When I arrived in New York I only knew two words of English. I knew yes and no and also knew the difference between the two.
Even though I learned French in school and spoke it fairly well at that time it only made me pronounce the English words in a French way which was really stupid. There was absolutely no similarity between the two languages.
First whole day in New York, we really wanted to go out and breath the air and see what the people were really like.
We stayed in a fairly nice hotel in Brooklyn at the time. Since I was already visited by some of my New York relatives I had some money. My uncle gave me some spending money so I was at the top of the world.
We found a little grocery store close to the hotel and went in very bravely. There were oranges on display and they looked very good. So I place my order: van kilo orange! (and said the word orange in Hungarian since I didn't know any better).
The guy looked at me and was trying to figure out what this mad Hungarian wanted. Not only he didn't understand the Hungarian version of orange he didn't understand the van kilo bit either. Eventually we understood each other.
He started to explain that in this country they didn't use the kilo but the pound. I had no clue what the pound was but I think I bought four oranges at the end.
A few weeks after arriving I got a job in some kind of a garment place. My job was to pack shirts and sweaters in plastic bags before shipping them out. My uncle got the job for me. But since I couldn't speak English it was impossible to communicate with the other people.
There was an older man working there who happened to be Hungarian and he helped me out from time to time but I couldn't impose on him all the time. Thinking back to those times I now realize that we Hungarians are like ants. Can't get rid of us and we are everywhere.
Anyway, sometime after the first week being there my boss called me into his office and said something to me. I said OK, yes sir. At the end of the workday I went home. Next day he called me in but this time the Hungarian man was also there. It turned out that the previous day he asked me to stay and work overtime because there was a lot of work.
I said OK, yes sir and went home. He didn't like this very much. He actually fired me right there and then. Since it was early in the day I think I went to Times Square and went to a movie to improve my language skills.
Shortly after this sour taste of American labor relations I landed another mindless job. I became a dishwasher. That wasn't so bad because the food was pretty good. But at the same time I attended night school where I was learning English.
This was a school in the middle of the Hungarian neighborhood in Manhattan. Our books were English-Hungarian.
In a very short time I learned how to say I vant an apple, and zis is a very nice suit Mister Smis and I also learned how to count to ten: van, too, sri, fore, five, six, seven, eis, nine and ten. I was cracking, English was easy. Only few years later I realized what idiotic things they were teaching us.
Fifty years later now, good old Willy Shakespeare and me are good buddies.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
January 30, 2010
I just want to react to a comment about yesterday's subject.
I emphasized that I live in New York and I am only familiar with the New York conditions. I am sure that in other localities the conditions are different.
The smaller the community the more reachable the doctors are. Yes, we here probably have the best money can buy but that is not always enough.
I am not questioning the hard road they have to take until they reach their goal but it is their choice.
Sure, people on Wall Street start to make money right after leaving school and if they screw up they get awarded while doctors have to study hard and if they screw up they get punished.
The stakes are totally different. But fortunately, doctors are rarely affected by the economical situation. There will always be sick people and there will always be need for healers.
I emphasized that I live in New York and I am only familiar with the New York conditions. I am sure that in other localities the conditions are different.
The smaller the community the more reachable the doctors are. Yes, we here probably have the best money can buy but that is not always enough.
I am not questioning the hard road they have to take until they reach their goal but it is their choice.
Sure, people on Wall Street start to make money right after leaving school and if they screw up they get awarded while doctors have to study hard and if they screw up they get punished.
The stakes are totally different. But fortunately, doctors are rarely affected by the economical situation. There will always be sick people and there will always be need for healers.
===========================
There are a few words in the English or rather the American English language that I absolutely hate to hear.
TV reporters and other interviewers are apt to use them so much that I think these slang are already officially accepted.
I hate to hear cup of java or cup of joe, or any such reference to coffee. Why coffee can not simply be called coffee? How comes that tea doesn't have a nickname?
Dogs are such cute and friendly animals. But I hate when they are referred as pooch or Fido. Who in the world will call his dog pooch or even Fido?
These word are not such that they are regularly used in conversation. I never heard anybody referring to his dog as pooch.
So why degrade those nice animals by giving them these stupid names?
Another word that I simply can not stand is broadloom. First, I don't even understand what it means, second I can not figure out how to fit it in a sentence. But one can see signs at stores advertising broadloom sale.
I thought maybe I would go into a store and ask for a few feet of broadloom and see what happens.
As long as I am talking about the English language, here are a few observations. Spelling and pronunciations are very similar lots of times but the meanings differ greatly. Here are a few of my examples:
Why one kneads dough while one needs dough ($)?
Why one talks to a nun while one talks to none?
Why one lies in bed while one lies to wed?
Why one's pants are loose while one hates to lose?
TV reporters and other interviewers are apt to use them so much that I think these slang are already officially accepted.
I hate to hear cup of java or cup of joe, or any such reference to coffee. Why coffee can not simply be called coffee? How comes that tea doesn't have a nickname?
Dogs are such cute and friendly animals. But I hate when they are referred as pooch or Fido. Who in the world will call his dog pooch or even Fido?
These word are not such that they are regularly used in conversation. I never heard anybody referring to his dog as pooch.
So why degrade those nice animals by giving them these stupid names?
Another word that I simply can not stand is broadloom. First, I don't even understand what it means, second I can not figure out how to fit it in a sentence. But one can see signs at stores advertising broadloom sale.
I thought maybe I would go into a store and ask for a few feet of broadloom and see what happens.
As long as I am talking about the English language, here are a few observations. Spelling and pronunciations are very similar lots of times but the meanings differ greatly. Here are a few of my examples:
Why one kneads dough while one needs dough ($)?
Why one talks to a nun while one talks to none?
Why one lies in bed while one lies to wed?
Why one's pants are loose while one hates to lose?
Friday, January 29, 2010
January 29, 2010
Whatever happened to the good old gray haired, reliable family doctor who showed up at our house if we were too sick to travel to his office and prescribed medications that cured us without failing.
These doctors had office hours in limited time because part of their days was spent on house calls. These doctors were reachable on the telephone and not through a third party. There was time when it was even almost pleasant to be sick because we looked forward to see our doctor in our house.
Things changed. Doctors can not be reached anymore. Doctors don't make house calls. If you don't feel good they tell you come in to the office. God forbid you tell them that you can not make it.
As I said it before I live in New York. Maybe in other places, in smaller communities things are different, nicer but here in the Big City that is how things are.
The Hippocratic Oath is an old oath historically taken by doctors swearing to ethically practice medicine.
Hypocrisy is the act of persistently pretending to hold beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually hold. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie.
The way I pronounce these two definitions they seem to be very similar.to one and other. I wonder if am I the only one who sees it that way and, is it my twisted English pronunciation that creates the similarity.
I don't intend this to be an attack on the medical profession but nevertheless it is.
To help people, to heal people, to spend one's life making others life more bearable is an honorable devotion.
I know several doctors within my family and also acquaintances who are good, honest and honorable individuals.
They chose this profession encouraged by an inner force that guided them through the hardships and pitfalls until they reached their desired goals and became full fledged medical doctors.
And they remained true to their dedication throughout their career.
On the other hand we are surrounded with doctors whose career is guided by the mighty dollar. Unfortunately these are the ones that ruin everything for the public.
These doctors not only mastered their craft they also mastered all the tricks of how to play the insurance companies and every institution that compensate them for their services. They inflate their prices, they list procedures that were never used and little by little they all add up to a mountain of unnecessary and wasted cost.
Each doctor thinks that his little extra will not break the system but will help his bank account. But all these little extras together are breaking the system.
And who is paying at the end? We are!
Because of this insurance premiums are skyrocketing, prescription prices are out of this world.
Why is it that a simple office visit that cost maybe $100 if paid in cash will show up on the insurance sheet as a $350 visit plus various procedures combined with it?
No wonder the doctors don't want socialized medicine. If we would have it that would be the end of the country club memberships, the Mercedeses and the fancy house in the upscale neighborhood. Then their demigod status would end and they would be like regular people who have to work for a living.
I asked a friend of mine once, a dentist, how come he knows so much about running a business, insurances and other similar financial things. He told me that in his case in dental school they offered small business management courses. And the dental association provides continuing education that deals with insurance regulations.
I am sure the AMA does the same thing where they teach their members how to circumvent the system and get away with it.
When a doctor has an office on Park Avenue and employs four to six people or even more and has certain equipments in his office we can be sure that his expenditures are huge. This is not even counting his malpractice insurance and other regular expenses. He has to make lots of, lots of money to cover the expenses and have money left for his cushy lifestyle.
The doctor will see more patients in order to make his enterprise more profitable. This means less time spent with each patient and that culminates in deteriorating care.
So what's the result of all this? Inflated costs to the insurance companies, more unpaid charges to be paid by the patients and eventual increase of the premiums.
This is a vicious circle that can not be stopped unless doctors decide to be doctors and stop milking the public.
I accept that doctors hold life or death of their patients in their hands but this is where the Hippocratic Oath should not be confused with Hypocrisy.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
January 28, 2010
As I mentioned yesterday, we went to the theater. We had a great time. The show we saw was South Pacific at the Lincoln Center.
First, the theater is very nice, spacious, comfortable, good visibility, good acoustics, nice lobby and on and on. Not like the cramped, uncomfortable, overpriced old theaters on Broadway.
The show was very musical and entertaining. Everybody knows the South Pacific story. There was no mystery and suspense. Yet, it was still entertaining. All the musical numbers are well known but still enjoyable. I saw the movie several times but never the stage show.
Even though it was almost three hours long with one intermission we enjoyed it immensely. My butt hurt for all that sitting but what's a little pain for culture.
Probably what helped in the enjoyment was that we sat in the second row right in the center. Sitting so close to the action gives the feeling that we are part of what's happening.
Looking at the people at the theater we came to the conclusion that Americans, or maybe just New Yorkers dress like bums to go see a show. There were tourists, there were people coming from work, there were people coming from home but invariably the majority was dressed like bums.
Jeans, sneakers, windbreakers, tee shirts seem to be be the standard wardrobe of the sophisticated ones.
Including us there were a few people dressed decently. But we always dress civilized when we go out. This is how we learned from our parents. Show respect toward the players by dressing normally.
Looking at the people at the theater we came to the conclusion that Americans, or maybe just New Yorkers dress like bums to go see a show. There were tourists, there were people coming from work, there were people coming from home but invariably the majority was dressed like bums.
Jeans, sneakers, windbreakers, tee shirts seem to be be the standard wardrobe of the sophisticated ones.
Including us there were a few people dressed decently. But we always dress civilized when we go out. This is how we learned from our parents. Show respect toward the players by dressing normally.
===========================
President Obama went to Florida today to campaign for jobs and at the same time push for the Florida High Speed Rail project in the Tampa-Orlando-Miami corridor. This is a 120 mph train service that has been on the drawing board for at least thirty years or longer.
The original idea was a high speed train service criss-crossing the state but then governor Jeb Bush nixed the idea.
I know this because I worked on the study over twenty-five years ago. Even back then it looked like grabbing for straws as far as Florida's economic future was concerned and today it looks just the same.
There are too many controversies involved and there will be some powerful lobbyists who will succeed in stopping the project.
They said today that NASA is planning soon to end its current space shuttle program. That would unfortunately create a lot of people without work.
Now, the smart people who deal with statistics only said that would create a lot of people available to work on the high speed rail project.
The original idea was a high speed train service criss-crossing the state but then governor Jeb Bush nixed the idea.
I know this because I worked on the study over twenty-five years ago. Even back then it looked like grabbing for straws as far as Florida's economic future was concerned and today it looks just the same.
There are too many controversies involved and there will be some powerful lobbyists who will succeed in stopping the project.
They said today that NASA is planning soon to end its current space shuttle program. That would unfortunately create a lot of people without work.
Now, the smart people who deal with statistics only said that would create a lot of people available to work on the high speed rail project.
I worked in most of my professional life on rail projects but I can not imagine aeronautics or space engineers working on railroad projects. Not unless they plan to fly the train from one location to the other through space.
This a perfect example of that they are dealing with statistics and percentages while the poor slob with the family to feed and with the mortgage to pay is getting lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, nobody cares about the individuals anymore.
This a perfect example of that they are dealing with statistics and percentages while the poor slob with the family to feed and with the mortgage to pay is getting lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, nobody cares about the individuals anymore.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
January 27, 2010
There will be no blog written today.
I am taking the day off. I had things to do during the day and tonight we are going to the theater.
So I am busy making myself presentable.
See you all tomorrow.
I am taking the day off. I had things to do during the day and tonight we are going to the theater.
So I am busy making myself presentable.
See you all tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
January 26, 2010
Yesterday was a miserable day. It was raining all day or at least the better part of the day. Only Englishmen and ducks liked it. In addition it was unbelievably warm. A real January thaw.
Whatever snow was left in parking lots and such places I'm sure were all gone. In addition it was extremely windy. So bad that it created serious damages to homes. At times like this I am really glad that I live in an apartment house where such twists of nature don't effect us.
Today, the temperature dropped, it was kind of clear but there was a slight hint in the air of winter returning.
Last week, the last three days of the week the Market dropped pretty badly. Yesterday, Monday, the Market went up slightly and everybody was celebrating that the financial outlook is changing, our bad luck is reversing and things are looking good again.
This was similar to the premature celebration the New York Jets received prior to playing the Colts this past Sunday. Needless to say the Jets lost, too.
So, now here comes today, Tuesday. During the day the Market goes up about 107 points and all the financial commentators are salivating. But at 2 pm it starts to descend and eventually it closes at -2.57 points.
Now they are all stumped. Now they are speechless. Now comes the 20/20 hindsight and the explanation of the report card.
What it boils down to is that all the high paid experts have no clue what is going on in this country or even in this world.
The price of chow mein changes in China and the world markets react. Never knew that chow mein is such an important commodity.
I'm so glad that the price of the Hungarian goulash is so steady that it has no effect on the financial markets of the world.
Massachusetts elect a Republican senator, the Market reacts. Bernanke's future is questioned, the Market reacts.
I wonder what would happen to our money if Bernanke would decide to shave off his beard. Probably a total financial chaos.
I seem to remember that while campaigning for the presidency, Obama said that he really didn't care about the performance of the Market. He said he was looking for bigger things, like jobs, health care and some other stuff like ending the war and closing Guantanamo.
I think it is terribly wrong. In my opinion, for whatever that's worth, the Market drives the economy and not the other way around.
Millions of people put their life's savings in the Market. May that be through 401k or IRA or any other type of saving it doesn't matter. Market fluctuations effect the live savings of people. If they make money they spend it, they lose money nothing is spent. Now what is driving the economy?
I am not the lead dog by any means. But in my microcosm if we make some profit we spend more. And multiply that by tens of millions and see how it effects the economy.
It is too bad that everybody is only looking at the big picture. That includes the President, and all the economists and advisers around him. Nobody really cares about the Average Joes. It is a shame.
This country is made up of Average Joes who put their faith in the system and if the system lets them down then we are really up the creek without a paddle.
Whatever snow was left in parking lots and such places I'm sure were all gone. In addition it was extremely windy. So bad that it created serious damages to homes. At times like this I am really glad that I live in an apartment house where such twists of nature don't effect us.
Today, the temperature dropped, it was kind of clear but there was a slight hint in the air of winter returning.
Last week, the last three days of the week the Market dropped pretty badly. Yesterday, Monday, the Market went up slightly and everybody was celebrating that the financial outlook is changing, our bad luck is reversing and things are looking good again.
This was similar to the premature celebration the New York Jets received prior to playing the Colts this past Sunday. Needless to say the Jets lost, too.
So, now here comes today, Tuesday. During the day the Market goes up about 107 points and all the financial commentators are salivating. But at 2 pm it starts to descend and eventually it closes at -2.57 points.
Now they are all stumped. Now they are speechless. Now comes the 20/20 hindsight and the explanation of the report card.
What it boils down to is that all the high paid experts have no clue what is going on in this country or even in this world.
The price of chow mein changes in China and the world markets react. Never knew that chow mein is such an important commodity.
I'm so glad that the price of the Hungarian goulash is so steady that it has no effect on the financial markets of the world.
Massachusetts elect a Republican senator, the Market reacts. Bernanke's future is questioned, the Market reacts.
I wonder what would happen to our money if Bernanke would decide to shave off his beard. Probably a total financial chaos.
I seem to remember that while campaigning for the presidency, Obama said that he really didn't care about the performance of the Market. He said he was looking for bigger things, like jobs, health care and some other stuff like ending the war and closing Guantanamo.
I think it is terribly wrong. In my opinion, for whatever that's worth, the Market drives the economy and not the other way around.
Millions of people put their life's savings in the Market. May that be through 401k or IRA or any other type of saving it doesn't matter. Market fluctuations effect the live savings of people. If they make money they spend it, they lose money nothing is spent. Now what is driving the economy?
I am not the lead dog by any means. But in my microcosm if we make some profit we spend more. And multiply that by tens of millions and see how it effects the economy.
It is too bad that everybody is only looking at the big picture. That includes the President, and all the economists and advisers around him. Nobody really cares about the Average Joes. It is a shame.
This country is made up of Average Joes who put their faith in the system and if the system lets them down then we are really up the creek without a paddle.
Monday, January 25, 2010
January 25, 2010
Did you ever notice that on all the television advertisements that show services, deliveries the people are nice, clean cut, uniformed and seemingly well mannered people.
This is a perfect example that television reflects a picture that does not exist in real life. At least not in New York.
In New York deliveries are made by people who barely speak the English language. They never smile and are very rarely courteous. The only time they show some warmth is when they receive their tip.
All the service people whoever showed up at our doorstep were always tired, complaining type and any work that needed to be done seemed like a major effort. Hate to be repetitious but it always seemed that English was never their first language.
This is a perfect example that television reflects a picture that does not exist in real life. At least not in New York.
In New York deliveries are made by people who barely speak the English language. They never smile and are very rarely courteous. The only time they show some warmth is when they receive their tip.
All the service people whoever showed up at our doorstep were always tired, complaining type and any work that needed to be done seemed like a major effort. Hate to be repetitious but it always seemed that English was never their first language.
===========================
A few weeks ago I took my car for service. Nothing wrong just a routine 15,000 mile service. Nothing wrong with the car and it still costs a fortune. I am afraid to think what it costs if something is wrong.
I drive a Hyundai. I like the car, it rides well and it behaves up to our expectations.
I have it for over a year now, and I am absolutely not sorry that we chose it.
The showroom and service is across the street from the Chrysler/Jeep dealer we had our previous cars from. Their service entrance is just opposite Hyundai's.
If one wants to be taken and be out in a reasonable time, one has to be there at least one half hour before opening which is 7:30 in the morning.
When I got to my service entrance early, mine was the fourth car. At the Chrysler place there was a line of at least thirty five cars waiting and more coming. Well, there were more coming to the Hyundai service also but not as many as across the street.
While I waited for my car I walked across the street to check out the latest Jeeps. This Jeep dealer is one of the largest in New York City but that showroom was a disaster. There was only one or two sales people who were very busy talking with each other. The cars exhibited were a very poor representation of the Jeeps that are available.
Their showroom is huge but basically it was empty. Too much floor showing in a car showroom is not very inviting.
No wonder Chrysler is in such a bad shape. They are not even making an effort at selling their products.
I drive a Hyundai. I like the car, it rides well and it behaves up to our expectations.
I have it for over a year now, and I am absolutely not sorry that we chose it.
The showroom and service is across the street from the Chrysler/Jeep dealer we had our previous cars from. Their service entrance is just opposite Hyundai's.
If one wants to be taken and be out in a reasonable time, one has to be there at least one half hour before opening which is 7:30 in the morning.
When I got to my service entrance early, mine was the fourth car. At the Chrysler place there was a line of at least thirty five cars waiting and more coming. Well, there were more coming to the Hyundai service also but not as many as across the street.
While I waited for my car I walked across the street to check out the latest Jeeps. This Jeep dealer is one of the largest in New York City but that showroom was a disaster. There was only one or two sales people who were very busy talking with each other. The cars exhibited were a very poor representation of the Jeeps that are available.
Their showroom is huge but basically it was empty. Too much floor showing in a car showroom is not very inviting.
No wonder Chrysler is in such a bad shape. They are not even making an effort at selling their products.
===========================
Sunday some alien creature attacked and infected our computer. Wouldn't let us go into the Internet, various messages kept popping up and there was nothing we could do.
I called the security company we have the contract with and they eventually fixed it. But it took almost two hours and had to pay for it. Naturally everything else is always covered except what one needs right at that time.
It is amazing for me to see how they take control of the computer from India and work on it like they were sitting just front of it. But give credit where credit is due, the guy was very good. He did fix it.
These sneaky bastards infect the computers and then trick you to buy their security product. This way they get the bank or credit card information and then Bang!
And we can not find out who these crooks are. They could be from Russia, China, Nigeria or even from the good old US of A.
I called the security company we have the contract with and they eventually fixed it. But it took almost two hours and had to pay for it. Naturally everything else is always covered except what one needs right at that time.
It is amazing for me to see how they take control of the computer from India and work on it like they were sitting just front of it. But give credit where credit is due, the guy was very good. He did fix it.
These sneaky bastards infect the computers and then trick you to buy their security product. This way they get the bank or credit card information and then Bang!
And we can not find out who these crooks are. They could be from Russia, China, Nigeria or even from the good old US of A.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
January 24, 2010
And the trip continues!
So, we are at the Belgrade International Airport. Our plane was chartered by some group or the US government for the transport of Hungarian refugees. It was a prop plane since jets didn't exist at this time.
Since we never saw the inside of an airplane we couldn't tell if it was well equipped or not. It had pilots and stewardesses and none of them spoke Hungarian.
We made intermediate stops in Frankfurt Germany, Reykjavik Iceland and Gander New Foundland before reaching New York.
At each stop we left the plane, got fed then back up in the air. Don't know how long the trip took but best estimate is that it was around thirty hours.
Since nobody ever flew many people got airsick. The barf bags came very handy once it was clear what their purpose was.
We finally landed in New York. Today's JFK International Airport then was called Idlewild Airport.
I remember the date being October 31, 1957 and I'll tell you why in a minute. We boarded buses and were transported somewhere. We had no clue where and what was going to happen. But there were no guards just some escorts and friendly bus drivers.
It turned out we were going to Brooklyn. We were bused through the local streets and everybody was very curiously looking out the windows. We wanted to see what the real Americans looked like, did they really had two heads as we were made to believe.
By now, it was dark, I don't know what time. As the buses slowed down or stopped at intersections we saw people with young kids and all were dressed kind of funny. The kids were dressed in various costumes. We all looked at each other not knowing what this meant. We said that these Americans are really weird people.
Later we realized that it was Halloween and that was the reason. Americans are still weird people!
We were all taken to a large hotel in Brooklyn for processing. There we already were met by Hungarian speaking officials who sorted out our motley crew. I think we were fed and assigned private rooms in the hotel and very late at night finally went to sleep in the New World that became our new home for the rest of our life.
From this day on life became a struggle.
Learning a new language, getting oriented, finding our niche in life, assimilate and trying to succeed and rising out of the commonalities of life.
None of these things were easy but almost everybody I know succeeded one way or the other. At least all my friends did.
A great many of us tried to keep in touch here at first but as time went by a lot of us lost contact with each other.
It was interesting that in the early years if we heard somebody speak Hungarian on the street we would talk to the person just so we could speak with someone else. Later on as English became almost like our first language stopping someone just because he spoke Hungarian didn't happen very frequently. At least not in New York.
Fifty three years here is more than a lot of people lived altogether.
Most of us still keep our contacts with friends and family back in Hungary. We visit occasionally but it is not our home anymore. It is a country where we are fluent at the language but totally illiterate at today's customs.
The only thing is that I still love Hungarian food some awful.
Sometimes we talk about if could we live there now. The answer is invariably no!
Good or bad, this is our home now.
So, we are at the Belgrade International Airport. Our plane was chartered by some group or the US government for the transport of Hungarian refugees. It was a prop plane since jets didn't exist at this time.
Since we never saw the inside of an airplane we couldn't tell if it was well equipped or not. It had pilots and stewardesses and none of them spoke Hungarian.
We made intermediate stops in Frankfurt Germany, Reykjavik Iceland and Gander New Foundland before reaching New York.
At each stop we left the plane, got fed then back up in the air. Don't know how long the trip took but best estimate is that it was around thirty hours.
Since nobody ever flew many people got airsick. The barf bags came very handy once it was clear what their purpose was.
We finally landed in New York. Today's JFK International Airport then was called Idlewild Airport.
I remember the date being October 31, 1957 and I'll tell you why in a minute. We boarded buses and were transported somewhere. We had no clue where and what was going to happen. But there were no guards just some escorts and friendly bus drivers.
It turned out we were going to Brooklyn. We were bused through the local streets and everybody was very curiously looking out the windows. We wanted to see what the real Americans looked like, did they really had two heads as we were made to believe.
By now, it was dark, I don't know what time. As the buses slowed down or stopped at intersections we saw people with young kids and all were dressed kind of funny. The kids were dressed in various costumes. We all looked at each other not knowing what this meant. We said that these Americans are really weird people.
Later we realized that it was Halloween and that was the reason. Americans are still weird people!
We were all taken to a large hotel in Brooklyn for processing. There we already were met by Hungarian speaking officials who sorted out our motley crew. I think we were fed and assigned private rooms in the hotel and very late at night finally went to sleep in the New World that became our new home for the rest of our life.
From this day on life became a struggle.
Learning a new language, getting oriented, finding our niche in life, assimilate and trying to succeed and rising out of the commonalities of life.
None of these things were easy but almost everybody I know succeeded one way or the other. At least all my friends did.
A great many of us tried to keep in touch here at first but as time went by a lot of us lost contact with each other.
It was interesting that in the early years if we heard somebody speak Hungarian on the street we would talk to the person just so we could speak with someone else. Later on as English became almost like our first language stopping someone just because he spoke Hungarian didn't happen very frequently. At least not in New York.
Fifty three years here is more than a lot of people lived altogether.
Most of us still keep our contacts with friends and family back in Hungary. We visit occasionally but it is not our home anymore. It is a country where we are fluent at the language but totally illiterate at today's customs.
The only thing is that I still love Hungarian food some awful.
Sometimes we talk about if could we live there now. The answer is invariably no!
Good or bad, this is our home now.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
January 23, 2010
OK, now we reached the Free World. This is late night on January 20, 1957 on the Yugoslavian border town of Tavankut of which nobody ever heard of and probably never will.
The border patrol put us on a train and took us to a place called Palić. This was some kind of spa that was closed for the winter but it was on a large area, had dormitories and places for us to sleep.
We stayed here for a short time when after the necessary administration which included the same question where we wanted to go they transferred us to a small village called Feketić.
Here things weren't so bad. We slept in some kind of school auditorium on straw bags on the floor. Men, women together.
This was the place where we started to get oriented. Saw some familiar faces from the previous days and started to make some contacts.
Some of the initial contacts developed into lifelong friendships because not only we liked each other but fate and the Yugoslav authorities kept us together throughout the entire time in that country.
We were allowed to move around freely in the village of Feketić . This was a predominantly Hungarian village where they were very kind to us. I remember sneaking out of the camp late nights and going to a nearby tavern where the nice locals were buying us all drinks. We were the heroes in their eyes.
We stayed in this village for a while but our impression was that the Yugoslavs didn't know what to do with us. They were not prepared to handle the sudden popularity of their country in the eyes of the Hungarians who wanted to escape from home.
Fortunately for us even though Yugoslavia was a socialist country it was not in the soviet bloc. For them to hand us back to the present Hungarian government was never a question. At least we didn't know about it. They never stopped people who wanted to return but it was never encouraged.
So, after a while we were moved to another refugee camp by the name of Inđija. Here things got a little less good. We were not allowed to roam freely in town. The place was guarded by armed soldiers to prevent unauthorized exits. Though it was possible to obtain permission to go out it was not very frequent.
I was able to keep in touch with my parents via mail and rare telephone calls. I really don't remember much about this camp except that we were very busy doing absolutely nothing.
We wrote a lot of letters to various foreign organizations and countries asking for their help. My parents found a relative who lived in nearby Subotica. They came to visit me and I was told that if I wanted to go to Israel I could leave the next day.
By now we were there for a few months without any idea what's going to happen to us. But I knew that if I go to Israel I'll wind up in the army with a very uncertain future, and I had absolutely no intention doing that.
So we just waited. None of the western countries showed any interest in us. They were too busy handling the multitude of Hungarians who escaped through Austria.
We just waited. Played cards, and played more cards, ate, slept and not much else. Not having much money we all tried to preserve and alter the clothing we escaped in. That happened in January and I think by now it was spring of 1957.
Eventually we were separated and moved. My girlfriend and I and some of our new found friends (all couples) went to a place called Lovćenac. My friend, who was single was sent to another camp.
I don't remember how we stayed in touch, no cell phones yet, but we always knew where the other one was.
This place, Lovćenac, was probably the worst place I ever was while I was in Yugoslavia. We slept on double tier steel beds, on straw mattresses that we had to fill up. We slept on top, two couples on three beds. It was cozy but cozy and comfortable are two different things. This is where we learned what togetherness is all about. In all honesty, we got to know each other pretty well!
I think this was the place where some people decided to become golfers when they reach the free world.
This was a bad environment. They guarded us like we were war criminals. The food was lousy, sanitary conditions very poor. I caught something, I think it was chicken pox, that was the result of bad hygiene.
Food wise I didn't complain. I love beans in every shape or form. Very frequently we had beans for lunch or dinner. So I was happy. My girlfriend loved cabbage and that was a frequent staple also so she was satisfied.
Once in a while they took us out to the village to the movies where we saw American movies. I think that's where I saw Young at Heart with Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. But these excursions were very rare.
We stayed in this place until early Summer when we were transported to a place called Voluja.
By now we had an inkling of what we wanted to do with our lives. My Mother didn't favor staying in Europe. With the cold war and other saber rattlings she thought the further away from Europe the better. Not Africa or Australia but maybe North America or England.
Since I spoke reasonably well in French I was trying to be accepted by Canada. My parents dug up various relatives both in Canada and in the US and asked them to help me.
Now back to Voluja. This was a cool place. Here we all had a great time. The place was close to the Romanian border and we were not guarded at all. Where would we escape to, Romania? The people who lived in that area were very poor Romanian minority. We, the refugees had more stuff then them.
Again we bunked in a huge auditorium but were not crammed any longer. All day we wandered around the countryside. There was a small river or creek there and we used to swim and sun ourselves there. We all had our favorite spots at the creek, we made bathing suits out of bed linen and life was good.
I spoke to my parents once a week on the phone, wrote some official letters and just enjoyed life.
But, all good things come to an end. The authorities decided to close this camp and we were transported to a nearby location called Kučevo. Here we were totally locked in. But I decided that by now I am as smart as the next guy, I'll join the camp police. As such there were certain privileges. Extra cigarettes, better living quarters and unlimited passes for leaving the camp.
I think we stayed in this camp for about a month. By now it is September and the western world is stirring. I was already not accepted to go to Canada but it looked like I would be accepted to go to the US.
After a month and several interviews with various selection committees we went to a new camp called Ečka. This was a critical stop. Now our life started to take a serious shape. The laziness was over, decision time was here.
This camp was run by the Americans and this was the last stop before boarding a plane to the US. It was early October when we arrived here. My friend was here already, he already passed his "interrogations". And was scheduled to leave. Other friends arrived and we were together again.
We were four couples and my friend together from the beginning. With the exception of one couple we all came to the US. Those friends went to Down Under and are living there very happily ever since. Even talk funny, like Crocodile Dundee.
Anyhow, eventually we were interviewed by the American officials who made the final selection for who may enter the US.
There were several criteria that caused persons not to be accepted. Like members of the communist party, members of the communist youth league, spouses who left the other party and children at home and many more.
Since they had nothing against us we were easily granted permission to leave for this country.
It can not be imagined the excitement that overcame all of us. We are really leaving for America? It was unbelievable.
Little we knew that the easy, carefree life we all had until then was over and a brand new way of life was beginning.
Thinking back now, after living here all my adult life and being familiar with the situation here, I can not imagine American youngsters of 19 and 20 years of age taking such a giant step.
Going to a new world without knowing the language, without knowing the customs, no money, no housing, no nothing and starting fresh on life is such a brave thing to do that it is unfathomable to an outsider.
American kids of this age are pampered, have no clue how to stand up in life and fight for what they believe in. They get upset if there is no Big Mac. Can one imagine an American kid leaving his homestead and go let's say to Greece and start life anew without parental help?
Thinking back I am convinced that we all were the original cool!
Anyway, on October 30, 1957 they took us by bus to Belgrade Airport where we boarded our charter plane to New York. It was very exciting since this was the first time that all of us ever flew.
This was the end of Phase II of my epic journey to America.
Stay tuned!
The border patrol put us on a train and took us to a place called Palić. This was some kind of spa that was closed for the winter but it was on a large area, had dormitories and places for us to sleep.
We stayed here for a short time when after the necessary administration which included the same question where we wanted to go they transferred us to a small village called Feketić.
Here things weren't so bad. We slept in some kind of school auditorium on straw bags on the floor. Men, women together.
This was the place where we started to get oriented. Saw some familiar faces from the previous days and started to make some contacts.
Some of the initial contacts developed into lifelong friendships because not only we liked each other but fate and the Yugoslav authorities kept us together throughout the entire time in that country.
We were allowed to move around freely in the village of Feketić . This was a predominantly Hungarian village where they were very kind to us. I remember sneaking out of the camp late nights and going to a nearby tavern where the nice locals were buying us all drinks. We were the heroes in their eyes.
We stayed in this village for a while but our impression was that the Yugoslavs didn't know what to do with us. They were not prepared to handle the sudden popularity of their country in the eyes of the Hungarians who wanted to escape from home.
Fortunately for us even though Yugoslavia was a socialist country it was not in the soviet bloc. For them to hand us back to the present Hungarian government was never a question. At least we didn't know about it. They never stopped people who wanted to return but it was never encouraged.
So, after a while we were moved to another refugee camp by the name of Inđija. Here things got a little less good. We were not allowed to roam freely in town. The place was guarded by armed soldiers to prevent unauthorized exits. Though it was possible to obtain permission to go out it was not very frequent.
I was able to keep in touch with my parents via mail and rare telephone calls. I really don't remember much about this camp except that we were very busy doing absolutely nothing.
We wrote a lot of letters to various foreign organizations and countries asking for their help. My parents found a relative who lived in nearby Subotica. They came to visit me and I was told that if I wanted to go to Israel I could leave the next day.
By now we were there for a few months without any idea what's going to happen to us. But I knew that if I go to Israel I'll wind up in the army with a very uncertain future, and I had absolutely no intention doing that.
So we just waited. None of the western countries showed any interest in us. They were too busy handling the multitude of Hungarians who escaped through Austria.
We just waited. Played cards, and played more cards, ate, slept and not much else. Not having much money we all tried to preserve and alter the clothing we escaped in. That happened in January and I think by now it was spring of 1957.
Eventually we were separated and moved. My girlfriend and I and some of our new found friends (all couples) went to a place called Lovćenac. My friend, who was single was sent to another camp.
I don't remember how we stayed in touch, no cell phones yet, but we always knew where the other one was.
This place, Lovćenac, was probably the worst place I ever was while I was in Yugoslavia. We slept on double tier steel beds, on straw mattresses that we had to fill up. We slept on top, two couples on three beds. It was cozy but cozy and comfortable are two different things. This is where we learned what togetherness is all about. In all honesty, we got to know each other pretty well!
I think this was the place where some people decided to become golfers when they reach the free world.
This was a bad environment. They guarded us like we were war criminals. The food was lousy, sanitary conditions very poor. I caught something, I think it was chicken pox, that was the result of bad hygiene.
Food wise I didn't complain. I love beans in every shape or form. Very frequently we had beans for lunch or dinner. So I was happy. My girlfriend loved cabbage and that was a frequent staple also so she was satisfied.
Once in a while they took us out to the village to the movies where we saw American movies. I think that's where I saw Young at Heart with Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. But these excursions were very rare.
We stayed in this place until early Summer when we were transported to a place called Voluja.
By now we had an inkling of what we wanted to do with our lives. My Mother didn't favor staying in Europe. With the cold war and other saber rattlings she thought the further away from Europe the better. Not Africa or Australia but maybe North America or England.
Since I spoke reasonably well in French I was trying to be accepted by Canada. My parents dug up various relatives both in Canada and in the US and asked them to help me.
Now back to Voluja. This was a cool place. Here we all had a great time. The place was close to the Romanian border and we were not guarded at all. Where would we escape to, Romania? The people who lived in that area were very poor Romanian minority. We, the refugees had more stuff then them.
Again we bunked in a huge auditorium but were not crammed any longer. All day we wandered around the countryside. There was a small river or creek there and we used to swim and sun ourselves there. We all had our favorite spots at the creek, we made bathing suits out of bed linen and life was good.
I spoke to my parents once a week on the phone, wrote some official letters and just enjoyed life.
But, all good things come to an end. The authorities decided to close this camp and we were transported to a nearby location called Kučevo. Here we were totally locked in. But I decided that by now I am as smart as the next guy, I'll join the camp police. As such there were certain privileges. Extra cigarettes, better living quarters and unlimited passes for leaving the camp.
I think we stayed in this camp for about a month. By now it is September and the western world is stirring. I was already not accepted to go to Canada but it looked like I would be accepted to go to the US.
After a month and several interviews with various selection committees we went to a new camp called Ečka. This was a critical stop. Now our life started to take a serious shape. The laziness was over, decision time was here.
This camp was run by the Americans and this was the last stop before boarding a plane to the US. It was early October when we arrived here. My friend was here already, he already passed his "interrogations". And was scheduled to leave. Other friends arrived and we were together again.
We were four couples and my friend together from the beginning. With the exception of one couple we all came to the US. Those friends went to Down Under and are living there very happily ever since. Even talk funny, like Crocodile Dundee.
Anyhow, eventually we were interviewed by the American officials who made the final selection for who may enter the US.
There were several criteria that caused persons not to be accepted. Like members of the communist party, members of the communist youth league, spouses who left the other party and children at home and many more.
Since they had nothing against us we were easily granted permission to leave for this country.
It can not be imagined the excitement that overcame all of us. We are really leaving for America? It was unbelievable.
Little we knew that the easy, carefree life we all had until then was over and a brand new way of life was beginning.
Thinking back now, after living here all my adult life and being familiar with the situation here, I can not imagine American youngsters of 19 and 20 years of age taking such a giant step.
Going to a new world without knowing the language, without knowing the customs, no money, no housing, no nothing and starting fresh on life is such a brave thing to do that it is unfathomable to an outsider.
American kids of this age are pampered, have no clue how to stand up in life and fight for what they believe in. They get upset if there is no Big Mac. Can one imagine an American kid leaving his homestead and go let's say to Greece and start life anew without parental help?
Thinking back I am convinced that we all were the original cool!
Anyway, on October 30, 1957 they took us by bus to Belgrade Airport where we boarded our charter plane to New York. It was very exciting since this was the first time that all of us ever flew.
This was the end of Phase II of my epic journey to America.
Stay tuned!
Friday, January 22, 2010
January 22, 2010
Life as we know it began in the early morning hours of January 20, 1957. That was when me, my then girlfriend and later wife, my best friend and another couple left Hungary. At 6 am in total darkness and shrouded in secrecy we boarded a train towards the south of the country.
Our plan was to cross into Yugoslavia and take it from there. While most of the Hungarians escaped toward the west through Austria we decided to try this way. The way to Austria was becoming more and more dangerous. The Russian troops and the Hungarian communists were guarding that border with a lot of their people. And they were pretty successful at preventing escapes.
But Yugoslavia being a socialist country under Tito, nobody thought people would be stupid enough fleeing in that direction. We had no idea what reception we would find once we succeeded crossing the border.
The danger was that we might get arrested and handed back to the authorities. We had no idea was the key to everything we did in this little escapade of ours.
We had no plan, we didn't know where we wanted to go. We were kids. I was just eleven days past my 20th birthday, my friend was not 20 yet, my girlfriend was only eighteen and a half. All very serious people.
We made all the arrangements in total secrecy. We thought everybody was listening and getting caught was not something we were looking forward to. People think James Bond was operating in secret. It was nothing compared to us.
We were probably so obvious that nobody took us seriously. Maybe that was our luck.
Anyway we took the train on that Sunday morning. Train travel towards any border was risky in those days. If one had no legitimate business there he got into trouble. So we gave some money to the conductor to let us know if any document checking is starting on the train. We thought we were so cool!
When he let us know that the authorities were starting to check the papers on the other end of the train we immediately got off at the next stop. We were cool.
When the train pulled out we looked around and the station platform was filled with people from Budapest who disembarked for the exact same reason. It was kind of funny. It was afunny collection of people. I remember one young woman in her fur coat. It was so out of place it was ridiculous. We got to know each other later on and she turned out to be a very nice person.
We had no clue where we were so we started toward the nearest farm house. This village was so small it only had a few farmhouses spread out in the countryside. We found a nice old man who agreed to take us in his horse drawn sleigh (there was a lot of snow on the ground) near the border, for a nice compensation naturally. As near as it was safe for him to go. From there we had to walk.
By now it was pitch dark. We had no clue where we were and which way to go. But, in the dark we met up with some other wandering Hungarians. One smart alec said he was a flier and he could get directions by the stars so just follow him. Hey, what we got to lose.
We were really right on the border because in the dark we saw the guard towers. Once they even lit a floodlight so we all just hit the snow and didn't move. Eventually we saw some light and headed toward it. It turned out to be the guard post on the Yugoslavian side. Phase one completed!
They received us very nicely. I guess we were not the first ones they saw. It seemed they were prepared. They took our names and other information including where we want to go.
To show how serious we were about this whole thing we had no idea where we wanted to go. We were totally unprepared. I mean here we are 19 and 20 year olds trying to figure out what country to start our lives. We really didn't even know what countries were the possibilities or what our options were. I think we gave some stupid answers at that time like South Africa not even knowing where and what really South Africa was.
Oh, none of us spoke any foreign languages either. I spoke some French and we all spoke some Russian that we learned in school. I guess we thought Hungarian was a world language and that would be enough to start a new life.
I for one didn't want to leave Hungary. I was living the life of Riley. The university was closed because of political instability. I was doing absolutely nothing but just hanging around with friends. My Mother and my friend were the pulling forces. My Mother wanted a better life for me and my friend experienced some antisemitic overtures. So they collaborated getting me off my buff and making me go.
I am not sorry that I left! That was probably the smartest move I ever made. But getting me started was like trying to move an elephant. I was so sure that this thing would not work that I told my Mother that I would try it once and no more.
We left on a Sunday morning and I was convinced that I would be back home by Wednesday. Actually, I made plans for that Wednesday. Thinking back, I was such a jerk.
I just realized that this story will be of epic proportions. So, I will continue tomorrow my saga to the Free World.
Our plan was to cross into Yugoslavia and take it from there. While most of the Hungarians escaped toward the west through Austria we decided to try this way. The way to Austria was becoming more and more dangerous. The Russian troops and the Hungarian communists were guarding that border with a lot of their people. And they were pretty successful at preventing escapes.
But Yugoslavia being a socialist country under Tito, nobody thought people would be stupid enough fleeing in that direction. We had no idea what reception we would find once we succeeded crossing the border.
The danger was that we might get arrested and handed back to the authorities. We had no idea was the key to everything we did in this little escapade of ours.
We had no plan, we didn't know where we wanted to go. We were kids. I was just eleven days past my 20th birthday, my friend was not 20 yet, my girlfriend was only eighteen and a half. All very serious people.
We made all the arrangements in total secrecy. We thought everybody was listening and getting caught was not something we were looking forward to. People think James Bond was operating in secret. It was nothing compared to us.
We were probably so obvious that nobody took us seriously. Maybe that was our luck.
Anyway we took the train on that Sunday morning. Train travel towards any border was risky in those days. If one had no legitimate business there he got into trouble. So we gave some money to the conductor to let us know if any document checking is starting on the train. We thought we were so cool!
When he let us know that the authorities were starting to check the papers on the other end of the train we immediately got off at the next stop. We were cool.
When the train pulled out we looked around and the station platform was filled with people from Budapest who disembarked for the exact same reason. It was kind of funny. It was afunny collection of people. I remember one young woman in her fur coat. It was so out of place it was ridiculous. We got to know each other later on and she turned out to be a very nice person.
We had no clue where we were so we started toward the nearest farm house. This village was so small it only had a few farmhouses spread out in the countryside. We found a nice old man who agreed to take us in his horse drawn sleigh (there was a lot of snow on the ground) near the border, for a nice compensation naturally. As near as it was safe for him to go. From there we had to walk.
By now it was pitch dark. We had no clue where we were and which way to go. But, in the dark we met up with some other wandering Hungarians. One smart alec said he was a flier and he could get directions by the stars so just follow him. Hey, what we got to lose.
We were really right on the border because in the dark we saw the guard towers. Once they even lit a floodlight so we all just hit the snow and didn't move. Eventually we saw some light and headed toward it. It turned out to be the guard post on the Yugoslavian side. Phase one completed!
They received us very nicely. I guess we were not the first ones they saw. It seemed they were prepared. They took our names and other information including where we want to go.
To show how serious we were about this whole thing we had no idea where we wanted to go. We were totally unprepared. I mean here we are 19 and 20 year olds trying to figure out what country to start our lives. We really didn't even know what countries were the possibilities or what our options were. I think we gave some stupid answers at that time like South Africa not even knowing where and what really South Africa was.
Oh, none of us spoke any foreign languages either. I spoke some French and we all spoke some Russian that we learned in school. I guess we thought Hungarian was a world language and that would be enough to start a new life.
I for one didn't want to leave Hungary. I was living the life of Riley. The university was closed because of political instability. I was doing absolutely nothing but just hanging around with friends. My Mother and my friend were the pulling forces. My Mother wanted a better life for me and my friend experienced some antisemitic overtures. So they collaborated getting me off my buff and making me go.
I am not sorry that I left! That was probably the smartest move I ever made. But getting me started was like trying to move an elephant. I was so sure that this thing would not work that I told my Mother that I would try it once and no more.
We left on a Sunday morning and I was convinced that I would be back home by Wednesday. Actually, I made plans for that Wednesday. Thinking back, I was such a jerk.
I just realized that this story will be of epic proportions. So, I will continue tomorrow my saga to the Free World.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
January 21, 2010
Yesterday was the 100th day that I started writing this blog. I should have celebrated with some epic writing but I chose to go skiing instead.
You can see my situation, I can epic anytime I choose to but skiing is limited to winter and snow.
Every time I was schussing down the mountain My conscience bothered me. It was telling me that I have responsibilities. But I shrug them off and kept on schussing.
Hey, did the golfer stopped doing whatever he was doing because his conscience was telling him to play golf instead? I don't think so.
Anyway, things are back to normal until I go skiing again.
I started writing this blog on October 13, 2009. That was one hundred days ago. Isn't amazing how time flies? It seems like it was just yesterday. Actually we can say it was last year, since it was.
Today it was a gorgeous day in New York. Sunny with very pleasant temperatures. No sign of winter anywhere. At least not here in the City. I went about a 140 miles north of New York yesterday and it is winter wonderland over there. Snow covers everything. The mountains the woods everything is covered with the fluffy white stuff.
Very pleasant.
You can see my situation, I can epic anytime I choose to but skiing is limited to winter and snow.
Every time I was schussing down the mountain My conscience bothered me. It was telling me that I have responsibilities. But I shrug them off and kept on schussing.
Hey, did the golfer stopped doing whatever he was doing because his conscience was telling him to play golf instead? I don't think so.
Anyway, things are back to normal until I go skiing again.
I started writing this blog on October 13, 2009. That was one hundred days ago. Isn't amazing how time flies? It seems like it was just yesterday. Actually we can say it was last year, since it was.
Today it was a gorgeous day in New York. Sunny with very pleasant temperatures. No sign of winter anywhere. At least not here in the City. I went about a 140 miles north of New York yesterday and it is winter wonderland over there. Snow covers everything. The mountains the woods everything is covered with the fluffy white stuff.
Very pleasant.
===========================
The big news in entertainment is the Jay Leno, Conan O'Brian feud. Conan gets $33 million to step away from a loosing show and exit NBC to make way for Leno to reclaim his 11:35 pm time slot. At the same time Leno makes all kind of announcements that he has nothing against Conan and what a great guy Conan is.
Isn't this a great country? The constant discussion is about bonuses. People in the financial field get humongous bonuses for doing lousy jobs.
Conan O'Brian gets a $33 million bonus for doing a losing show. It seems he is doing better money wise then the bankers even though he was doing just as lousy as them.
For my money, neither is funny. Neither was and is worth watching.
I used to watch Jack Paar on the Late Show then Johnny Carson for many years. These people were funny and interesting.
Leno with his hand wringing style and Conan with his idiotic hairdo are not funny by a long shot.
I never liked David Letterman but compared to these two he is now the king. His is by far the best and most interesting Late Night show this time which is really not saying much.
Isn't this a great country? The constant discussion is about bonuses. People in the financial field get humongous bonuses for doing lousy jobs.
Conan O'Brian gets a $33 million bonus for doing a losing show. It seems he is doing better money wise then the bankers even though he was doing just as lousy as them.
For my money, neither is funny. Neither was and is worth watching.
I used to watch Jack Paar on the Late Show then Johnny Carson for many years. These people were funny and interesting.
Leno with his hand wringing style and Conan with his idiotic hairdo are not funny by a long shot.
I never liked David Letterman but compared to these two he is now the king. His is by far the best and most interesting Late Night show this time which is really not saying much.
===========================
Today I heard an interview on the radio from Haiti. The reporter was saying that there are indications that some normalcy is coming into life in Haiti. The reason he said was that shops start to open and street vendors are popping up everywhere selling their merchandise.
I think this is all bad! They say there are at least two hundred thousand dead, there are people still under the rubble, there are people unaccounted for. People lost everything. Their homes, their family members, their livelihoods and very likely all their money.
So, who is going shopping? This will create such an inequality among the misery stricken people that it will be unbelievable. It will create crime, the strong will pray on the weak and the have nots will take from the haves.
If it was up to me I would not have allowed any local commerce to start up just yet. It is too early. But then it is a corrupt country so, what one expects. It protects its wealthy and don't give a hoot about its poor.
Another thing. Royal Caribbean cruise ships sailing to Haiti? It is sick and immoral. Even if they claim that they are delivering supplies they still stop at their private section of the island. There the tourists frolic in the sand and the sea without a care. Outside of the wire fence two hundred thousand people died and God know how many more are missing. The capital is in total ruins and this cruise company acts like they are living in an other world.
Their claim is that by stopping there they give work to 300 to 500 people. Imagining how little they pay to the local help why don't they just contribute that money to these people and let them go and help with the clean up. I'm sure they can use all able bodied person in the clean up.
I spent a lot of time on Caribbean islands. I know what cruise ships look like and what effect they have on the public. They are gigantic. They are bright, all lit up. One can not help but knows that the people on those ships live well. They have nice clean quarters, eat and drink non stop and are being entertained.
Can you imagine the effect of such a ship on the suffering people on the shores? Obviously Royal Caribbean don't care. The only thing they care about is the mighty dollar.
I honestly hope that there will be some kind of backlash for such a stupid and immoral action.
I think this is all bad! They say there are at least two hundred thousand dead, there are people still under the rubble, there are people unaccounted for. People lost everything. Their homes, their family members, their livelihoods and very likely all their money.
So, who is going shopping? This will create such an inequality among the misery stricken people that it will be unbelievable. It will create crime, the strong will pray on the weak and the have nots will take from the haves.
If it was up to me I would not have allowed any local commerce to start up just yet. It is too early. But then it is a corrupt country so, what one expects. It protects its wealthy and don't give a hoot about its poor.
Another thing. Royal Caribbean cruise ships sailing to Haiti? It is sick and immoral. Even if they claim that they are delivering supplies they still stop at their private section of the island. There the tourists frolic in the sand and the sea without a care. Outside of the wire fence two hundred thousand people died and God know how many more are missing. The capital is in total ruins and this cruise company acts like they are living in an other world.
Their claim is that by stopping there they give work to 300 to 500 people. Imagining how little they pay to the local help why don't they just contribute that money to these people and let them go and help with the clean up. I'm sure they can use all able bodied person in the clean up.
I spent a lot of time on Caribbean islands. I know what cruise ships look like and what effect they have on the public. They are gigantic. They are bright, all lit up. One can not help but knows that the people on those ships live well. They have nice clean quarters, eat and drink non stop and are being entertained.
Can you imagine the effect of such a ship on the suffering people on the shores? Obviously Royal Caribbean don't care. The only thing they care about is the mighty dollar.
I honestly hope that there will be some kind of backlash for such a stupid and immoral action.
January 20, 2010
Today I will skip writing because I am bushed. I went skiing, had a full day and spent all my energy on the slopes.
Nothing left for writing these tought over serious lines.
Mañana!
Nothing left for writing these tought over serious lines.
Mañana!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
January 19, 2020
Whatever happened to the "pump jockey" in uniform and bow tie. Whatever happened to the milkman, the diaper service, the neighborhood butcher, English speaking taxi drivers and generally whatever happened to courtesy.
When one lives for a fairly long time he sees good things come and go. Things that back then we complain about eventually remember with fond memories.
Years ago, and I mean many years ago one could leave the milk bottles outside the door with money in it without worrying that someone would take it.
If one drove up to a gas station the attendant approached, dressed in a nice uniform and pumped gas. At the same time he cleaned the windshield and checked the oil. At most of the gas stations there was fairly good mechanical service available For quite a while competing gas stations gave free gifts to people, like glasses, kitchen utensils, green stamps or S&H stamps just for their business. Also, gas was about 25 cents a gallon.
Some friends of ours who had babies used the diaper service. They put the soiled diapers outside the door and the service replaced them with crispy clean ones. Well, not too crispy but clean anyway.
If one sat in a taxi and gave the address the driver invariably knew where that was. He also spoke good English and didn't take the passenger on a sightseeing trip just to make the fare last longer. Oh yes, and the driver was never occupied on his cell phone or texting while driving.
Sometimes they even got out of the cab to open the door for the passenger or help with packages.
If one went to the neighborhood butcher he already knew his costumers, knew what they liked and was always courteous.
Those were the good old days!
These are only memories by now and only seen in the movies.
Today one drives up to a gas station it is self service, at least in New York. We are hard pressed to find a station that offers mechanical service as well. Competing gas stations just compete, that's it. Their prices are the same and really there is absolutely no advantage to go to one over the other. It's just a question of convenience, like which corner it is on.
A couple of times I needed direction so naively I thought I ask the guy at the gas station. Not that he didn't know the area he didn't even understand the question.
So, if one is lost in the fog and in the distance there is a dim light of a service station, watch out. This is not an oasis, avoid it because they can not help.
Taxi drivers in New York are rude, drive like they are in downtown Karachi or Hong Kong and don't know the city at all.
For them only Manhattan exists. The other four boroughs are foreign country. But even in Manhattan they get lost. They get confused on which street and avenue runs in which direction. One tries to talk to them it turns out they don't speak English. But they are their cell phones all the times yapping away in their native tongues.
Getting out of the car and help, forget it. It will never happen.
They were know to take the hapless visitor on an unwanted "sight seeing" trip between points A and B.
There used to be public telephone booths like the one Doctor Who uses. They are no longer around. Now the public phones are out in the open and are vandal proof for obvious reasons.
This is the way life is in the Big City. Maybe out in the provinces life didn't change that much but if someone here wakes from a fifty year slumber he will be unpleasantly shocked at what we became of.
Why don't we have a singer like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin? Why don't we have good comedians like Bob Hope, Alan King, Rodney Dangerfield and Richard Pryor? Why don't we have good actors anymore? What we have is fly by nights. Here today gone tomorrow.
Nostalgia is very dangerous. It brings back memories of time past and time that can not be repeated.
It is like going to a class reunion and see the former classmates and say oh my God, do I look as bad as they do?
When one lives for a fairly long time he sees good things come and go. Things that back then we complain about eventually remember with fond memories.
Years ago, and I mean many years ago one could leave the milk bottles outside the door with money in it without worrying that someone would take it.
If one drove up to a gas station the attendant approached, dressed in a nice uniform and pumped gas. At the same time he cleaned the windshield and checked the oil. At most of the gas stations there was fairly good mechanical service available For quite a while competing gas stations gave free gifts to people, like glasses, kitchen utensils, green stamps or S&H stamps just for their business. Also, gas was about 25 cents a gallon.
Some friends of ours who had babies used the diaper service. They put the soiled diapers outside the door and the service replaced them with crispy clean ones. Well, not too crispy but clean anyway.
If one sat in a taxi and gave the address the driver invariably knew where that was. He also spoke good English and didn't take the passenger on a sightseeing trip just to make the fare last longer. Oh yes, and the driver was never occupied on his cell phone or texting while driving.
Sometimes they even got out of the cab to open the door for the passenger or help with packages.
If one went to the neighborhood butcher he already knew his costumers, knew what they liked and was always courteous.
Those were the good old days!
These are only memories by now and only seen in the movies.
Today one drives up to a gas station it is self service, at least in New York. We are hard pressed to find a station that offers mechanical service as well. Competing gas stations just compete, that's it. Their prices are the same and really there is absolutely no advantage to go to one over the other. It's just a question of convenience, like which corner it is on.
A couple of times I needed direction so naively I thought I ask the guy at the gas station. Not that he didn't know the area he didn't even understand the question.
So, if one is lost in the fog and in the distance there is a dim light of a service station, watch out. This is not an oasis, avoid it because they can not help.
Taxi drivers in New York are rude, drive like they are in downtown Karachi or Hong Kong and don't know the city at all.
For them only Manhattan exists. The other four boroughs are foreign country. But even in Manhattan they get lost. They get confused on which street and avenue runs in which direction. One tries to talk to them it turns out they don't speak English. But they are their cell phones all the times yapping away in their native tongues.
Getting out of the car and help, forget it. It will never happen.
They were know to take the hapless visitor on an unwanted "sight seeing" trip between points A and B.
There used to be public telephone booths like the one Doctor Who uses. They are no longer around. Now the public phones are out in the open and are vandal proof for obvious reasons.
This is the way life is in the Big City. Maybe out in the provinces life didn't change that much but if someone here wakes from a fifty year slumber he will be unpleasantly shocked at what we became of.
Why don't we have a singer like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin? Why don't we have good comedians like Bob Hope, Alan King, Rodney Dangerfield and Richard Pryor? Why don't we have good actors anymore? What we have is fly by nights. Here today gone tomorrow.
Nostalgia is very dangerous. It brings back memories of time past and time that can not be repeated.
It is like going to a class reunion and see the former classmates and say oh my God, do I look as bad as they do?
Monday, January 18, 2010
January 18, 2010
The Jets won Sunday and now they are a step closer to playing in the Super Bowl. I think they have one more game against Indianapolis. If they win they are going on to the Superbowl XLV. (that is 45 in English).
This is as far as my football knowledge goes. I don't understand the sport, I don't care about the sport and I know it is unpatriotic to say it but I think it is a stupid sport. It is not entertaining, it is being dragged out to eternity when it could be played in ninety minutes or less but television makes more money if the game goes on and on.
Basically I find nothing entertaining about it.
Now here comes the irony.
In the early 1980s there was a quiz show on NBC television by the title of To Tell the Truth. The essence of the show was that there was one person who either had a secret or was someone famous but not really recognizable or done something out of the ordinary. In addition there were two impostors who claimed that one of them was that person.
The celebrity panel had to find out who was the real person and for every incorrect vote the impostors received a gift.
I went on the show and I was selected as one of the impostors for Pete Gogolak. Pete Gogolak was a Hungarian born football player who was a place kicker for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants from 1964 to 1974. He supposedly invented some special style of kicking and was very successful at it.
I was told a few days in advance what the show was to be about so I started learning as much as I could about football. I tell you it was a huge subject.
The day of the show arrived and I was more nervous than before final exams. I don't have to tell you that it took the panel about five seconds to realize that I was not Pete Gogolak. I knew all about Hungary, the sport clubs but I didn't know anything about American football.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. I got a whole bunch of La Choy Chow Mein and boxes of chocolates. So, for months we ate Chinese food at home.
Can you imagine if that show would still be on I could volunteer to be an impostor for a particular golfer. I think I might do better than I did at football?!
This is as far as my football knowledge goes. I don't understand the sport, I don't care about the sport and I know it is unpatriotic to say it but I think it is a stupid sport. It is not entertaining, it is being dragged out to eternity when it could be played in ninety minutes or less but television makes more money if the game goes on and on.
Basically I find nothing entertaining about it.
Now here comes the irony.
In the early 1980s there was a quiz show on NBC television by the title of To Tell the Truth. The essence of the show was that there was one person who either had a secret or was someone famous but not really recognizable or done something out of the ordinary. In addition there were two impostors who claimed that one of them was that person.
The celebrity panel had to find out who was the real person and for every incorrect vote the impostors received a gift.
I went on the show and I was selected as one of the impostors for Pete Gogolak. Pete Gogolak was a Hungarian born football player who was a place kicker for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants from 1964 to 1974. He supposedly invented some special style of kicking and was very successful at it.
I was told a few days in advance what the show was to be about so I started learning as much as I could about football. I tell you it was a huge subject.
The day of the show arrived and I was more nervous than before final exams. I don't have to tell you that it took the panel about five seconds to realize that I was not Pete Gogolak. I knew all about Hungary, the sport clubs but I didn't know anything about American football.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. I got a whole bunch of La Choy Chow Mein and boxes of chocolates. So, for months we ate Chinese food at home.
Can you imagine if that show would still be on I could volunteer to be an impostor for a particular golfer. I think I might do better than I did at football?!
===========================
When shacks collapse they don't bury and kill people. When concrete and brick buildings collapse they do. These things can not be cleaned away by hand. The pieces, the slabs are too heavy to be moved by brute force.
It needs heavy equipment. Cranes, bulldozers, backhoes etc. Watching the pictures from Haiti there are no equipment visible anywhere.
How is it the American military can move any kind of equipment to anywhere in the world when they need to but can not get heavy construction machinery to Haiti?
If there were machines the rescue people would not be stepping on each other and work could proceed on a more orderly fashion. The way it looks there is a total chaos even amongst the rescuers as much as the rescuees.
Not withstanding the number of reporters there. Every reporter sees this as his/her opportunity for a Pulitzer Prize or whatever other prizes are there.
Every TV network, local TV station, radio station and newspaper are represented there by their own staff. What service these people do provide? They all report basically the same thing.
Nothing moves a hardened reporter. These people see misery all the times, there is no trouble they haven't seen yet. So, they go there because they are getting paid for it and it is 80 degrees against snow and sleet back here.
When the tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004 it was front page news for a short while. Then it disappeared because there were more interesting things to write about. The misery stayed there but the world attention turned away from them.
It is very disturbing that everywhere one turns there is nothing on TV but Haiti. People who want to help will help anyway, no need to shove this thing down our throats.
It needs heavy equipment. Cranes, bulldozers, backhoes etc. Watching the pictures from Haiti there are no equipment visible anywhere.
How is it the American military can move any kind of equipment to anywhere in the world when they need to but can not get heavy construction machinery to Haiti?
If there were machines the rescue people would not be stepping on each other and work could proceed on a more orderly fashion. The way it looks there is a total chaos even amongst the rescuers as much as the rescuees.
Not withstanding the number of reporters there. Every reporter sees this as his/her opportunity for a Pulitzer Prize or whatever other prizes are there.
Every TV network, local TV station, radio station and newspaper are represented there by their own staff. What service these people do provide? They all report basically the same thing.
Nothing moves a hardened reporter. These people see misery all the times, there is no trouble they haven't seen yet. So, they go there because they are getting paid for it and it is 80 degrees against snow and sleet back here.
When the tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004 it was front page news for a short while. Then it disappeared because there were more interesting things to write about. The misery stayed there but the world attention turned away from them.
It is very disturbing that everywhere one turns there is nothing on TV but Haiti. People who want to help will help anyway, no need to shove this thing down our throats.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
January 17, 2010
Today it was a pretty miserable day in New York. It rained all day, it was wet and gloomy. It was the kind of day when people would rather stay home with a good book in a nice warm environment.
It was a good day to catch up with things at home that were being postponed endlessly.
They say rain is good for the grass and good for the harvest. But since I don't have any grass and I don't harvest I really don't care for rain. Now, if this were all snow things would look a lot different. Everything would be cheerful white and people's attitude would be more upbeat also.
But for us the weather did not interfere with our program. I was the guest of honor at our annual birthday brunch that my brother-in-law was holding. Actually my birthday was a week ago but since everybody was fighting a cold the brunch was held today.
The crowd at the celebration was huge. All four of us. My wife and me and him and his wife. But it was very pleasant.
We went to an Italian restaurant in Manhattan that we know well. This place has a very nice and generous Sunday brunch menu. We all enjoyed it. We had nice conversation, ate well and drank well too.
Unfortunately my brother-in-law lives in Manhattan and we don't see each other as much as we would like to. So these little gatherings that are tied to some holiday or event are the only opportunities we have.
My wife and I both don't like Manhattan. It is overrated, parking is difficult and since we both worked there most of our adult life, now we can do very well without it.
We live in the suburbs where there are trees and grass and open spaces. Even golf courses.
It was a good day to catch up with things at home that were being postponed endlessly.
They say rain is good for the grass and good for the harvest. But since I don't have any grass and I don't harvest I really don't care for rain. Now, if this were all snow things would look a lot different. Everything would be cheerful white and people's attitude would be more upbeat also.
But for us the weather did not interfere with our program. I was the guest of honor at our annual birthday brunch that my brother-in-law was holding. Actually my birthday was a week ago but since everybody was fighting a cold the brunch was held today.
The crowd at the celebration was huge. All four of us. My wife and me and him and his wife. But it was very pleasant.
We went to an Italian restaurant in Manhattan that we know well. This place has a very nice and generous Sunday brunch menu. We all enjoyed it. We had nice conversation, ate well and drank well too.
Unfortunately my brother-in-law lives in Manhattan and we don't see each other as much as we would like to. So these little gatherings that are tied to some holiday or event are the only opportunities we have.
My wife and I both don't like Manhattan. It is overrated, parking is difficult and since we both worked there most of our adult life, now we can do very well without it.
We live in the suburbs where there are trees and grass and open spaces. Even golf courses.
===========================
Tonight they are showing the Golden Globe Awards on television. Since there was nothing else watchable we were watching it for a while.
I have a few comments.
Paul McCartney looks like a real ugly old women. He can have all the young girlfriends he still looks very feminine to me.
Cher was a presenter. She stood there stiff as a board. Afraid to move a muscle lest she breaks something. They never showed a close up on her so we couldn't see her face at all. She looked like Mortitia.
Many of the men were wearing ribbons in their lapels indicating help for Haiti. But the chief organizer George Clooney didn't have one. Why? Was he afraid that it would ruin his suit?
I'm sick of all these I love you, I love you, I love everybody here and I love the world nonsense.
They hate each other with a vengeance. They are jealous of each other and they just simply can not stand the others.
They always thank their spouses for whom they owe everything. Then they go and cheat with the other guy's wife or they just go and play golf which is pretty much the same thing.
I have a few comments.
Paul McCartney looks like a real ugly old women. He can have all the young girlfriends he still looks very feminine to me.
Cher was a presenter. She stood there stiff as a board. Afraid to move a muscle lest she breaks something. They never showed a close up on her so we couldn't see her face at all. She looked like Mortitia.
Many of the men were wearing ribbons in their lapels indicating help for Haiti. But the chief organizer George Clooney didn't have one. Why? Was he afraid that it would ruin his suit?
I'm sick of all these I love you, I love you, I love everybody here and I love the world nonsense.
They hate each other with a vengeance. They are jealous of each other and they just simply can not stand the others.
They always thank their spouses for whom they owe everything. Then they go and cheat with the other guy's wife or they just go and play golf which is pretty much the same thing.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
January 16, 2010
It is terrible what happened in Haiti. Those poor people get all the bad breaks from life and Mother Nature. It seems that whenever there is a hurricane in the Caribbean it finds Haiti and throws life's manure at them.
They live in a corrupt, therefore very poor country. They have no infrastructure, they have no middle class.
There is an upper class that is wealthy and there are the poor people. And the poor people either don't know what to do to help their situation or just simply don't want to.
And that brings me to the Caribbean mentality.
I have been visiting the Caribbean for about eighteen years now, and came to the conclusion that the constant heat effects people's behavior.
The people I came across all have this slo mo attitude to life. Why should I rush to do anything when it can be done tomorrow just the same!
I visited several islands and found the same attitude everywhere. It is not laziness it is just that there is no point to rush to do anything.
Haiti is a beautiful part of Hispaniola. It could be a vacation paradise with opportunities to create work and make money for the population. But they ran the country to the ground with crime and political instability.
And now, when disaster struck they are sitting around waiting for the world to come to their aid. They are expecting the world to rise as one and offer billions of dollars to rebuild their country. The country they never cared about, the country they systematically ruined.
Haiti has the distinction of being the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and probably the third poorest in the world. This is not a proud position to be in. Haiti achieved all this on its own. They had corrupt governments one after the other but the people did nothing to change their life.
Now those poor people are sitting around waiting for the world to come and help them out.
The pictures one sees on television are heart wrenching. The dead and the injured lying side by side. One can not help but feel sorry for them.
But there are a lots of men just seem to be walking around. Why those men don't take the initiative and help out with cleanup, restoring order, helping to distribute water and food and a million other things.
I am surprised it took two days for machete wielding gangs to come to life. I expected them to be visible practically immediately after the earthquake.
I am 100% convinced that the help the world is providing now will not find its target. It will be squandered by bureaucracy, thieves and corrupt governments.
Just to start at home. The charities in this country spend the better part of every donated dollar on so called administration. From the Red Cross on to all the others I don't trust any one of them. And I am sure the other countries are not any better either.
All these telethons that are being organized now are for show. Why the stars just don't get together and give their millions for help.
Why Madonna only gave $250,000? She couldn't afford any more? Maybe we should have telethon for her then when this is over. How much Oprah gave?
The stars get together because this is a very nice tax deduction for them. Should I be moved to tears because George Clooney says so?
I don't think so!
The billions given to Haiti will disappear just as the billions of bailout money the US government gave disappeared.
Ten years from now Haiti will be the same as a week ago except the buildings will be in better shape. And they will still hate the Americans.
I find it very interesting that the US government can spring to action so fast when there is a foreign country in need of humanitarian help.
Where was the US government when Katrina hit in 2005?
Four and a half years later some areas of New Orleans still look like a war zone. There are people who still can not return to their homes because reconstruction bogged down in bureaucratic quagmire.
Yes, it was a different administration then but it was still the American government. Try to explain to those people who still can not live in their homes why their government is jumping to help the Haitians so fast while it is still dragging its feet with their own citizens.
The answer is very simple. Helping others is good foreign policy, it is good public relations and it looks good in the eye of the world. Helping your own doesn't mean anything. Those people are here already, they are not going anywhere, they will remain Americans no matter what.
Mr. Obama and all past and future presidents should learn that charity starts at home!
They live in a corrupt, therefore very poor country. They have no infrastructure, they have no middle class.
There is an upper class that is wealthy and there are the poor people. And the poor people either don't know what to do to help their situation or just simply don't want to.
And that brings me to the Caribbean mentality.
I have been visiting the Caribbean for about eighteen years now, and came to the conclusion that the constant heat effects people's behavior.
The people I came across all have this slo mo attitude to life. Why should I rush to do anything when it can be done tomorrow just the same!
I visited several islands and found the same attitude everywhere. It is not laziness it is just that there is no point to rush to do anything.
Haiti is a beautiful part of Hispaniola. It could be a vacation paradise with opportunities to create work and make money for the population. But they ran the country to the ground with crime and political instability.
And now, when disaster struck they are sitting around waiting for the world to come to their aid. They are expecting the world to rise as one and offer billions of dollars to rebuild their country. The country they never cared about, the country they systematically ruined.
Haiti has the distinction of being the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and probably the third poorest in the world. This is not a proud position to be in. Haiti achieved all this on its own. They had corrupt governments one after the other but the people did nothing to change their life.
Now those poor people are sitting around waiting for the world to come and help them out.
The pictures one sees on television are heart wrenching. The dead and the injured lying side by side. One can not help but feel sorry for them.
But there are a lots of men just seem to be walking around. Why those men don't take the initiative and help out with cleanup, restoring order, helping to distribute water and food and a million other things.
I am surprised it took two days for machete wielding gangs to come to life. I expected them to be visible practically immediately after the earthquake.
I am 100% convinced that the help the world is providing now will not find its target. It will be squandered by bureaucracy, thieves and corrupt governments.
Just to start at home. The charities in this country spend the better part of every donated dollar on so called administration. From the Red Cross on to all the others I don't trust any one of them. And I am sure the other countries are not any better either.
All these telethons that are being organized now are for show. Why the stars just don't get together and give their millions for help.
Why Madonna only gave $250,000? She couldn't afford any more? Maybe we should have telethon for her then when this is over. How much Oprah gave?
The stars get together because this is a very nice tax deduction for them. Should I be moved to tears because George Clooney says so?
I don't think so!
The billions given to Haiti will disappear just as the billions of bailout money the US government gave disappeared.
Ten years from now Haiti will be the same as a week ago except the buildings will be in better shape. And they will still hate the Americans.
I find it very interesting that the US government can spring to action so fast when there is a foreign country in need of humanitarian help.
Where was the US government when Katrina hit in 2005?
Four and a half years later some areas of New Orleans still look like a war zone. There are people who still can not return to their homes because reconstruction bogged down in bureaucratic quagmire.
Yes, it was a different administration then but it was still the American government. Try to explain to those people who still can not live in their homes why their government is jumping to help the Haitians so fast while it is still dragging its feet with their own citizens.
The answer is very simple. Helping others is good foreign policy, it is good public relations and it looks good in the eye of the world. Helping your own doesn't mean anything. Those people are here already, they are not going anywhere, they will remain Americans no matter what.
Mr. Obama and all past and future presidents should learn that charity starts at home!
Friday, January 15, 2010
January 15, 2010
As far as I know only Jesus Christ walked on water. There was nobody after him who performed this superhuman feat.
So why is Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger is treated like the embodiment of Jesus?
The man is an airline pilot. An airline pilot with a lots of experience and with a very good salary. The man is paid to fly. That is his job. He is not a banker or financial person who would get a bonus even for a lousy job.
If Sullenberger had crashed the plane he wouldn't have received a bonus like the bankers did for crashing the plane carrying the US economy.
This man was flying US Air Flight 1549 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina when the plane developed mechanical problems due to too many birds. As a last resort he ditched the plane in the Hudson River and thank God everybody on board survived.
It is obvious that this man didn't want to die either. He didn't have a death wish. He is very well balanced individual who seems to be in perfect control of his emotions and actions.
He did what he was trained for and what he is being paid for. It's just that in his case the outcome is a little more dramatic than it would be for a bus driver. Pilots are more glamorous than bus drivers. Even on the Bachelor TV show they invited a pilot and not a bus driver.
Bus drivers are Ralph Kramdens while pilots are the Sullys in the public eye. And it is a shame.
Anyhow, in my opinion Capt. Sullenberger is on an ego trip of a lifetime. At the beginning in all the interviews he gave it was always me, me, me. Never a word about his co-pilot or the rest of the plane's crew. It couldn't be helped but he was very visible on every TV station and always him alone.
The first time I really saw the rest of his crew was at the opening ceremony of the Super Bowl in 2009 where they were the guests.
As I heard his co-pilot went back to flying shortly after the mishap but as far as the good captain is concerned he seems to be too busy being a celebrity. I can understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make big bucks and why not use it. But I am sure there are more tasteful ways of doing it.
He was at the Super Bowl last year, he was the Grand Marshal at the Rose Parade this year, the countless interviews, then there is today's anniversary celebration. Will this ever end?
Don't misunderstand me, I hope I have pilot like him on my plane if I ever get into trouble like he did. And I am happy for all the people who happened to be on that flight.
But just like the September 11 World Trade Center disaster when will all memorials and the adulation stop.
Capt. Sullenberger is a man, he is not a saint so why can we not stop treating him like one?
This was an airplane accident that had a happy ending. Can it not be let go at that?
So why is Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger is treated like the embodiment of Jesus?
The man is an airline pilot. An airline pilot with a lots of experience and with a very good salary. The man is paid to fly. That is his job. He is not a banker or financial person who would get a bonus even for a lousy job.
If Sullenberger had crashed the plane he wouldn't have received a bonus like the bankers did for crashing the plane carrying the US economy.
This man was flying US Air Flight 1549 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina when the plane developed mechanical problems due to too many birds. As a last resort he ditched the plane in the Hudson River and thank God everybody on board survived.
It is obvious that this man didn't want to die either. He didn't have a death wish. He is very well balanced individual who seems to be in perfect control of his emotions and actions.
He did what he was trained for and what he is being paid for. It's just that in his case the outcome is a little more dramatic than it would be for a bus driver. Pilots are more glamorous than bus drivers. Even on the Bachelor TV show they invited a pilot and not a bus driver.
Bus drivers are Ralph Kramdens while pilots are the Sullys in the public eye. And it is a shame.
Anyhow, in my opinion Capt. Sullenberger is on an ego trip of a lifetime. At the beginning in all the interviews he gave it was always me, me, me. Never a word about his co-pilot or the rest of the plane's crew. It couldn't be helped but he was very visible on every TV station and always him alone.
The first time I really saw the rest of his crew was at the opening ceremony of the Super Bowl in 2009 where they were the guests.
As I heard his co-pilot went back to flying shortly after the mishap but as far as the good captain is concerned he seems to be too busy being a celebrity. I can understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make big bucks and why not use it. But I am sure there are more tasteful ways of doing it.
He was at the Super Bowl last year, he was the Grand Marshal at the Rose Parade this year, the countless interviews, then there is today's anniversary celebration. Will this ever end?
Don't misunderstand me, I hope I have pilot like him on my plane if I ever get into trouble like he did. And I am happy for all the people who happened to be on that flight.
But just like the September 11 World Trade Center disaster when will all memorials and the adulation stop.
Capt. Sullenberger is a man, he is not a saint so why can we not stop treating him like one?
This was an airplane accident that had a happy ending. Can it not be let go at that?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
January 14, 2010
I love skiing. I like the cold and I like the snow. Well, not the stuff that has to be shoveled but I just like snow.
There is something peaceful about it. OK when there is an avalanche it is not peaceful but I don't live in an avalanche prone area and never did.
Just look at is this way and this is the opinion of a New Yorker. When it rains everybody is grouchy, everything is gloomy and people are in a pissy mood. Your clothes get ruined, it's utterly uncomfortable to go anywhere because people get very wet.
When it snows everything is white and people are in a lot better mood. It is cheerful to look everywhere because even the dirtiest streets are covered by the clean white fresh snow.
I remember some years ago there was a humongous blizzard in New York. Everything stopped even the subways. Driving was impossible, going to work was out of the question, schools were all closed. But people were cheerful. They dressed up in colorful warm winter garbs and went down to the streets just to walk around in the snow.
This lasted about a day then things started to move but it was nice while it lasted. Oh, it was very quiet also, no trucks, no cars, no planes. Just people.
Anyway, I like snow and everything associated with it.
I started skiing when I was around 17 years old. Ever since then I try to go at least a few times every year. That makes over 50 years by now. I don't ski as well as I should but it is good enough for me.
I have never been a daredevil and the older I get the more cautious skier I become. But still loving it.
That is about the only sport that a person can pursue alone, it is not a social gathering. You don't need a partner.
Tennis, one needs a partner and it only lasts an hour or so. Golf as a coed activity can go on for a long time but it goes into a different category and it turned out to be more of an adult activity.
Bowling, one needs someone to bowl with. Swimming can not be done all day long unless one wants to cross the Channel. Ping pong can not be played alone unless the person is extremely fast an can play both sides. Bicycling can be done alone but to do it for an entire day one needs iron backside.
You can see that leaves skiing as the last resort. It's only me and the mountain for the entire day.
On the way down the hill one doesn't talk because too occupied with the skiing and on the way up people don't talk much on the chairlift because it is so cold that even talking is tiring.
Now, skiing is not an inexpensive sport. The clothing and the equipment cost a lot. But that's a one time expense unless one wants to go with the trend.
The lift tickets on the other hand are really expensive. The place I go to is owned by New York State but the prices are not low by any means.
A weekend lift ticket costs $54 a person and a weekday ticket costs $45 a person. That is a lot of money for a larger family.
Still, this place and all other ski resorts in the area are filled with people. Yesterday was a weekday, I was not expecting any crowds but, the place was jumping.
The advantage of being old is that I can ski for free at this particular place. I am convinced that Social Security is subsidizing this free stuff so more old people go and ski. They figure whoever kills himself while skiing is good for them because they don't have to pay the Social Security benefit for life.
But it seems that people still have money to spend.
We went to Target and Walmart today and they were fairly crowded. There is a Costco nearby and people were still coming out with shopping carts loaded sky high.
I know things are hard but people are still spending money for themselves.
Here is a last useful advice as far as snow is concerned.
Whatever the situation is don't eat the yellow snow!
There is something peaceful about it. OK when there is an avalanche it is not peaceful but I don't live in an avalanche prone area and never did.
Just look at is this way and this is the opinion of a New Yorker. When it rains everybody is grouchy, everything is gloomy and people are in a pissy mood. Your clothes get ruined, it's utterly uncomfortable to go anywhere because people get very wet.
When it snows everything is white and people are in a lot better mood. It is cheerful to look everywhere because even the dirtiest streets are covered by the clean white fresh snow.
I remember some years ago there was a humongous blizzard in New York. Everything stopped even the subways. Driving was impossible, going to work was out of the question, schools were all closed. But people were cheerful. They dressed up in colorful warm winter garbs and went down to the streets just to walk around in the snow.
This lasted about a day then things started to move but it was nice while it lasted. Oh, it was very quiet also, no trucks, no cars, no planes. Just people.
Anyway, I like snow and everything associated with it.
I started skiing when I was around 17 years old. Ever since then I try to go at least a few times every year. That makes over 50 years by now. I don't ski as well as I should but it is good enough for me.
I have never been a daredevil and the older I get the more cautious skier I become. But still loving it.
That is about the only sport that a person can pursue alone, it is not a social gathering. You don't need a partner.
Tennis, one needs a partner and it only lasts an hour or so. Golf as a coed activity can go on for a long time but it goes into a different category and it turned out to be more of an adult activity.
Bowling, one needs someone to bowl with. Swimming can not be done all day long unless one wants to cross the Channel. Ping pong can not be played alone unless the person is extremely fast an can play both sides. Bicycling can be done alone but to do it for an entire day one needs iron backside.
You can see that leaves skiing as the last resort. It's only me and the mountain for the entire day.
On the way down the hill one doesn't talk because too occupied with the skiing and on the way up people don't talk much on the chairlift because it is so cold that even talking is tiring.
Now, skiing is not an inexpensive sport. The clothing and the equipment cost a lot. But that's a one time expense unless one wants to go with the trend.
The lift tickets on the other hand are really expensive. The place I go to is owned by New York State but the prices are not low by any means.
A weekend lift ticket costs $54 a person and a weekday ticket costs $45 a person. That is a lot of money for a larger family.
Still, this place and all other ski resorts in the area are filled with people. Yesterday was a weekday, I was not expecting any crowds but, the place was jumping.
The advantage of being old is that I can ski for free at this particular place. I am convinced that Social Security is subsidizing this free stuff so more old people go and ski. They figure whoever kills himself while skiing is good for them because they don't have to pay the Social Security benefit for life.
But it seems that people still have money to spend.
We went to Target and Walmart today and they were fairly crowded. There is a Costco nearby and people were still coming out with shopping carts loaded sky high.
I know things are hard but people are still spending money for themselves.
Here is a last useful advice as far as snow is concerned.
Whatever the situation is don't eat the yellow snow!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
January 13, 2010
Today I went skiing. This was the first time this season so I'm kind of exhausted. But I had a great day.
That's all for now. More tomorrow.
That's all for now. More tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 12, 2010
Today was a very pleasant and lovely day.
We had some business to take care of in Manhattan so we went in. I never look forward to go into Manhattan. It is a nuisance.
At least getting in at midday is fairly pleasant but finding a parking spot for the car is a total disaster.
Our business was on the Upper East Side. Second Avenue is all dug up because they are constructing the future Second Avenue Subway. That means that parking is more restrictive than ever before and it moves at snail pace.
I was lucky because I found a spot for the car so we decided that rather than move it as we moved around we would leave it there.
Eventually we wound up in our favorite Hungarian restaurant and had a very nice late lunch there. By now the car was ten blocks away.
Rather than expose my wife walking ten blocks to the car I went to get it. On the way home we got entangled in the middle of rush hour traffic but knowing some side streets we made it home safely.
That was our day today. I am tired and my brain is mush. I have no energy to write a long dissertation about some earth shattering thought.
Maybe I am not tired just ate too much good stuff.
We had some business to take care of in Manhattan so we went in. I never look forward to go into Manhattan. It is a nuisance.
At least getting in at midday is fairly pleasant but finding a parking spot for the car is a total disaster.
Our business was on the Upper East Side. Second Avenue is all dug up because they are constructing the future Second Avenue Subway. That means that parking is more restrictive than ever before and it moves at snail pace.
I was lucky because I found a spot for the car so we decided that rather than move it as we moved around we would leave it there.
Eventually we wound up in our favorite Hungarian restaurant and had a very nice late lunch there. By now the car was ten blocks away.
Rather than expose my wife walking ten blocks to the car I went to get it. On the way home we got entangled in the middle of rush hour traffic but knowing some side streets we made it home safely.
That was our day today. I am tired and my brain is mush. I have no energy to write a long dissertation about some earth shattering thought.
Maybe I am not tired just ate too much good stuff.
Monday, January 11, 2010
January 11, 2010
Now here is a piece of very valuable information. I came upon this today because I have a very relaxed mind and I am really not using it for anything useful. Today is 01/11/10.
Why is this thing interesting, you ask. Because backward and forward it reads the same and this is the only time it will read like this for approximately 8,657 years or until February 22, 2020 whichever comes first.
Why is this thing interesting, you ask. Because backward and forward it reads the same and this is the only time it will read like this for approximately 8,657 years or until February 22, 2020 whichever comes first.
====================
I love women. I love them in every shape or form. Don't misunderstand me, I don't love them like a golfer would but I just think Eve was the best thing God could have given to Adam.
If I ever get stranded on a remote Pacific island without anybody around I hope there is a woman, more specifically my wife there with me.
Women are pleasant, they are smart and they know what they want. They dress nice, they care about themselves, they care about how they look. And it is not cultural.
In the civilized world women are a very pleasant part of our daily life. It is a shame that some people don't appreciate them as they should be.
OK, they nag us, they always know better than us and we always have to do whatever they want since they couldn't care less about what we want.
And why? Because what we want is very likely childish, stupid and most of all boring to the other side. Now, with all these negative descriptions we still want them around because life would not be the same without the women.
So, they are lovely creatures. Regardless of age women are pleasant to look at. Most of them!
However, I do not like pregnant women!
I know pregnancy is as much part of life as breathing (maybe that's why the word breeding sounds alike) but I hate women who go around flaunting their pregnancy.
For a women to become pregnant is God's gift to make sure the human race don't die out. But God never told them to go around shoving their bellies under everybody's nose.
When Demi Moore was on the cover of that magazine naked and pregnant I found that picture repugnant.
We go to the beach in the summer very frequently. There are always pregnant women there in the smallest bathing suits possible, practically falling out of them with their huge stomachs and protruding belly buttons.
Why do they do this? Stores sell tasteful maternity clothes from dresses to bathing suits so these people could package themselves very nicely.
But it is not just the ordinary people who behave this way. One can see television personalities sticking their stomachs out into the cameras and wearing tight clothes that makes one really turn away.
I am convinced that when my Mother and her friends were expecting they didn't go around town showing everybody: hey look, I am pregnant. They were much more discreet than doing this.
Having a baby is not a community affair. It is between a man and a woman (most of the time!). Don't get the entire world involved.
I can see if the woman was very active and doesn't know who might be the father she goes around flaunting it and expecting someone to step up and announce that maybe it is his child she is carrying.
But statistically I don't believe this happened very frequently.
If I ever get stranded on a remote Pacific island without anybody around I hope there is a woman, more specifically my wife there with me.
Women are pleasant, they are smart and they know what they want. They dress nice, they care about themselves, they care about how they look. And it is not cultural.
In the civilized world women are a very pleasant part of our daily life. It is a shame that some people don't appreciate them as they should be.
OK, they nag us, they always know better than us and we always have to do whatever they want since they couldn't care less about what we want.
And why? Because what we want is very likely childish, stupid and most of all boring to the other side. Now, with all these negative descriptions we still want them around because life would not be the same without the women.
So, they are lovely creatures. Regardless of age women are pleasant to look at. Most of them!
However, I do not like pregnant women!
I know pregnancy is as much part of life as breathing (maybe that's why the word breeding sounds alike) but I hate women who go around flaunting their pregnancy.
For a women to become pregnant is God's gift to make sure the human race don't die out. But God never told them to go around shoving their bellies under everybody's nose.
When Demi Moore was on the cover of that magazine naked and pregnant I found that picture repugnant.
We go to the beach in the summer very frequently. There are always pregnant women there in the smallest bathing suits possible, practically falling out of them with their huge stomachs and protruding belly buttons.
Why do they do this? Stores sell tasteful maternity clothes from dresses to bathing suits so these people could package themselves very nicely.
But it is not just the ordinary people who behave this way. One can see television personalities sticking their stomachs out into the cameras and wearing tight clothes that makes one really turn away.
I am convinced that when my Mother and her friends were expecting they didn't go around town showing everybody: hey look, I am pregnant. They were much more discreet than doing this.
Having a baby is not a community affair. It is between a man and a woman (most of the time!). Don't get the entire world involved.
I can see if the woman was very active and doesn't know who might be the father she goes around flaunting it and expecting someone to step up and announce that maybe it is his child she is carrying.
But statistically I don't believe this happened very frequently.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
January 10, 2010
I can safely say that birthdays are overrated. Now, that my birthday is one day past I don't even want to think about it. Besides, I had so many that the adulation is becoming tiresome.
I remember when I was a very young boy and lived in Hungary under the Soviet regime we celebrated some birthday for Stalin. At the time he was at the top of his rule.
Anyway they created a traveling exhibition of the presents he received from his "faithful" subjects. I went to see this exhibition, probably because it was mandatory. In all honesty it was memorable. Memorable in a nice way, at least for me. Some of the stuff created for him were really remarkable.
Like beautiful native carvings, swords, hunting knives, sculptures and a myriad of other things. What really grabbed me was some kind of a carving on a single piece of rice (or at least I think it was rice). I don't remember what it was, maybe the history of the world or the Soviet Union or the life story of Stalin but regardless it was amazing.
And that was done long before micro art became more popular.
Not that Stalin ever sat down in his playroom and played with these presents but nevertheless they were nice.
I wouldn't mind getting a single bean or pea with a future winning lottery number carved on it! But I never get presents like that.
I remember when I was a very young boy and lived in Hungary under the Soviet regime we celebrated some birthday for Stalin. At the time he was at the top of his rule.
Anyway they created a traveling exhibition of the presents he received from his "faithful" subjects. I went to see this exhibition, probably because it was mandatory. In all honesty it was memorable. Memorable in a nice way, at least for me. Some of the stuff created for him were really remarkable.
Like beautiful native carvings, swords, hunting knives, sculptures and a myriad of other things. What really grabbed me was some kind of a carving on a single piece of rice (or at least I think it was rice). I don't remember what it was, maybe the history of the world or the Soviet Union or the life story of Stalin but regardless it was amazing.
And that was done long before micro art became more popular.
Not that Stalin ever sat down in his playroom and played with these presents but nevertheless they were nice.
I wouldn't mind getting a single bean or pea with a future winning lottery number carved on it! But I never get presents like that.
===========================
It is nice to have families. It is even nicer to have large families with a history and a future.
But history and future are two complete separate things.
Family history tells us where we came from, who were our ancestors and gives us a larger picture of the composition of the "clan".
The future of the family assures us that their history is not forgotten but continued, the ancestors are being remembered and the family name is carried on.
And this is where the trouble begins.
I have a family tree that goes back to the 1850s. It is drawn up as a tree and it is a gigantic tree. It shows all the ancestors in several branches of my family on my paternal grandmother's side.
I am on that tree on the outer limits, almost on the margin since updating stopped in around 1940.
War came and a large number of the family members perished during the Holocaust.
My Father had two brothers. When they were young men they sat down and created this tree by talking to all the living relatives and drawing on their memories.
Today there are no living relatives or parents who remember all the details about the family. I have an older cousin living in Budapest who remembers some people but not too many. My Mother was familiar with the family history but She is no longer around.
I have a cousin in this country but none of us knows how we are connected and there is no one alive to ask. Actually, I have another cousin from another side of my family here but years ago he was lost in the fog of life.
My Hungarian cousin and I have no children. With us the family name ends. His brother has two daughters but being women the family name doesn't carry on.
It is very sad. But there is nothing we can do about it. Even if we had children I don't think today's young people really care about where they came from. They only care about where they are going.
Ten years ago my cousin and I visited Hungary to retrace our younger years. He lives here in the US. He has a son and a daughter. He was obsessed about collecting information about his early years for showing those to his children.
Since these children were born in the US and raised as Americans they really have no deep interest about their background. And that applies to all the children who were born here of emigrant parents. At least the ones that I know of.
Assimilation is so strong in everybody that background takes a large step backward. These children marry primarily American spouses and therefore their parents' nationality is now something exotic that they try not to flaunt.
All of my friends' US born children married non Hungarian origin spouses. Therefore, they don't speak Hungarian, they don't eat Hungarian food and traveling to Hungary is like 38th on their list of priorities.
This brings me back to the family. With this new life we all found here or any other country the history of our families are disappearing in the dust.
It is a very sad thing to see members of families, brothers and sisters not talking to each other for years or forever because some pissy argument they had years ago. Those lost times can not be brought back. When the dust settles and they look around they will be very surprised when they won't be able to find anybody there.
It is upsetting to see generations disappear. They disappear because there is just nobody to continue or because there is just no interest.
I think we Hungarians perfectly fit the bill for these two cases.
But history and future are two complete separate things.
Family history tells us where we came from, who were our ancestors and gives us a larger picture of the composition of the "clan".
The future of the family assures us that their history is not forgotten but continued, the ancestors are being remembered and the family name is carried on.
And this is where the trouble begins.
I have a family tree that goes back to the 1850s. It is drawn up as a tree and it is a gigantic tree. It shows all the ancestors in several branches of my family on my paternal grandmother's side.
I am on that tree on the outer limits, almost on the margin since updating stopped in around 1940.
War came and a large number of the family members perished during the Holocaust.
My Father had two brothers. When they were young men they sat down and created this tree by talking to all the living relatives and drawing on their memories.
Today there are no living relatives or parents who remember all the details about the family. I have an older cousin living in Budapest who remembers some people but not too many. My Mother was familiar with the family history but She is no longer around.
I have a cousin in this country but none of us knows how we are connected and there is no one alive to ask. Actually, I have another cousin from another side of my family here but years ago he was lost in the fog of life.
My Hungarian cousin and I have no children. With us the family name ends. His brother has two daughters but being women the family name doesn't carry on.
It is very sad. But there is nothing we can do about it. Even if we had children I don't think today's young people really care about where they came from. They only care about where they are going.
Ten years ago my cousin and I visited Hungary to retrace our younger years. He lives here in the US. He has a son and a daughter. He was obsessed about collecting information about his early years for showing those to his children.
Since these children were born in the US and raised as Americans they really have no deep interest about their background. And that applies to all the children who were born here of emigrant parents. At least the ones that I know of.
Assimilation is so strong in everybody that background takes a large step backward. These children marry primarily American spouses and therefore their parents' nationality is now something exotic that they try not to flaunt.
All of my friends' US born children married non Hungarian origin spouses. Therefore, they don't speak Hungarian, they don't eat Hungarian food and traveling to Hungary is like 38th on their list of priorities.
This brings me back to the family. With this new life we all found here or any other country the history of our families are disappearing in the dust.
It is a very sad thing to see members of families, brothers and sisters not talking to each other for years or forever because some pissy argument they had years ago. Those lost times can not be brought back. When the dust settles and they look around they will be very surprised when they won't be able to find anybody there.
It is upsetting to see generations disappear. They disappear because there is just nobody to continue or because there is just no interest.
I think we Hungarians perfectly fit the bill for these two cases.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
January 9, 2010
I always try to write about something current like economy, money, golf and sex - oh I forgot the last two are the same!
Anyway, today I will stray from my preset format and will be occupied with Numero uno = me.
Today is my birthday. Yesterday was Elvis Presley's birthday but I couldn't be bothered because he is dead and I am still here.
All day I was very emotional about how fickle life is.
I was born 73 years ago. So much water went down the Danube since that it is unbelievable. So much history happened that books and books could be filled.
Just what I was affected by is a respectable list: World War II, 1956 Hungarian revolution, my escape from Hungary and coming to the US and starting a new life, 2001 September 11.
One of these is enough for a lifetime but all these!
My poor parents never dreamed of what was awaiting for me in life. My Father and Mother were aware of my life in America and that kind of put their mind at ease. My Mother visited here twice and I went back to see her few times but never had the chance to see my Father after I left Hungary.
In hindsight I don't know what I would or could have done differently in my life.
I am glad I left Hungary, I am glad I came to this country, I am glad I was married once before because otherwise I could not have met my present wife. I am glad I chose the profession I was in because that was also my Father's profession.
A lot of things were squeezed into those 73 years. And looking back they went so darn fast.
I have an unmarried cousin who has a girlfriend for about forty or more years now. This cousin is two years older than I. His girlfriend always reminds him that there is not as much ahead of him as there is behind him.
I hate to think like that. OK, the world will come to an end in 2012 but maybe it will not.
We always have a future and I for one don't want to know if it is a long future or a short one. I am not a fatalist. I will not let things be just because it is not worth the effort to fight.
I had a very dear friend who had a very serious kidney problem. The transplant didn't work and rather than undergo tedious and long dialysis he decided to throw in the towel and let nature take its course.
Family and friends begged him to reconsider but he was very stubborn. He passed away before the age of 70. He didn't have to go so early but he was a fatalist.
My Father passed away at age 62, my Mother passed away at age 73. My maternal grandparents lived to a very ripe old age. So my genes are made from good contributors. We'll see!
Today I received cards and calls from friends as far away as Australia. And these made me feel very good.
The only regret I have (but it's not too late or is it?) is that I always thought golf was a very boring sport. Man, was I ever wrong!
Anyway, today I will stray from my preset format and will be occupied with Numero uno = me.
Today is my birthday. Yesterday was Elvis Presley's birthday but I couldn't be bothered because he is dead and I am still here.
All day I was very emotional about how fickle life is.
I was born 73 years ago. So much water went down the Danube since that it is unbelievable. So much history happened that books and books could be filled.
Just what I was affected by is a respectable list: World War II, 1956 Hungarian revolution, my escape from Hungary and coming to the US and starting a new life, 2001 September 11.
One of these is enough for a lifetime but all these!
My poor parents never dreamed of what was awaiting for me in life. My Father and Mother were aware of my life in America and that kind of put their mind at ease. My Mother visited here twice and I went back to see her few times but never had the chance to see my Father after I left Hungary.
In hindsight I don't know what I would or could have done differently in my life.
I am glad I left Hungary, I am glad I came to this country, I am glad I was married once before because otherwise I could not have met my present wife. I am glad I chose the profession I was in because that was also my Father's profession.
A lot of things were squeezed into those 73 years. And looking back they went so darn fast.
I have an unmarried cousin who has a girlfriend for about forty or more years now. This cousin is two years older than I. His girlfriend always reminds him that there is not as much ahead of him as there is behind him.
I hate to think like that. OK, the world will come to an end in 2012 but maybe it will not.
We always have a future and I for one don't want to know if it is a long future or a short one. I am not a fatalist. I will not let things be just because it is not worth the effort to fight.
I had a very dear friend who had a very serious kidney problem. The transplant didn't work and rather than undergo tedious and long dialysis he decided to throw in the towel and let nature take its course.
Family and friends begged him to reconsider but he was very stubborn. He passed away before the age of 70. He didn't have to go so early but he was a fatalist.
My Father passed away at age 62, my Mother passed away at age 73. My maternal grandparents lived to a very ripe old age. So my genes are made from good contributors. We'll see!
Today I received cards and calls from friends as far away as Australia. And these made me feel very good.
The only regret I have (but it's not too late or is it?) is that I always thought golf was a very boring sport. Man, was I ever wrong!
Friday, January 8, 2010
January 8, 2019
The other day they came out in the news that New York State is introducing new voting machines thereby replacing the old lever operated machines.
These lever machines were in use since the 1960s according to historians and they had their share of problems.
Since I never voted anywhere else but New York I have no idea how voting is conducted in other states. All I can say I never had any problem with the current machines.
But then I'm not the lead dog!
Anyway, the new machines will be electronic voting machines, almost like real computers they say.
This where the problem lies.
I voted in almost every election since I became eligible. I stood in line, waited patiently and at the same time watched the people.
Even though there were translators to help the good American citizens in the practice of their constitution given rights even if they could not speak a word of English, these people and many others had major problem understanding how to cast their votes.
But not only the voters had trouble comprehending the use of a simple voting machine the doddering idiots who serve as voting inspectors were at time more panicked than than the people they were supposed to inspect.
Whenever something happened these inspectors were running around in circles in total panic about what were the supposed to do.
And that was the situation with a simple mechanism that worked with levers.
Can one imagine what will happen with an electronic voting machine?
First of all the everyday people will not understand the instructions and voting will be a shamble.
Second, the inspectors will not be able to explain the uses of these computers in English much less in any of the "official" languages of this country.
I can just visualize how some high level people sit around in a conference room and decide this move.
Their decision very likely is based on how they can profit from the successful vendor. How grateful he will be for getting the contract.
It is a $70 million contract. The winner would provide 5,000 to 7,000 new voting machines in the city.
That is a very nice chunk of money for any vendor in today's bad economy.
The other thing is that these people understood (maybe!) how these machines work but I bet dollars to donuts that the average voter will not be able to comprehend it.
If it turns out to be too much of a headache people just going to turn around and go home and say screw it and watch the Golf Chanel instead.
These lever machines were in use since the 1960s according to historians and they had their share of problems.
Since I never voted anywhere else but New York I have no idea how voting is conducted in other states. All I can say I never had any problem with the current machines.
But then I'm not the lead dog!
Anyway, the new machines will be electronic voting machines, almost like real computers they say.
This where the problem lies.
I voted in almost every election since I became eligible. I stood in line, waited patiently and at the same time watched the people.
Even though there were translators to help the good American citizens in the practice of their constitution given rights even if they could not speak a word of English, these people and many others had major problem understanding how to cast their votes.
But not only the voters had trouble comprehending the use of a simple voting machine the doddering idiots who serve as voting inspectors were at time more panicked than than the people they were supposed to inspect.
Whenever something happened these inspectors were running around in circles in total panic about what were the supposed to do.
And that was the situation with a simple mechanism that worked with levers.
Can one imagine what will happen with an electronic voting machine?
First of all the everyday people will not understand the instructions and voting will be a shamble.
Second, the inspectors will not be able to explain the uses of these computers in English much less in any of the "official" languages of this country.
I can just visualize how some high level people sit around in a conference room and decide this move.
Their decision very likely is based on how they can profit from the successful vendor. How grateful he will be for getting the contract.
It is a $70 million contract. The winner would provide 5,000 to 7,000 new voting machines in the city.
That is a very nice chunk of money for any vendor in today's bad economy.
The other thing is that these people understood (maybe!) how these machines work but I bet dollars to donuts that the average voter will not be able to comprehend it.
If it turns out to be too much of a headache people just going to turn around and go home and say screw it and watch the Golf Chanel instead.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
January 7, 2010
The New York Times' masthead logo, "All The News That's Fit to Print," is something that has been there forever. We are all used to it even if it is not always true.
My logo, not on my masthead actually, is: "If you are not the lead dog the view never changes".
This was there in my everyday life for a very long time now.
When I worked and the company or companies went through management or ownership changes people asked me what I thought of the new presidents or the new owners.
Well, from where I stood the view didn't change much. My workload remained the same, I didn't make any more money and life did not become suddenly very glamorous.
Last year the economy went to the dogs. All kinds of infusions were made by the government to rescue giant corporations from bankruptcy. The President and his financial people are non stop self adulation on how successful they were pulling the country out of the financial pothole.
From where I stand nothing changed.
Actually some things did change!
There is no Social Security COLA this year even though everything cost more than before. And our credit card interest rate was raised shamelessly by Citibank. They snuck it in just before the rules change in February. But the President is very proud of his legislature to protect the consumers.
When you are the lead dog the view is fascinating and cheerful but at the back things are just not the same.
It is nice when one deals with statistics only. One percent one way or the other and suddenly we are on the Yellow Brick Road to a better life.
But for the common folk nothing ever changes. Income, may that be SS or pension, stay the same or actually decreases. However, people who are up front are getting the six-seven figure bonuses for a successful performance.
Thinking back I should have gone into finance instead of engineering. In engineering if one does a bad job the building/road/bridge collapses and the person who was responsible gets punished.
In finance if some one does a bad job and the country's economy collapses he gets rewarded by a humongous bonus.
Knowing this now I could have saved all my efforts for doing good work. No wonder all these financial people are relaxed and calm. They don't get overstressed by their efforts to do good job. Why bother when they get rewarded for the bad work also.
My logo, not on my masthead actually, is: "If you are not the lead dog the view never changes".
This was there in my everyday life for a very long time now.
When I worked and the company or companies went through management or ownership changes people asked me what I thought of the new presidents or the new owners.
Well, from where I stood the view didn't change much. My workload remained the same, I didn't make any more money and life did not become suddenly very glamorous.
Last year the economy went to the dogs. All kinds of infusions were made by the government to rescue giant corporations from bankruptcy. The President and his financial people are non stop self adulation on how successful they were pulling the country out of the financial pothole.
From where I stand nothing changed.
Actually some things did change!
There is no Social Security COLA this year even though everything cost more than before. And our credit card interest rate was raised shamelessly by Citibank. They snuck it in just before the rules change in February. But the President is very proud of his legislature to protect the consumers.
When you are the lead dog the view is fascinating and cheerful but at the back things are just not the same.
It is nice when one deals with statistics only. One percent one way or the other and suddenly we are on the Yellow Brick Road to a better life.
But for the common folk nothing ever changes. Income, may that be SS or pension, stay the same or actually decreases. However, people who are up front are getting the six-seven figure bonuses for a successful performance.
Thinking back I should have gone into finance instead of engineering. In engineering if one does a bad job the building/road/bridge collapses and the person who was responsible gets punished.
In finance if some one does a bad job and the country's economy collapses he gets rewarded by a humongous bonus.
Knowing this now I could have saved all my efforts for doing good work. No wonder all these financial people are relaxed and calm. They don't get overstressed by their efforts to do good job. Why bother when they get rewarded for the bad work also.
===========================
Today the New Jersey State Legislature voted down a proposal for same sex marriage.
I wholeheartedly agree with them. I am totally against this farce.
If God wanted same sex marriage there would have been Adam and Brian in Eden. And they would have been the only two occupants even since. Kind of old but for obvious reasons they could not multiply.
Look at what we would have missed in the world.
The Mormon males would have to marry each other, the Muslims could not have a harem full of women, and there would have been no point in creating eunuchs.
The Mayans could not sacrifice virgins because just like today there would be none.
And the golfer would live a very lonely existence.
I wholeheartedly agree with them. I am totally against this farce.
If God wanted same sex marriage there would have been Adam and Brian in Eden. And they would have been the only two occupants even since. Kind of old but for obvious reasons they could not multiply.
Look at what we would have missed in the world.
The Mormon males would have to marry each other, the Muslims could not have a harem full of women, and there would have been no point in creating eunuchs.
The Mayans could not sacrifice virgins because just like today there would be none.
And the golfer would live a very lonely existence.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
January 6, 2010
I just want to correct some misconception that might have risen based on one of yesterday's subjects.
We are not kosher, we do not eat kosher products. The only reason we shop at this particular fruit store is because they have better prices than the other stores in the area.
We do all our shopping at 'normal', clean supermarkets.
We are not kosher, we do not eat kosher products. The only reason we shop at this particular fruit store is because they have better prices than the other stores in the area.
We do all our shopping at 'normal', clean supermarkets.
===========================
It is always terrible when a human being dies. Life is dear and should be treated accordingly. We only have one life and we should cherish it and make every effort to protect it. This is the only chance we all have on earth, we will not get a second chance.
Now why am I writing this psychobabble?
Because unfortunately the world is full of useless people who have no idea what to do with themselves. They have riches an ordinary person can not fathom but they live their lives without doing anything useful.
Look at this woman who just died. She was the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. She lived her life partying, boozing and drugging. Now she died and the media is all filled about her. What was her contribution to the betterment of life as we know it?
She didn't know what to do with herself. She went into a lesbian affair, she partied and adapted a little girl from Kazakhstan but she didn't know what to do with her.
People like her and Paris Hilton and countless others are as useless as garbage. Their loss is not felt by anybody except their families. These people never contributed to anything but to their own self.
And in this idiotic country and world they make the news.
I can't be bothered by their existence. If they want to die, have a nice trip!
My wife was once involved in business very peripherally with a billionaire woman. She was a very mean person. She fired people for just looking at her the wrong way or not being at the right place at the right time. Didn't believe in second chances.
When she died she left the bulk of her estate to her dog. That indicates that she thought more of her dog than people in the need.
She was another useless one.
Over forty years ago I worked for a real estate company in Manhattan. Its owner was a man of over 75 years of age. This man was a multi millionaire which was a lot of money back in the 60's. He didn't have to work yet, he put everybody to shame in the office. He was in every day and he was i the office long after we left.
OK he was a wheeler dealer and only he knew how to do those things. But he didn't have to work. He could have stayed home in his Connecticut estate and enjoyed life.
But no, he chose to work and I respected him for this.
Now why am I writing this psychobabble?
Because unfortunately the world is full of useless people who have no idea what to do with themselves. They have riches an ordinary person can not fathom but they live their lives without doing anything useful.
Look at this woman who just died. She was the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. She lived her life partying, boozing and drugging. Now she died and the media is all filled about her. What was her contribution to the betterment of life as we know it?
She didn't know what to do with herself. She went into a lesbian affair, she partied and adapted a little girl from Kazakhstan but she didn't know what to do with her.
People like her and Paris Hilton and countless others are as useless as garbage. Their loss is not felt by anybody except their families. These people never contributed to anything but to their own self.
And in this idiotic country and world they make the news.
I can't be bothered by their existence. If they want to die, have a nice trip!
My wife was once involved in business very peripherally with a billionaire woman. She was a very mean person. She fired people for just looking at her the wrong way or not being at the right place at the right time. Didn't believe in second chances.
When she died she left the bulk of her estate to her dog. That indicates that she thought more of her dog than people in the need.
She was another useless one.
Over forty years ago I worked for a real estate company in Manhattan. Its owner was a man of over 75 years of age. This man was a multi millionaire which was a lot of money back in the 60's. He didn't have to work yet, he put everybody to shame in the office. He was in every day and he was i the office long after we left.
OK he was a wheeler dealer and only he knew how to do those things. But he didn't have to work. He could have stayed home in his Connecticut estate and enjoyed life.
But no, he chose to work and I respected him for this.
===========================
The Census Bureau came out with a form that among others has a question that refers to the person's race. The question is if black is the person Black, African American or Negro.
I can understand the African American but what is the difference between Black and Negro? I always thought they were one and the same.
I can see a black person from Africa is not an African American but if he is black then I'm sure he is also negro.
Why are blacks so upset at the use of the word negro?
In Spanish and in Portugal negro means black. That is where the word was originated from. I really don't see anything wrong with it, their skin is black. Only people with an inferiority complex would complain about something like this.
Maybe I don't want to be called white. I think I want to be called European American from here on.
I can understand the African American but what is the difference between Black and Negro? I always thought they were one and the same.
I can see a black person from Africa is not an African American but if he is black then I'm sure he is also negro.
Why are blacks so upset at the use of the word negro?
In Spanish and in Portugal negro means black. That is where the word was originated from. I really don't see anything wrong with it, their skin is black. Only people with an inferiority complex would complain about something like this.
Maybe I don't want to be called white. I think I want to be called European American from here on.
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