two and a half stars out of four, a little better than mediocre.

© August 25, 2008 by Allan M. Heller
















































Somewhat Dated, Yet Still Timely

Not the first nor the last tale of the terrors of technology, Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) remains a powerful, frightening film. Although the antagonist is a super computer that develops an uncanny ability to think independently, the fault is ultimately human. Colossus was created by a person, Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden), and independently sets out to rectify –through admittedly controversial measures- chronic social problems that mankind has brought upon itself. At the height of its power, Colossus announces in a broadcast “I will not permit war. It is pointless and wasteful.” To demonstrate this, however, this electronic dictator may launch a missile that obliterates thousands of people.
Colossus is as much a political statement, or was at the time, as a science fiction film. Early in the story, Colossus detects the presence of its Soviet counterpart, an advanced early defense system called Guardian. Instead of viewing its computer brethren as an adversary, Colossus initiates a lengthy communication, beginning with simple mathematical formulas and concluding with advanced physics equations. Thus, these two machines accomplish what took the feuding super powers decades to achieve: have a meaningful, open dialogue.
Obvious real-life parallels appear in Colossus. The president, played by Gordon Pinsent, is too similar in appearance, speech and demeanor to represent anyone else but the late John F. Kennedy. He is also never referred to by name, simply called “Mr. President.” Although Kennedy was dead at the time this film was produced, the United States and the Soviet Union were still in the thick of the Cold War. Today in 2008, with tensions increasing between Russia and the United States over political oppression and war in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, things seem to be coming full circle.
This film does not starkly differentiate between the United States and the Soviet Union, who work together fairly amicably to attempt a solution to the unlikely collaboration between the two super computers. The Soviets are not demonic, and the Americans are not saintly. Both sides are part of the problem, and can be part of the solution. The movie manages to convey this message without being preachy.
Braeden comes across as brave, admirable and willing to accept responsibility for creating a machine that has usurped all authority, and even managed to place Forbin under 24-hour video surveillance. Whether intentional or not, the movie’s makers seemed to have demonstrated remarkable foreshadowing with the latter.  Forbin manages to convince Colossus –a considerable feat- that Forbin has a mistress in the person of Dr. Cleo Markham (Susan Clark). Colossus agrees to suspend the video surveillance for four nights per week, so that Forbin and Markham can ostensibly have adult relations in private. Forbin actually intends these “intimate” sessions to be used for discussing ways of defeating his computerized rival. But as they say, one thing leads to another.
Colossus first comes across as sinister, but viewers eventually realize that its intentions are not evil. True, Colossus forces its “subjects” to execute those guilty of attempting to undermine its world conquest plans, but takes no pleasure in these acts. Still, the humans persevere through numerous setback and tragedies, earning them some measure of respect from the viewers, if not from Colossus.
Since technology advances so quickly, much of the equipment seen in Colossus: The Forbin Project is dated. The computer on which I am typing this review is probably more powerful than the model used for Colossus, which, according to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), actually managed the payroll at the movie studio. And when Colossus eventually obtains a voice (Paul Frees), that voice is crude, simple, and slightly difficult to understand. Today’s automated telephone systems can speak much clearer; they just can’t understand human responses half the time! The only other fault with Colossus: The Forbin Project is the title. Simply “Colossus” would be better. Colossus: The Forbin Project is a classic film that has lost none of its punch in the nearly 40 years since it was released.

© August 26, 2008 by Allan M. Heller












































Now I Smell Swell!
Review of Old Spice® High Endurance® deodorant

As I hinted in my previous product review of Arm & Hammer Ultra Max® Wide Stick, sometimes simple, economical solutions to everyday problems are almost practical, with a seemingly minor, but truly significant, caveat. In the case of deodorants, baking soda is the most efficacious substance that I have found. The big drawback is that with regular use comes skin irritation. A minor inconvenience is the difficulty in applying this makeshift anti-perspirant, i.e. dipping your fingers into the box, which you must gradually tilt sideways as more and more of the baking soda is used. So until further notice, bona fide deodorants must continue to dominate.
Price can not be a major determinant, either, as every name brand 3.25-oz. solid deodorant will be priced exactly the same, and I have yet to encounter generic brands. Potency certainly will and should figure into one’s decision in choosing the right deodorant, given the embarrassment likely resulting in the event of insufficient protection.
Made by Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati, Old Spice® High Endurance® deodorant is an intense, concentrated product, designed for people who live, work or play hard, and sweat and smell just as hard. Old Spice® will not leave you wanting for odor protection. In fact, the opposite is likely to be the case, particularly if you are inclined to a sedentary lifestyle, as am I. Brisk walks, necessarily limited by the weather, are generally the extent of my exertion, and while I try to swim three or four times a month, I am no Michael Phelps. Basically, Old Spice® High Endurance® deodorant is too potent for me. Last week, my wife complimented me on my cologne, and asked which brand I was wearing. I was confused at first, then realized that she must have caught a whiff of my Old Spice® deodorant.
One advantage that Old Spice® has over the aforementioned Arm & Hammer Ultra Max® is that the former actually does go on smoothly and cleanly. Old Spice® is not sticky, slimy, wet or flaky. And since it is potent –almost overwhelmingly- a little bit goes a long way, so you will probably save a little money by purchasing this brand.
The label on the red plastic container proclaims “25% HIGHER PERFORMING ODOR PROTECTION.” This would explain the 125% odor fighting properties. Throughout my life, I have used after shave and cologne sparingly, where at all. I don’t want to smell fresh and aromatic; I don’t want to smell at all.
In closing, I will not label Old Spice® High Endurance® deodorant a bad product; it is a good product, but should be used by individuals who sweat a little more than I. If you’re a lightweight, this is probably too much deodorant for you, as it is for me.

© October 8, 2008 by Allan M. Heller








I Was Held Prisoner For 17 Hours

To the hardcore science fiction fans my dismissal of the merits of the cult classic TV series The Prisoner -which aired for 17 episodes from 1967 to 1968- will be utter heresy. “You just don’t understand it!” they will exhort me. “You have to watch the series twice to fully appreciate it,” they may next try. Finally, they will likely dismiss me with an indignant, “Well, you’re just an idiot!” I will neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of any of these previous assertions, but will maintain that The Prisoner is, to reiterate, a cult classic, which ultimately is about as insightful and thought-provoking as the idiotic Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The basic premise is that an anonymous British secret agent resigns from his post, and shortly afterwards is abducted, and taken to a mysterious, faraway town simply called The Village. The sinister individuals who run this bucolic prison attempt relentless mind games meant to garner information from the protagonist spy, specifically the reason for his resignation. He obstinately resists their brainwashing, trying to undermine his captors and ultimately escape. The prisoner is never identified, only referred to as Number Six. Whether this number has any significance, or is merely arbitrary, is not revealed.
The series starts out with some promise, as the premise is basically an inventive one, but one which ultimately falls flat. Shady, underhanded tactics understandably characterize the world of espionage, and it has long been postulated that spies cannot really trust anyone, let alone their superiors. But whether Number Six’s superiors have subjected him to this mental torment is unclear. The initial episodes follow a somewhat plausible sequence of events, given the ostensible concept of the program, but later shows are interspersed with segments that defy all logic. Even in the most twisted, surreal, demented milieus, there are certain rules and constants, however bizarre. The Prisoner breaks all of the rules in some episodes, and then unsuccessfully attempts to start over in the following episodes. The results is chaos.
One of the few good episodes is titled “Living in Harmony,” and has a Western theme. Clearly, this seems a contradiction of everything for which the show stands, but ultimately is in keeping with The Prisoner’s supposed theme. Without revealing too many details, I will report that the final episode is the worst. Nothing is really resolved, and while the viewer is left with more questions that answers, he will likely not even care at this point. Still, disenchanted though I was with the last episode, I watched an extra on the DVD featuring commentary by series producer Bernard Williams. This commentary merely consisted of Williams’ voiceover set against some footage taken on site at the shooting of one of the episodes. Williams mentions that the set for The Prisoner was a popular tourist resort in Wales, but mostly just reminisces about his series without clarifying anything.
I return to the issue of Number Six’s resignation, which his captors desire to discover above everything else. The extremely lengthy opening sequence of The Prisoner shows the agent entering his boss’s office, pacing back and forth agitatedly, then dropping an envelope containing his notice on the boss’s desk. Angrily pounding his fist on the table, the ex-spy turns and departs. This scene seems to indicate that he is giving his reasons then and there for his resignation, so does this not defeat the whole point of the series?
Patrick McGoohan’s acting is good, but his talents are largely wasted in this lame attempt at. . .Actually, I don’t even know what this show is attempting. Years ago, friends of mine who inexplicably lauded The Prisoner as a superb science fiction achievement told me that Patrick McGoohan’s character in The Prisoner was the star of the earlier spy series Danger Man. Some fans insist that he is, others say that this is not so. According to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), McGoohan says the character is not the same man. But any work of fiction –whether in print or on screen- speaks for itself, and viewers’ opinions hold more sway than McGoohan’s assertion.
Several other decent actors and actresses appeared opposite McGoohan in The Prisoner, a move which may have had consequences for their careers. Notable among them is the late Leo McKern, who later starred as the intrepid British barrister Horace Rumpole is the long-running series Rumpole of the Bailey. In The Prisoner, McKern appears three times as Number Two, the de facto head of The Village, supposedly subordinate to the mysterious Number One. Incidentally, nearly every episode features a different Number Two.
The Prisoner, referred to as science fiction, is only so in the loosest sense of the word. The series features some innovative ideas and futuristic concepts, but really could have been set in just about any time period. More so than science fiction The Prisoner is psychological drama, but not even particularly good psychological drama. After wasting 17 hours of my life on this series, I am not inclined to watch Danger Man, the show which may or may not have spawned The Prisoner.

© October 8, 2008 by Allan M. Heller



Fated To Repeat It

"Honey, are you playing that stupid game again?" my wife clamors.
"It's not what you think, dear," I sheepishly reply. "I'm writing a product review. I'm actually working right now." Thus, I save face with an impromptu rejoinder that is somewhere in between the Gospel truth and a boldfaced lie.
Fate: The Traitor Soul is the third, but far from the final, installment of the popular, palm-paining computer game by WildTangent™. Why palm-paining? Try playing for three and a half hours, or harder still, try to play for only ten minutes! The sequel offers more choices than the original, with the same basic premise. You are an adventurer who, with your trusty animal sidekick, is ready to rid the multiple realms of whatever plagues them.
Expansions come in the forms of character race, types of pet, monsters encountered, additional spells and more venues in which to adventure and gain fame and fortune. Different character races start with different advantages. Humans begin with nine points in Magic (one of the ability scores), as well as five extra skill points in no less than five discrete skills. Half-Orcs automatically have 15 extra Strength points, and the five bonus points in five skills, as well. Shadow-Elves and Coggers (don't ask!) have their unique advantages, too. A drawback of this game is that there are no specific racial disadvantages to balance the assets. Let's face it: Half-Orcs are not the brightest torches in the sconce!
Instead of choosing between a cat and a dog for you animal companion, you can now opt for a fox, a boar or a drone, as well. But while different pets possess unique qualities, you will want to feed your pet a magical fish as soon as you can to turn it into something like a Flaming Mustang, Brain Beast or Scorpfeline! (You don't want to mix it up with a Scorpfeline!) So whatever animal your pet starts as is pretty much irrelevant.
As with Fate, spells in Fate: The Traitor Soul are categorized into Attack, Defense and Charm Magic. Even characters who are primarily warriors need a modicum of magic to survive. Essential spells are Town Portal, any of the various heal spells, and Identify. Town Portal will save you the trouble of having to use a scroll every time that you want to return to town, heal will save your life, and Identify will allow you to assess the full value of an undetermined magic item. Even if you have a heal spell, you would be wise to purchase one or several charms designed for that purpose. In the heat of battle, a quick right-click on a healing charm can restore 500 life points much faster than five cumbersome healing spells.
Players of the original Fate likely opined "There should be group spells for Spectral Armor and Haste," or "There should be a wider variety of weapons," or "There should be more than just one dungeon." Now there are. Players initially have three milieus from which to choose -the Chamber of Trials, the Outpost of Druantia and the Outpost of Typhon- and can switch back and forth between quests issued from all three. Quests can be bestowed by the villagers in each realm, or by the realms' guardians. As you gain in power, you will be issued progressively harder quests, at progressively deeper levels. Buried in the bowels of the Chamber of Trials, a mysterious, formidable foe awaits you. You will be quite surprised to discover who he or she is, and quite well-compensated if you defeat him or her.
An interesting fact about the villagers, as well as the realm guardians, is that mostly all of them are monsters, whom you would battle if you met in a subterranean setting. In the light of day, the vampire in the Outpost of Druantia sells you potions and magic trinkets, and the Demonling gives you gifts in exchange for Fate cards which you collect. I personally find Fate cards to be a waste of time. You cannot sell them, only redeem them for minor items from one of two soothsayers. (In Fate: The Cursed King, you can swap them for one or two additional ability points. But I'll review Fate: The Cursed King another time).
The graphics in Fate: The Traitor Soul are just as good as in the first Fate. In fact, some of the colors and design schemes are more evocative, like the fiery portal blazing into the Caverns of Fire, or the shivering sense of doom which flickers from light blue emanations of creatures like the Yeti or the Ice Elemental. The sound effects generally go well with the ensuing screen action, but your pet, as well as any creatures that you summon to fight for you, constantly emit their distinctive screech, snort, wail, bark or whinny. This can be annoying. Combat can get pretty loud, but that is to be expected. A graphical glitch present in the first Fate remains in The Traitor Soul: monsters occasionally protrude from adjacent walls. I admit that I do like the ability to strike with a lightning bolt, or similar destructive emission, monsters dumb enough to linger near the wall. Surprisingly, most recoil at first, then stupidly move back into range, where they can safely and effectively be extirpated.
Purchasing a fishing rod at the onset of the game is a good idea. This way you can catch piscine prizes to transform your dog or cat (or boar, fox or drone) into something useful. But there is a slight change in the fishing experience. When you catch a fish, instead of proclaiming "Great fishing! You've caught a fingerling bass (for example)!" the message reads "You've caught a fish with a fingerling bass inside it!" No you haven't! You've caught a fingerling bass (possibly with a worm inside it). Not infrequently you catch very valuable magic items.
The system requirements for Fate: The Traitor Soul are as follows: 800 MHz or higher Pentium 3 processor, a video card with 32 MB of RAM and 3-D hardware acceleration, Internet Explorer browser of at least version 5.5 or ActiveX of at least version 8.1, and 256 MB of RAM for Windows XP or 512 MB for Vista. Fate: The Traitor Soul runs with Windows XP, Vista or 7 (WildTangent™).
  Fate: The Traitor Soul is as addictive as its forebear, maybe more so. But the game offers a little more variety, a few extra splashes of color, and a slightly more interesting story line. Check it out, but try to limit your playing to fewer than three hours at a time.

© August 3, 2011 by Allan M. Heller













Fate Of Late
Review of Fate: The Cursed King

The latest installment of the Fate series, The Cursed King was released in 2011 by WildTangent™, and was preceded by Fate, Fate: Undiscovered Realms, and Fate: The Traitor Soul. A computerized role-playing game (RPG), Fate: The Cursed King is essentially a video version of Dungeons & Dragons. The former is a much simplified version, one that lacks the element of character development so enjoyable to seasoned gamers who long for more than hack and slash. But for what it intends to be, The Cursed King succeeds remarkably well.
The story lines in the Fate series are well-written and dramatically presented, with scrolling storyboards at the onset of the game, and with narration and accompanying text. Since all of the Fate games are quite intuitive, players are given the option of simply "fast-forwarding" through the introduction and jumping headfirst into the game. The premise for The Cursed King is that a pernicious hex falls on the desert kingdom of Ekbatan, which is the result of the inadvertent release of the ghost of T'Kala, an evil sorcerer executed by Ekbatan's king. And guess who is responsible for opening up Pandora's Box?
Three different dungeons present themselves to the intrepid adventurer: the Caverns of Living Fire, the Haunted Palace and the Crypt of T'Kala. A quest is required to gain ingress into any of the dungeons, and the saga always begins with the Caverns of Living Fire.
Various orbs, consisting of a ball of colored light, float throughout the dungeons, appearing as treasure when you defeat monsters. Some orbs heal or restore manna (which you need to cast spells), but the benefit that these tiny flickers bestow is negligible. I find them to be annoying. As for monsters encountered, some are new, some are old, others repackaged, a few extinct. New to the dungeons as well as locked chests, which can only be opened with keys. The keys are sometimes found in the dungeon or more often, can be purchased from select merchants in town. The loot inside the locked chests is usually insignificant.
Fate cards have been improved in The Cursed King. In the previous two Fate offerings, these cards could be traded in town for mostly worthless gifts. But in The Cursed King, Fate cards earn you one or two extra ability points. This can really come in handy.
In three of the four playing modes, death is but an inconvenience. Page, Adventurer and Hero modes allow for resurrection, but with an experience or gold penalty. If you select Hardcore mode, you only die once. Although unlimited resurrection seems appealing, it somewhat lessens the challenge. If you simply want to start again after your unfortunate demise, you can select Quit, return to the main menu, and choose Continue Game.






Death for your henchmen is a similar predicament, but not an impossible one to overcome. When a trusty ally is reduced to zero life, administering a rejuvenation potion within 60 seconds will bring him or her just above the threshold of eternity, at which point a healing procedure is necessary to return said ally to fighting strength. However, henchmen will eventually recover from death on their own! Your pet is similarly immortal, and will temporarily "flee" when reduced to zero life, until he is healed, or goes to town and returns.
Other game additions include an extra character race, that of Imp; two new pet choices, the phoenix and the strider; henchmen for hire and interactive gaming through Facebook. I don't personally feel that the new Facebook feature is an asset; I had a Facebook account briefly and found it to be very superficial. But for some folks this is an essential add-on.
The extra species of pets is superfluous because you want to feed your pet magic fish to turn it into a more formidable fighting creature. Even the Help section of Fate: The Cursed King states: ". . .there is no difference in strength between pets, so pick the pet you like the best." The game developers should have just stuck with the two pet choices from Fate: a dog or cat.
Some tips for character survival include fishing in a safe place, such as the oasis in the northern edge of the city. Fishing is a good way to catch not only critters that can transform your pet into more powerful creatures, but also a way to gather treasure without fighting monsters. Lingering over a fishing hole in one of the three dungeons may activate part of the curse which summons the dreaded ghost of T'Kala. This is also a danger while waiting for you pet to return from town with items that you sent it to sell. I've dared to wait as long as two minutes for my pet to return, and have not encountered the reprobate revenant. But another time, the spirit appeared after about 10 seconds. And he was not happy!
Regrouping after each combat, assuming that you have sufficient time, is also advisable. Occasionally my adrenalin is pumping after a battle and I feel like I could take on another ten ogres, fire wyrms, minotaurs or sasquatches. I usually regret this decision. Before I realize the situation, my protective spells have worn out, my healing potions are depleted, I'm down to one-third of my life force, and my pet is fleeing because he has been reduced to zero life in the fracas. Make sure everyone is at full strength, the proper contingent of spells have been cast, and you are ready to move forward. If you know that one of your quests -which you receive from the villagers and realm guardians as in the previous versions Fate- is to defeat a certain monster that is immune to fire spells but vulnerable to cold spells, make sure that you have Ice Wall or Frost ready to blast him!
Keep the map and the magnifying glass icons enabled. Without the map you can potentially wander excessively through parts of the dungeon that you have already explored. You may need to find the upstairs or downstairs, designated by blue or red arrows respectively. And the magnifying glass will help you see items and gold that you might otherwise miss.
 



Don't waste time at the deeper levels picking up worthless items. If you are a 30th level sorcerer with a full collection of awesome, arcane accoutrements, you would be foolish to pick up a halberd (a combination spear and battle axe), which takes up eight slots and sells for 87 gold pieces, when you could eventually collect eight magic rings, gems or amulets that individually sell for 10 times as much!
Observe how your hired help helps, if they do at all. Henchmen can be found to accompany your character on his or her dungeon forays, but you have to acquire a certain level to obtain followers. Aside from initially hiring them at a fairly expensive price, you have to fully equip them, providing them with progressively better armor and supplies if you want them to survive. Henchmen (or women) will either fanatically defend your character, fight only if attacked, or passively observe the melee and perhaps heal your character, if necessary. I once hired a pair of allies, only to discover after several dungeon outings that one of them never raised a finger to assist the party. I dismissed her, an option which is available to a player at any time. But prior to dismissing her, I stripped her of all the expensive equipment which I had purchased for her, and sold everything. At last recoup your investment!
Too many henchmen become difficult to manage. They will not turn on you, but you need to keep track of what equipment they have, which spells they know, what levels they are, and how or if they will assist you. I prefer to have one good henchmen, a pet, and maybe two or three tough, summoned monsters.
There is an ample storage chest for keeping items which you may want later, possibly a weapon or piece of armor that your character hasn't yet achieved the renown (a type of level) or ability scores to utilize. Keep them in the storage chest. Also, if you get killed in the dungeon and select the option Fate gives you: "I will heal you to full strength and transport you three levels upward, but your gold must remain here for now," you can always cash in the contents of your storage chest.
Fate: The Cursed King is a fascinating fantasy microcosm, providing hours of entertainment, and a little more ingenuity and creativity than its three predecessors. The graphics and the interface are great, the learning curve is very short, and the game requires just a little bit of ingenuity. Granted, the game is mostly brute force, as your character and party members will chop, smash and zap their way through dangerous dungeon denizens to fulfill quest after quest, striving for the ultimate goal of restoring the cursed kingdom to normalcy. You may not succeed in reaching your objective, buy you'll have a lot of fun trying.

© August 4, 2011 by Allan M. Heller













Old Ways and New Directions
Safe Conduct, An Autobiography And Other Writings

Originally published in 1949 by New Directions, this brief compendium of works by Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) is a collaboration of four different translators and comprises not only the titular piece, but the short stories "Aerial Ways" and "Letters from Tula," the novella "The Childhood of Luvers" and 33 poems. Even given the fact that every translator has his or her own unique rendering and takes certain liberties, there can be no doubt that the inherent verbosity and cryptic syntax is truly that of Pasternak. Readers will wade through a morass of metaphors and peripatetic passages which, at their eventual conclusion, almost audibly demand clarification, or at least a second reading. To his credit, Pasternak masterfully employs imagery, describing the most mundane situations in the most colorful terms. Thus, a train making routine stops at several different cities

". . .stretched out like a chain-mail wonder wrought from the ten-times-riveted
carriage frames. The small leather corridor connections dilated and expanded like a
blacksmith's bellows (43)."

He also uses a great deal of personification, which, if used judiciously, enhances writing, but if employed excessively can and does backfire.
Written when Pasternak was 40, his autobiography recounts a circuitous, fickle existence, as the incipient scribe drifts from one prospective career to the next, choosing first music, then law, and afterwards philosophy, before settling on poetry. Each stage in the author's life comes with its heroes, whom he reveres in turn, never forgetting the individual influences that each respective mentor has had on him. Fleeting attention is given to his parents, Leonid and Rosa, as well as to his siblings, and Pasternak refers to his first wife, "Zhenia" (Evgenia) and their son perhaps once. Juxtaposed to this omission are scenes such as the one in Chapter IV in the first part of the book, in which Pasternak relates an excruciating recital that he performed for the renowned pianist Alexander Scriabin, under whom he studied. Again Pasternak utilizes the most routine details to convey a palpable sense of urgency and insecurity, which sets the stage for the inevitable end of his musical aspirations.
But Pasternak reserves the lion's share of his admiration for the ill-fated poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, who later committed suicide. Pasternak implies that Mayakovsky's tragic demise enhances his greatness, making him a kind of poet-martyr. During his formative years as a poet, the early 1910's, Pasternak hobnobbed with several other writers as well, and in Safe Conduct describes the small, almost incestuous gatherings, without really mentioning any details of what was recited. Pasternak relates one such occasion on which Mayakovsky "offered to read one or two things."



"It was the tragedy Vladimir Mayakovsky which had just come out. I listened
raptly, with all my heart, holding my breath, forgetting all about myself. I had never
heard anything like this before (115)."

Much of Pasternak's autobiography is similarly self-effacing, and in retrospect, almost seems like false modesty. However, he does leave a trail of clues leading to the eventual explanation of his complex psyche.
Those readers expecting something akin to Dr. Zhivago in this book's sparse selection of fiction will be disappointed. The syntactical consistency in the three stories which appear in this publication reinforces the earlier point made regarding the integrity of preserving Pasternak's inimitable style. That the entire book was translated by the same individual would be entirely plausible.
"Aerial Ways" is a brooding mystery set against a maritime backdrop. The two main characters are separated by space, time and the ineluctable fate of a certain child with whom they share a bond. Throughout the course of the narrative nearly two decades elapse swiftly and silently. "Letters from Tula," the second fictional offering, is the shortest of the stories, although it manages quite well to be the most convoluted. First published in 1918, the piece fluctuates between an epistolary tale and a conventional third person account, the former distinguished from the latter by the use of quotation marks. The protagonist is a poet, describing a railroad sojourn to Moscow. "The Childhood of Luvers" is the not-so-epic saga of an upper-class Russian family, told from the perspective of Zhenia, the daughter. Among the family's tribulations, only one can really be construed as potentially catastrophic, although the young protagonist sees drama in everyday life.
Although most literature can and does stand on its own merits, rudimentary knowledge of Pasternak's background, as well as some understanding of Russian culture, will greatly benefit readers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, during the doomed Romanov dynasty, it was fashionable for the Russian aristocracy to speak French. So it is not strange that in Part V of Chapter 1, Pasternak writes that one of four Belgian gentlemen who regularly visit the family "had been trying to learn Russian (205)." Slavic naming conventions can be a bit perplexing too, as diminutives are usually preferred. Therefore Evgenia is called "Zhenia" and Sergei is called "Seriozha." Surnames are treated differently, as well, with women generally adding the suffix "a" or "na." This is why the wife of Mr. Deffendov calls herself Mrs. Deffendova. The title Safe Conduct is particularly apt, given the turbulent times which the author survived, specifically two revolutions (1905 and 1917) and as many world wars. Although a childhood injury prevented Pasternak from serving in the military, he was hardly unaffected. And almost prophetically, the title hints at the persecution he endured with the publication of his magnum opus, which was completed in 1954 and garnered him the Nobel Prize in 1958. Many years would elapse before the book's publication in Russia.
By far the best section is that containing the selected poems. That most of them rhyme or nearly rhyme, and adhere to metrical parameters, while at the same time exhibiting wonderful, rich imagery understandably leads purists to question the integrity of the translation, by C. M. Bowra and Babette Deutsch. The poetry manifests an affinity for themes about nature, as evidenced by titles such as "Sparrow Hills," "Summer" and "Waving a Bough." A lesser poet -or translator- might inadvertently wax prosaic, but these poems bear no trace of that. Other topics delve into the historical ("Spring 1944") or the philosophical ("May it Be.")
Much is left omitted regarding the life of Pasternak, both because he was to live another 30 years following the book's publication and because he focuses on the cerebral rather than the situational. Overall, Safe Conduct, An Autobiography And Other Writings fulfills a niche for those who want more insight into one of Russia's foremost writers, but is by no means an easy read.


































© August 24, 2011 by Allan M. Heller


August 25, 2011

Peter Krok, Editor, Non-Fiction and Essays
Schuylkill Valley Journal
240 Golf Hills Road
Havertown, PA 19083

Dear Peter,

     I submit for your consideration a book review of Safe Conduct, An Autobiography And Other Writings by Boris Pasternak. First published by New Directions in 1949, this brief volume contains three fictional pieces, as well as some three score poems. I believe my review to be even and balanced; I am not awed by the fact that the author is Pasternak, neither am I swayed to go in the opposite direction, seeking to raze his reputation. My essay is just under 1100 words.

Thank you for your consideration, Peter. I hope that you and yours are in good health. I would that the same were true for me;  I was diagnosed last September with Parkinson's Disease. But I soldier on. I completed my fourth book -Monuments and Memorials of Philadelphia- last month. Also, I am recently married. My wife Tatiana and I will celebrate our third anniversary in October.

May we meet again soon.

Your humble and obedient servant,



Allan M. Heller
















A Jumbled Rainbow

Produced in 2008 by Sounds True, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, Laura Alden Kamm's Color Intuition blends Eastern spirituality, elements of Yoga, mysticism and the author's own personal observations and experiences in crafting a holistic healing and self-awareness program. In some areas the effort succeeds remarkably well; in other aspects Color Intuition is rather gray. Priced at $27.95, this kit contains a booklet, two audio CD's, and 34 "Healing Cards." The latter consists of eight chakra cards (the seven primary chakras or spiritual centers essential to Yoga, and an extra, all-encompassing one) and the remaining cards themed with inspirational topics accompanied by sayings. Examples of the latter include Clarity (#13), Harmony (#24) and Invocation Of Spiritual Guides (#31).
Kamm is a self-proclaimed "intuitive," meaning someone who simply senses or knows things without the usual empirical or experimental processes that most of us employ to acquire knowledge. Kamm maintains that the energy of color helps her -and others who would follow her example- awaken spiritual insights and achieve remarkable restorative effects, both physically and psychologically. She relates in the aforementioned booklet how her awakening came when she was a young woman and had a nasty brush with death, a brush which left her half-blind but better able to see than ever before (in a manner of speaking).
Color is perfectly acceptable as a meditation motif, but Kamm is not totally convincing in her assertion that colors govern so wide a domain. Certainly color has the innate potential to affect our moods and enhance or detract from our environment, depending on how it is utilized, but Kamm seems to ascribe almost magical properties to simple chromatics.  On page 10 of the accompanying 47-page workbook, she assures the reader that ". . .you don't have to see in order to intuit the color of the energy. . . [that emanates off everyone and everything]. I will share with you tools to develop you inner sight." But delving further into both the workbook and the CD exercises demonstrate that this is easier said than done.
There are several conspicuous gaps of information throughout the program, which Kamm does not do enough to bridge. One is particularly disturbing if would-be intuitives accept the premise that Kamm's healing methods can function remotely as well as in person. If people can send restorative energy and thoughts to someone who is injured or ill, can they not also do the opposite? And if so, what are the ramifications? Granted, this sounds a bit like witchcraft or voodoo, but the premise is plausible.
Despite its inherent flaws, Color Intuition has its plusses, particularly concerning the CD guided practices and meditations. The mind has a natural tendency to wander during meditation exercises, and during the prolonged Vipassana meditation (35:57) on track four of the first CD, Kamm repeatedly re-focuses the listener with gentle reminders. She stresses concentrating on one's breathing, which is essential to the process, and dismisses the distractions of wandering thoughts which may traipse across the mental threshold. Her advice is quite sage. In one of the guided practices, Opening your spiritual sight, Kamm takes listeners to a deeply-wooded forest, and from there to a placid pool. There she soothes them with positive, if not always understandable, affirmations. The overall effect is very positive.

The background music consists of gentle, unobtrusive compositions which obediently defer to Kamm's spoken instructions. The sound possesses a soft, synthesized quality that is reminiscent of New Age. A short, sharp, clear bell calls the listener to attention at start of the Vipassana meditation; the other exercises and practices on the CD's are gently ushered in with a lilting wave of euphony.
Some of Kamm's commentary during the audio portion of the program is awkward and even paradoxical. While there may be listeners who are too deeply entranced to really pay attention to the exact verbiage, others may find the following odd: "You know the many aspects of who you truly are: the adventurer, the rebel healer, the compassionate savior, and the whimsical, innocent spirit." (Guided Practice: Finger painting with living energy, CD 1, Track 2).  Do these descriptions complement, or contradict, one another? Or from the aforementioned Opening your spiritual sight: "You know as an infinite being of spirit that the answers intuitively come even more strongly now in your seeing way and you can still feel, hear and know the answers." Even hearing these remarks in context begs the question "What does that mean?"
Several preparatory exercises are in the workbook, following some of Kamm's autobiographical information and the necessary -if not completely sufficient- explanations of Color Intuition, and descriptions of the seven basic chakras and the areas of the body, as well as the colors, with which they are associated. The best of the exercises is Entering Into The Light (32), which combines deep breathing and centering on the heart, or fourth chakra, which Kamm maintains is a "beautiful emerald green (19)." The first part of Entering Into The Light, the deep breathing, is easy and peaceful. But incorporating one's emerald green heart chakra takes patience, persistence, and probably luck. The Chakra Enhancement exercise (45) begins with taking one to seven cards, but whether or not to include the chakra cards of just pick from the inspirational cards is not stated. Kamm's aspirations are noble, and maybe some individuals do intuitively "get the hang of it," as Kamm assures will happen. But probably not too often.

© September 12, 2011 by Allan M. Heller

















The Right Kind of Democracy
Review of The Future of Freedom

Fareed Zakaria is not anti-democracy, but takes a stance that initially seems controversial. That is that unfettered democracy is counter-productive. Although the United States has fared considerably better with its system of government, Zakaria argues, America is in many ways choking itself.
In Chapter 5, Too Much of a Good Thing, the author references the so-called Sunshine Laws, which require elected officials to publicize all hearings in which new legislation is being enacted. While this does give constituents greater input, it also stymies lawmakers, who are forced to endure the threats and entreaties of lobbyists and special interest groups. Often legislators cave in to the pressure, passing laws that are actually harmful to the majority. Another thorny issue that Zakaria tackles is legislation by plebiscite, which results in major setbacks as countless groups clamor for their respective agendas. The counter to this conundrum is not one for which Zakaria personally takes credit: give politicians leeway to pass laws that they feel are in the public's best interests. This is, after all, why they are elected in the first place.
Although much of The Future of Freedom deals with political and social trends in this country, the book also explores the paths other nations have taken or may take, as evidenced by the subtitle Illiberal Democracy At Home And Abroad. By "illiberal" democracy Zakaria means a country that ostensibly has free elections, but remains or becomes repressive, corrupt or intolerant. As examples Zakaria gives Russia, Belarus and Venezuela, among others. And he explores the failed efforts of the United States to transplant democracy to nations such as Haiti, and bluntly states in the book's afterword:

[The Bush administration] thoughtlessly engineered a political and social revolution as
intense as the French or Iranian ones and them seemed surprised that Iraq could not digest
it happily, peaceably and quickly. . .We gave them a civil war (266).

However, Zakaria is not opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq -a country with no direct connection to the 9/11 attacks and which to date has yielded no evidence weapons of mass destruction- only the way in which we handled it.
What may make some readers bristle is Zakaria's contention that some countries are simply not ready for democracy, and imposing our views on them will likely do more harm than good. Countries like China and Russia, he argues, are arguably able to make decisions that are good for the nation as a whole precisely because they do not have to worry about the public's approval. Whether or not these nations will ultimately embrace a more tolerant ideology is unclear.
In Chapter 4 Zakaria deals with radical Islam, and proposes that the root of the problem is not the religion per se, as many of Islam's detractors maintain, but rather the issue is endemic to the Middle East. While avoiding racist stereotypes, Zakaria points to repressive regimes and fat, decadent oligarchs as the major contributors to strife in this region. Refuting the assertion that only poor and disenfranchised young Muslims veer towards terrorism, he singles out Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, who bucked this supposed trend.  He further asserts that Israel is not the source either, stating that for centuries Jews lived peacefully in Muslim countries. However, other sources -such as Robert Spencer's 2005 The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Islam (And The Crusades)- claim that under Islamic regimes, Jews were treated as second-class citizens, an argument which Zakaria does not address. And his examples of bin Laden and Zawahiri notwithstanding, he omits mentioning that most suicide bombers, whom the upper echelons recruit, are poor and disenfranchised.
If The Future of Freedom is accurate, the book implies that the United States is an anomaly in some respects. For example, Zakaria maintains that countries with abundant natural resources are generally inhospitable towards democracy. He naturally mentions the African nations, mired in totalitarianism and civil war. Yet America has no dearth of resources, and is a functional, if imperfect, democracy.
Zakaria rightly equates a country's political success -insofar as harboring a liberal democracy is concerned- with its economic success. Poverty breeds discontent and tyranny. He ends by asserting that a leader dedicated to eradicating the social ills that perpetuate the status quo in much of the world should inspire confidence and cooperation in this noble goal.
First published in 2003 by W.W. Norton & Company, and then again in 2007 with a new afterword, The Future of Freedom at 300 pages is a surprisingly easy book to digest, employing language that is erudite without being arrogant. Zakaria is a fair if sometimes harsh critic of the established world order, but by no means comes across as a pessimist. Still timely, The Future of Freedom is a worthwhile read.

© September 23, 2011 by Allan M. Heller























All It's Cracked Up To Be?
The Princeton Review® Cracking the SAT® 2011 Edition

No one should believe the editors at The Princeton Review® when they claim in Cracking the SAT® 2011 Edition: "Ideally, we'd like to see the SAT eliminated altogether; we think the test is that bad (2)." The publishers make a fortune on selling SAT study guides, not to mention their Cracking the PSAT®/GRE®/GED®/AP English Language & Composition Exam®, etc. The apparent hypocrisy notwithstanding, The Princeton Review® still publishes a guide that certainly has its uses (as well as its limitations).
The SAT originally consisted of two sections -math and verbal- which combined to make a total score of between 200 and 1600. The test has undergone significant changes, notably the addition of a 25-minute essay section, and the elimination of analogies. The SAT now contains writing, critical reading and math sections, as well as an unmarked experimental section. Many students find the new essay requirement, added in 2005, to be particularly daunting. The maximum possible score on the new SAT is 2400.
Cracking has a light, humorous tone geared towards making anxious students feel more comfortable about a test which The Princeton Review® rightly assesses has little to do with measuring intelligence or academic prowess and mainly gauges how well students take standardized tests. Throughout the Cracking series, The Princeton Review® cannot refrain from taking frequent swipes at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which produces the SAT. Cracking is never condescending to readers.
Cracking is a hefty, pricey guide at 716 pages and $35. For this, consumers get a tutorial tome with 26 Chapters, eight practice tests (half of which are on a CD-ROM), and numerous exercises and drills, all further divided into seven discrete sections. Despite the levity that The Princeton Review® injects into this book, they take their publication very seriously, covering the essentials in their 31-page Orientation that comprises Part I, and then attacking the various sections methodically, as follows: Part II: How to Crack the Critical Reading Section, Part III: How to Crack the Math Section, Part IV: How to Crack the Writing Section, Part V: Taking the SAT, Part VI: Answer Key to Drills, Part VII: The Princeton Review SAT Practice Tests and Explanations.
The eight practice SAT's are arguably the book's best feature, as they provide not only good examples of what students will have to face, but detailed explanations that clarify each answer choice. The wrong answers are as clearly explained as the right answers.
The strategies recommended by The Princeton Review® are often unorthodox by the publishers own admission, and some strategies may not be the most useful to all students. One point on which educators and SAT tutors often disagree strongly is the advice that students not read the entire passages to answer the Critical Reading questions, just what they need. While students should read the passages reasonably quickly, jumping to the questions first is just not sensible. The Princeton Review® is correct, however, in telling readers not to be obsessed with irrelevant details. The suggestion that students guess an answer to a question when at least one out of the five answer choices can be eliminated is also of dubious merit: that still leaves only a 25% chance of choosing the correct response.

Chapter 8 Vocabulary, in Part II, contains 249 words divided in themed sections, e.g. DO YOU AGREE? (121) contains concord, concur, etc. The vocabulary in Cracking the SAT® 2011 Edition is identical to that of Cracking the PSAT®/NMSQT 2011 Edition, so graduates of the latter need not spend an inordinate amount of time on Chapter 8. And although a strong vocabulary is an asset in life, memorizing dozens of new words is time-consuming and unlikely to raise one's SAT score significantly. A better use of time would be to peruse a list of word roots and suffixes.
One-third of the SAT is devoted to math questions, most of which are standard multiple choice, but some of which are "grid-ins," meaning that test-takers have to fill in the answers themselves rather than select from a possible five. Cracking devotes 150 pages, or all eight chapters of Part III, to the Math sections of the SAT. Although the editors are not attempting to review every math concept that students have spend the past 10 years learning, they do provide very useful reminders about math terms and give breakdowns of the types of problems students will encounter. The chapters tackle everything from proper use of a calculator during the SAT through basic math, Algebra, Algebra II and Geometry. The chapters are written in an informative, supportive style. Particularly valuable are the methods for eliminating one or two obviously wrong answers on difficult questions without even doing much math!
The CD-ROM features interactive exercises with actual instructors who know the SAT well and can convey both knowledge and confidence to test-takers. This is especially useful for students who are not verbal-oriented and might balk at reading the hundreds of pages in Cracking. Considering the subject, the CD-ROM presentations are about as interesting as they can be.
The book's one weakness is Chapter 18, Essay, which merely touches upon what is for many students the most challenging part of the SAT. Immediately upon sitting down to take the test on the Saturday morning in question, students are faced with a prompt, i.e. a quote or excerpt coupled with an assignment phrased as such: "What is your opinion on the issue of. . .? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view. . ." The idea is to choose a side of the issue, and clearly state one's opinion, using pertinent examples from literature, history, current events and whatnot. Cracking provides minimal advice and support. One method that usually works is making a list of examples from the above-named sources that can be tailored to a variety of possible essay prompts. This sounds far-fetched, but really is effective. Common examples that students choose are Martin Luther King, Jr., the Revolutionary War and any number of Shakespeare plays. The SAT doesn't ask for total originality, only that students prove their points. But The Princeton Review® apparently is unaware of this theory of essay topics, or simply puts no stock in it.

© September 25, 2011 by Allan M. Heller






Have A Shot? Take A Crack
The Princeton Review's Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT 2011 Edition

With the cost of college tuition rising exponentially, securing a full or partial scholarship is desirable. The number of scholarships awarded, as well as the amounts, are small, but the monetary issue aside, a National Merit Scholarship looks great on a college application. Students with a reasonable shot at one might benefit from The Princeton Review's Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT, by Jeff Rubenstein and Adam Robinson. Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT is a kind of precursor to Cracking the SAT, with some notable differences. Students who are not in the running for a National Merit Scholarship should just relax and do their best on the PSAT, but really don't have to study or prepare too much. Cracking plainly states: The PSAT plays no role in college admissions (5)."
Since the PSAT is a much shorter test than the SAT, it naturally follows that Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT is a much shorter book; 386 pages compared to Cracking the SAT's 716. Students should not assume that the PSAT is easier, however, although it lacks the dreaded essay section. Test-takers must contend with two 25-minute Critical Reading sections, two 25-minute Math sections and one 30 minute Writing section (again, sans essay). The authors do a good job of breaking down the PSAT and explaining its various components. They even recommend how to divide review time in their Session-by-Session Study Guide on page 9.
Many of the strategies are identical to those that The Princeton Review prescribes for the longer SAT, which stands to reason. The emphasis on POE (Process of Elimination) makes for sound advice, even though some of the examples in the book are a little simplistic. Trying to maintain a light, reassuring tone, the book introduces readers to  Joe Bloggs, the "average" student, and explains how someone who is almost always wrong on the difficult questions can help test-takers. (Joe also appears in Cracking the SAT). But being the quintessential average student, Joe probably wouldn't have a good chance of winning a National Merit Scholarship, would he? But that is beside the point.
The advice concerning Sentence Completions makes sense to an extent: students should come up with their own word for the blank prior to looking at the five answer choices. An example would be:

1. After exercising, Allan was so _____ that he collapsed into bed as soon as he
arrived at his apartment.

A student with at least a modicum of intelligence would suggest a word like "tired," and looking at the answer choices

(A) enraged (B) confused (C) belligerent (D) fatigued (E) inebriated

would hopefully choose (D). But during the actual test, students don't have time to play additional guessing games, so this strategy works best during practice drills. The authors' advice for the Critical Reading passages to skim the selections and only read what is needed to find the answers -a strategy echoed in Cracking the SAT, is also of dubious merit. Reading the whole passage, albeit at a fairly quick pace, is better. The breakdown of reading passage questions into Vocabulary in Context, Detail, Infer/Imply/Suggest, Purpose, Tone and Main Idea is rather arbitrary, although it does help clarify concepts. In Cracking the SAT 2011 Edition, the categories are basically the same, except that Infer/Imply/Suggest becomes Suggest/Infer/Imply/Agree and Tone evolves to Tone/Attitude. The Princeton Review periodically changes these reading question categories as it churns out new annual editions, though, so students need not memorize the perennially-changing question types.
The vocabulary in Cracking the PSAT is identical to that of Cracking the SAT, although the preceding few pages in each book are slightly different. The former contains a somewhat superfluous (one of the vocabulary words) pronunciation guide, and divides the words into weekly portions, Week 1through Week 5, to be specific.
The bulk of Part II is dedicated to the Math sections of the PSAT, detailed in chapters 7 through 9 for a total of 87 pages. As in Cracking the SAT, this book dispenses advice about the use of a calculator, which is permitted for both tests. The authors are right in their admonition that a calculator will not help if a student does not understand a particular problem. The three math chapters offer a good sampling of what will actually be on the test, and in addition, the authors preface the drills and sample problems with a review of basic math concepts.
Cracking the PSAT 2011 Edition only contains two practice test, chapters 13 and 14 respectively. There should be a few more pages allotted to the book’s 716 pages to allow for at least one more practice test. For students on the threshold of winning a National Merit Scholarship, this book might give them an extra edge. But maybe not.

© September 27, 2011 by Allan M. Heller






















Keeping It Real
The Real ACT Prep Guide

Chapter 1: About the SAT consists of eight pages of explanations that nevertheless omit a key piece of information: what ACT stands for. Although this is not essential knowledge for taking the test, readers must certainly be asking themselves as they turn the pages, only to  have their hopes of satisfied curiosity quashed. (It stands for American College Testing). A bit of background on the ACT might have been in order, too. Much of the data in Chapter 2: General Test-Taking Strategies seems to go without saying: develop a positive mental attitude, sleep well the night before, eat a good breakfast. As the book progresses, the content becomes more important. Chapter 3's breakdown of the ACT's five sections - English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing- and the accompanying charts are very helpful. This is followed by 119 pages of sample questions and detailed explanations. The section on the ACT's optional Writing test provides real examples from students whose essays showcase the best (6 out of 6 points) and the worst (1 out of 6 points) of our youth's literary abilities. (The essays are actually scored by two graders, each of whom assigns a score of 1 through six, for a combined score of 2 through 12).
The writing style of The Real ACT Prep Guide does not merit a 6 out of 6. Although making a book about a dry, dull examination entertaining or even interesting is a difficult task, the book itself does not have to be dry and dull. ACT might take a lesson from The Princeton Review, whose numerous student guides, such as Cracking the SAT, deal with potentially boring subject matter by injecting humor, empathy, and even a bit of sarcasm. The witty sidebars, bullet points and brief chapter summaries break up the monotony. That being established, The Princeton Review does not always provide the soundest "test-cracking" strategies, but the presentation is something that they do right.
The strategies for each test section, elaborated in Chapter 3 of The Real ACT Prep Guide, are generally quite sound, but of course their effectiveness depends on the student. Approximately 10 to 12 "insider tips" are presented for each subject area of the ACT. This is a lot for a likely-bewildered student to remember, but probably even one or two will serve them well.
The pith of this pedagogic portfolio is Chapter 4, 350 pages dedicated to three entire practice tests, each followed by dozens of pages excruciatingly examining each answer choice, including the wrong ones. The only omission are the "answers" to the optional Writing test. However, even this issue could be addressed by providing an example of a "perfect" (i.e. 6 out of 6 points) student essay, coupled with an evaluation highlighting the essay's merits.
The final chapter, 5, explains the scoring of the ACT, which ranges from 1 to 36 in all of the areas except Writing. Chapter 5 contains "College Readiness Standards" for the respective areas, broken down as follows: 13-15, 16-19, 20-23, etcetera, up to 33-36. These are further divided into skill areas. College Readiness Standards - English lists Topic Development in Terms of Purpose and Focus; Organization, Unity and Coherence and Word Choice in Terms of Style, Tone, Clarity and Economy, as well as three other categories. A student with a score of 19 out of 36 on the English test "Selects the most logical place to add a sentence in a paragraph (578)" under the category Organization, Unity and Coherence. Test-takers scoring below a 13 on any of the first four testing sections are ostensibly deemed poor candidates for higher education. The College Readiness Standards - Writing cutoff is 3-4.
The Real ACT Guide, 2nd Edition, was published in 2008 by ACT, and while a fairly-complete compendium, will prove a lot to digest for students preparing for the test. Those who choose to utilize this study aid will do best to purchase the guide several months in advance, and immediately set aside deadlines for studying and completing each section and practice test.

© October 11, 2011 by Allan M. Heller




































Snapshots From Yesteryear
Old Philadelphia In Early Photographs 1839-1914

Robert F. Looney, one-time head of the Free Library of Philadelphia's Print and Picture Department, compiled a collection of 215 photographs chronicling the architectural and historical development of the City of Brotherly Love. A collaboration between Dover Publications of New York and the Free Library, this 228-page tome is invaluable for anyone interested in the forces that shaped one of the country's most important cities. The introduction to Old Philadelphia features an 1839 daguerreotype of Central High School and the adjacent state arsenal. This grainy image, the author explains, is the oldest surviving photograph in existence (iii). Throughout 10 chapters, Looney takes the reader into various neighborhoods, beginning with Soutwark, a section which fronts the Delaware River, and was settled by the Swedish in the late 1600’s. Today very few if any residents refer to the “Southwark” section of Philadelphia; it has basically been incorporated into South Philadelphia. Chapter 1 Southwark culminates perfectly with an 1854 photograph of Old Swedes (now Gloria Dei) Church near Swanson Street. Recent visitors to this house of worship will find that the appearance is much the same.
The author diligently indicates where street names have changed, e.g. Shippen Street is now Bainbridge Street (15), but there have obviously been significant changes which Looney could not have foreseen. The fact that this study is dated does not detract from its photographic magnificence, but somewhat from its current accuracy. One example is the caption for print number 151 CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS, JUNIPER STREET AT CENTER SQUARE, C. 1854, where Looney writes: "John Wanamaker's store now stands on this site (151)." The department store closed in 1995, but again, Looney can not be faulted for lack of clairvoyance.
A recurring theme throughout the course of this book is the gradual decline and eventual disappearance of certain residential areas, which were to be supplanted by industrial and commercial zones. A further step in this neighborhood evolution often led to abandoned complexes and blighted sections of the city. In this regard, Looney is prescient.
A few, though not many, of the buildings pictured have remained basically as they were, and yet, many photographs highlight the great dichotomy between then and now. Hotels, stores and restaurants of impressive height and bearing modern-looking facades stand elegantly behind horse-drawn carriages sloughing through muddy or cobblestone streets. Signs bearing business names such as "ship joiner" or "manufacturer of watch cases" truly show the modern reader how much has changed.
Some of the pictures are faded and blurry, while others are surprisingly revealing considering both their age and the technology of the time period. Particularly engaging are the people in the images; photographic phantoms staring at the viewer from across the chasm of the ages. Their clothing, demeanor and posture all recall an era that 21st-century folks can scarcely imagine. But these photographs are testaments to the reality of the subjects, who, like most of the structures around which they posed, are long gone.
One of the most curious effects in this set of 215 photographs is the "ghost" on page 53, print number 50 4TH STREET AT WALNUT, C. 1868. In the lower right corner is the transparent figure of a man, standing to the right of a birch tree, and facing left from the viewer's perspective. Although this pseudo-supernatural effect can almost certainly be attributed to a photographic glitch, the image invites speculation.
Although photographs necessarily dominate Looney's book, the accompanying text is not insubstantial, and as a result, seriously interested readers will glean more from a careful examination of both the images and the captions. To glimpse a photograph of a 19th-century edifice built in the Neo-Classical style is interesting, but much more so when combined with a brief history, and eventual fate, of such a structure. Where available, the name of the photographer is included in the accompanying captions. A brief biographical note about these men would have been interesting, but perhaps this was not possible. Several prominent architects are mentioned, among them Frank Furness and James H. Windrim.
Old Philadelphia concludes with a chapter on the Centennial Exposition of 1876, where artists, inventors, merchants and dignitaries from around the world converged for five months on the birthplace of liberty. Those of us who remember the Bicentennial -the year of this book’s publication- recall the fanfare that attended this gala event, but if historical records are any indication, even this was dwarfed by its predecessor of 100 years prior. Perhaps the most significant exhibitions, as far as Looney is concerned, were the forearm and torch of the yet-uncompleted Statue of Liberty and engineer George Corliss’s enormous steam engine (195).

© October 15, 2011 by Allan M. Heller






























Not To Die Nor Kill For
The Oxford Book of Detective Stories

The murder mystery has long been a favorite among fans of detective stories, and the detective story has long been a favorite among fans of fiction, although the latter category is extremely broad. Whether by garrote or gun, poison or poker, hand or hatchet, homicide in all its various incarnations has long held readers rapt. But the detective tale need not be a blood-soaked spectacle to make for a good read, as many of the 37 short stories selected for The Oxford Book of Detective Stories (Oxford University Press, 2000) capably demonstrate. Missing persons, pilfered property, disappearing documents and even a touch of the supernatural are sprinkled throughout the book's 587 pages.
Of course, bloodless mysteries are not the sole occupants of the compendium of conceived crime. Victims throughout the tales therein are dispatched with the traditional as well as the unconventional implements of murder (to reveal more would spoil the surprise). But the point is that mystery assumes many forms. This attempt at being eclectic was a major aim of editor Patricia Craig. More familiar writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler and Sue Grafton share space with other, perhaps lesser-known talents. The featured authors range in nationality - British (of course!), Irish, American, Japanese, Australian, Finnish, French, etcetera. Seven of the stories have been translated into English from various languages.
It seems odd that Craig chose Arthur Conan Doyle ("The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle") for this anthology, and excluded Edgar Allan Poe, whose sagacious sleuth C. Auguste Dupin preceded Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes by a good 46 years. She does, however, acknowledge the two writers jointly: "Everyone knows that the category, as we understand it, was invented by Poe in 1841, and subsequently refined by Conan Doyle in the 1890's. . .(x). Craig also chides herself for not including sufficient female writers; there are eight. Part of this alleged oversight might be attributed to the fact that at the times of publication, women crime writers were few.
The respective authors' autobiographical blurbs are included in a brief, post script supplement. Although irrelevant to the quality of a piece of writing, information about the writer is of  interest to most readers, and probably should come before the actual story. (How many readers know that there was no such person as Ellery Queen?)
The stories are generally of a sufficient length -neither too long nor too short- with the possible exception of Chandler's "No Crime in the Mountains," which at 51 pages is a bit much. In contrast, "Father Brown in Muncie, Indiana," by Ruth Dudley Edwards, is a mere three pages. The stories in this collection average about 14 to 15 pages.
A number of the stories defy resolution (again, to name that would be to spoil the surprise), and this is decidedly unsatisfying. Readers patiently persist every step of the way along with the detective and cast of characters, and the readers expect and deserve satisfaction. For a writer of detective  yarns to deprive them of this is. . .well, criminal.

© October 26, 2011 by Allan M. Heller




They Stood No Chance. . .And Survived

At the onset of writing this review of Jennifer Armstrong's 1998 book Shipwreck At The Bottom Of The World, I do not know whether or not this true story of courage, adventure, despair and hope has ever been made into a motion picture. At the very least, the tale of the nearly doomed crew of the ill-fated Endurance merits a documentary on The History Channel or some similar venue. But even that does not matter. What does matter is the Armstrong has vividly captured the drama and danger that a crew of 28 intrepid sailors endured during a 1914 excursion to the frigid South Pole.
The hubris of expedition leader Ernest Henry Shackleton might be cited as a factor in the harrowing ordeal, which officially began when the ship sailed from England in August of 1914. Shackleton, who had been knighted several years earlier, was a veteran traveler who had sailed close to the southernmost continent in 1908 but never reached Antarctica. By the time the Endurance set out, two previous explorers had achieved this goal, so Shackleton set his goal higher: his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition would not only reached the frozen continent, they would cross it. How wrong he was. In December of that year the possibly misnamed Endurance sailed from South Georgia Island, bound for Antarctica. A year and a half later, the harrowed, exhausted crew returned, alive but sans their original vessel.
Armstrong's book may be classified as "juvenile literature," an often inaccurate epithet, and one that rings somewhat deprecatory. The diction is neither condescending nor erudite, and Shipwreck is accessible to most readers from about the age of 10 to adult. To the seasoned reader, the occasional parenthetical references might seem superfluous, but not really out of place. Armstrong skillfully brings to life the perils and tribulations faced by the crew. The daily hazards that these men faced are hard to imagine: hurricane force winds, icebergs, ravenous sea lions, frostbite and near starvation. The tact and aplomb with which Shackleton circumvented a mutiny are equally impressive.
The 45 authentic photographs complement Armstrong's excellent narrative, as well as helping to provide a break between blocks of text for the reader's eyes. That being established, there is a significant dearth of images between pages 69 to 95, spanning seven chapters. Overall, the pictures are interspersed effectively, and elicit a wide range of reactions, from humorous (like the one on page 68 of First Officer Lionel Greenstreet with icicles on his moustache) to breathtaking (such as the view on page 16 of the scenic, snow-capped mountains on South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean). An image sure to linger in the mind of any viewer is that of Shackleton's second-in-command Frank Wild grimly surveying the crushed remains of the Endurance, after the ship became trapped in the ice. Other essential visual aids are the detailed drawings showing the four separate decks of the Norwegian-built Endurance and the two maps delineating the overall geography of the region, and the ship's itinerary.
Somewhat tragic is the fate of the animals on board, a cat and numerous dogs, none of whom survived the entire voyage. The dogs were at first necessary to tow sleds full of supplies, but as food grew scarcer, orders were given to shoot the dogs rather than let them starve. The reaction of one of the crew sums up the general sentiment:
It seemed like murdering in cold blood a trusty pal, but, alas, there was no
alternative. Food was running short and the end was inevitable, for the dogs
could not be taken into the boats (67).
Ultimately, the reader, as I did, will appreciate that the 28 besieged sailors did what they had to do to survive. Ironically, Shackleton died at South Georgia Island on yet another Antarctic expedition six years after his return, following two heart attacks. Some may have questioned why, after his terrible ordeal with the Endurance, Shackleton would attempt to return to the South Pole. Those who knew him, and sailed with him through across hundreds of miles of dangerous seas, never questioned why.

© November 20, 2011 by Allan M. Heller





































I Shouldn't Have Strayed

In June of 2009 -as my readers no doubt recall- I wrote a review of Old Spice® High Endurance® Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant Sport, 3-oz. size (I'm pretty sure that's the complete name)! While no personal hygiene product is perfect, OSHECG is close enough. Foolishly I decided to try Right Guard® Sport Deodorant, also in a 3-oz. size, but a spray can instead of a solid stick. So why did I stray from solid to spray? Several reasons, none of them good: 1) Spray deodorant makes its presence clearly known and felt; the crisp, clear, cool blast makes my underarms tingle. 2) There is no chalky residue. 3) I figured that a little Right Guard® Sport Deodorant went a long way. 4) I wanted a change in routine and 5) the slogan on the can reads "AMERICA'S #1 AEROSOL." (Okay, 5 wasn't really a factor).
Price is really not a major issue when choosing a deodorant/antiperspirant: brand name products of similar size cost the same. I paid $2.99 for Right Guard® Sport Deodorant at a local drug store.  I can only think of two pros about this product, one of which is almost taken for granted nowadays. Right Guard® Sport Deodorant has no chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC's, which supposedly deplete the earth's ozone layer. Second, the can is fitted with a large cap, ensuring easy pushing. I remember the deodorant cans of my youth with their disproportionately small caps that not only left an imprint on your index finger, but were prone to twisting and even snapping off.
The disadvantages are: aiming any spray deodorant/antiperspirant is difficult, and liable to result in missing the armpit region. The directions on the can prescribe spraying at a distance of six inches, but for how long? Of course this is not a conundrum unique to Right Guard® Sport Deodorant, but to any similar spray. The other disadvantage, and I suppose the one of real consequence, is that I still stink! (Perhaps I should qualify that last statement: I stink after sweating all day with nothing but Right Guard® Sport Deodorant to protect me). Will Right Guard® Sport Deodorant work for you? I don't know; it may be that my chemical composition is different than that of the typical middle-aged man. But I wouldn't take chances. Don't stray to the spray; pick the stick!

© November 10, 2011 by Allan M. Heller















Advanced Moisture Action™?

Halls® Refresh™ Advanced Moisture Action™ Refreshing Mint cough drops have a strong medicinal taste. On the one hand, sucking on one of these translucent oval drops makes you feel like you're doing something significant to combat your cough, cold or congestion. This sensation generally last about five minutes after you finish with one. And although the relief that you may experience is very limited, the lingering taste requires you to wait quite a while before your gustatory sense recovers. If you have ever brushed your teeth and then inadvertently drank a glass of orange juice, you know exactly what I mean!
20 individually-wrapped cough drops come in a re-sealable 4 1/2" x 7 1/2" plastic bag. Upon unwrapping one, you can see embedded within tiny red flecks. I'm not sure what these are, but they look pretty cool; rather a good selling point.
Since I am not overly-fond of this product, (nor do I intensely dislike it), I do not find Halls® Refresh™ Advanced Moisture Action™ Refreshing Mint cough drops to be addictive, though some people might, despite the limited effectiveness. Often people convince themselves that a remedy or ameliorative measure works better than it actually does so that they can justify their purchase. If these cough drops taste medicinal, then they must be helping. Not necessarily. When my nasal congestion is bad, I might pop one of these for a quick fix. They work a little bit better for me if I close my mouth and inhale deeply through my nose, letting all of the vapors permeate. But for longer, better relief, I need saline spray.
If my mouth is simply dry, and I don't happen to be near a source of potable water, I find it handy and somewhat efficacious to pop a Halls® Refresh™ Advanced Moisture Action™ Refreshing Mint cough drop. I may do this when I'm driving (only when I'm stopped at a traffic light)! These cough drops do help with breath issues, more so than they address my sinus and allergy problems, but are of course not a substitute for brushing your teeth (and using mouthwash).
As for stifling my occasional cough, ostensibly the primary purpose of this product, these cough drops do not work so well.
Finally, I will conclude that if I really found this product to be helpful, I would prefer a more convenient package, namely a stick with 20 square-pieces, individually wrapped, as well.

© November 23, 2011 by Allan M. Heller












What the (Pro-)Health?

This viscous, lime green toothpaste has a very sweet, even cloying taste. The texture and color are reminiscent of guacamole sauce, or maybe what you would get if you put a hundred caterpillars in a blender. But I tried not to think of that when I brushed my teeth. One benefit to the aforementioned viscosity is the fact that Crest® Pro-Health® Whitening Toothpaste sticks better to the bristles of my electric toothbrush. (This has been an issue with other toothpastes, which the rapidly-shaking bristles tend to shake off, particularly on high speed).
Kids might like the off-color color (Remember how well that green ketchup did several years ago?), but I prefer toothpaste that is white or light blue and doesn't taste like candy, and not even very good candy. The mint flavor isn't very potent either. Also, the added fluoride (slightly less that half a percent) doesn't make much of a difference for adults, who are mostly past the cavity age. Overall, something about this toothpaste seems chemical and artificial; maybe it's the sodium hexametaphostpate or the titanium dioxide.
Distributed by Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati, Ohio, Crest® Pro-Health® Whitening Toothpaste boasts remedies for a variety of oral hygiene problems - gingivitis, tooth sensitivity, stains and bad breath- most of which do not plague me. The biggest selling point is one which I did not personally observe: ultra-white teeth. This supposedly should be accomplished due to the much-vaunted polyfluoride system™. The instructions on the label hint that this is a temporary toothpaste, not to be used for more than a month. So if your oral hygiene problems persist, see a dentist. This toothpaste cleaned my teeth and I suppose diffused any bad breath, but so do and so have other brands.
Crest® Pro-Health® need not be used too sparingly, as the 4.2-oz. size will easily last the prescribed four-month trial period. The ergonomic, wide cap flips open and closed easily, and is hinged to prevent its being lost, and enables consumers to stand the tube upright.  Still, I long for the old, small caps that were always falling on the bathroom floor, or even worse, into the toilet. Call me nostalgic.

© November 24, 2011 by Allan M. Heller















The Moviegoer by Walker Percy.

I Didn't Go For It
Walker Percy's The Moviegoer

Binx Bolling is a boring protagonist. That in itself is not enough to ruin a potentially good story, nor is the fact that he is not an especially likeable character, either. Dull characters thrust into extraordinary situations can make for fascinating fiction, as the example of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes amply demonstrates. But Walker Percy was no Arthur Conan Doyle, and Binx Bolling is no Sherlock Holmes.
At the beginning of Percy's novel, Bolling, a young New Orleans stockbroker, leads a comfortable life of lazy insouciance. One day his Aunt Emily, who raised him after the death of his parents, instructs him to spend some time with her stepdaughter Kate, who is engaged to be married. This slightly-peremptory request comes following the discovery of the drug sodium pentobarbital and wine in Kate's bedroom. Although Aunt Emily tries to downplay her concern, she fears that Kate still has anxiety related to the tragic death of her first fiance, _____, who was killed in a car accident.